SNÆFELLSNES PENINSULA
- Reykjavík
Join us as we head west on a full-day magical mystical tour to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and its surroundings.
Countless lunar landscapes and volcanic vistas lie in store for us as we drive west out of Reykjavik and head towards the magnificent Snæfellsjökull glacier.
The glacier sits atop the active stratovolcano of the same name that took center stage in the Jules Verne sci-fi novel, ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’. You might even have spotted the ice cap glittering from across the bay in Reykjavik.
Our first stop will be Ytri-Tunga. You will be surprised because next to the farm there is a beautiful beach. Huge seal colonies can normally be found on the beach and your guide will lead you to the place where you can find them.
Right after, we head to our favorite farm in the peninsula, where an amazing home-cooked meal is always guaranteed.
We cannot miss Buðarkirkja, the black church in the hamlet of Búðir. It sits within the lava field of Búðahraun and it has a natural harbor that made this place the most important commercial hub in the peninsula, during the Danish trade monopoly in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Here we can admire one of the few black churches in the country, painted with pitch in order to protect the wood from the harsh climatic conditions of Iceland. The current building dates from 1848, when a woman called Steinunn Lárusdóttir got permission from the Danish King to build this church, in the location where the original turf chapel stood from 1703 until 1816.
The dramatic coast of Arnarstapi is waiting for you next. Powerful waves are constantly eroding the cliffs and leave impressive rock formations behind. We will also meet a statue of Bárður Snæfellsás, the guardian of the peninsula.
We will pay a visit to the black sand beach of Djúpalónssandur, too, where we can see the remains of a shipwreck that took place in 1948. It is really interesting to know the story behind the four big stones at the entrance of the beach, of different sizes. They were used to measure the strength of sailors in the days of the fishing stations and their salary was determined accordingly.
Then, we will stop to admire Kirkjufell, probably the most picturesque and most-photographed mountain in the country. Surrounded by streams and small waterfalls, it was chosen to be one of the filming locations for Game of Thrones, featuring "Arrowhead Mountain".
Our last stop will be Bersekjahraun lava fields. Created around 4.000 years ago, the lava fields are extremely thick and decorated with beautiful rock formations. Also, an exciting story back from the Viking era is waiting for us. You can explore a beautiful area and your guide will show you a hidden waterfall.
Snaefellsnes is an area of exceptional geological beauty – craters, lava fields (some more recent than others), idyllic, hidden coves and bizarre rock formations all lie in wait to be explored and discovered.
Local legends and folk stories abound and are an essential element of this multifaceted tour, which hits the spot when it comes to observing volcanic phenomena, discovering Iceland’s dramatic coastline and experiencing a more spiritual and mystical side of Iceland.