Description
Summary
Description
Travel by small-group minibus to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula on this day tour from Reykjavik, with stops at lava fields, waterfalls, black sand beaches, sea cliffs, and Kirkjufell Mountain. The peninsula is often called "Iceland in Miniature" for its variety of landscapes.
With a smaller group, the tour feels more personal, and your guide shares stories and local history throughout the day.
From Reykjavik, you head west toward the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.
Your first stop is Berserkjahraun Lava Field, a moss-covered lava field formed in an eruption from nearby Bjarnarhafnarfjall Mountain more than 4,000 years ago. Its name means "lava field of the berserkers," the frenzied Viking warriors of the sagas.
Next, you see Kirkjufell Mountain, or "church mountain." It rises 1,519 feet (463 meters) above the fishing town of Grundarfjordur, and its arrowhead shape appeared in Game of Thrones.
Nearby is Kirkjufellsfoss Waterfall, which splits into three streams fed by glacial meltwater. A small path leads around the falls, with classic views of the waterfall in front of the mountain.
The tour continues into Snaefellsjokull National Park, a protected wilderness around Snaefellsjokull Glacier. This 700,000-year-old subglacial volcano has been dormant for almost 2,000 years and can be seen from Reykjavik on a clear day. It's also where Jules Verne placed the entrance in his 1864 novel "Journey to the Center of the Earth."
At Djupalonssandur Beach, one of the best-known black sand beaches in Iceland, you can walk along the surrounding cliffs and rock formations, two of which were once thought to be trolls turned to stone. Four lifting stones lie on the beach, and fishermen once had to lift the 119-pound (54-kilogram) stone to find work on the local boats.
Then you see the Londrangar Basalt Cliffs, two rock pinnacles 246 and 200 feet (75 and 61 meters) high, which are all that remains of an old crater worn away by the sea. Many seabirds nest on them.
In Arnarstapi Village, once an important fishing and trade center, you can walk along the cliff edge, look for nesting seabirds, and see the natural stone bridge of Eystrigja.
Next is Budir Black Church, a popular subject for photographers. A church has stood here for more than 300 years, and the current building dates from 1848.
Your final stop is Ytri Tunga Beach, a golden sand beach that is one of the best places in Iceland to see harbor seals resting on the rocks offshore. Then you head back to Reykjavik for drop-off in the city center.
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