The Wonders of Snæfellsnes

Snæfellsnes became known to the world when it featured in Jules Verne’s ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’. It was here that Verne’s heroes began their journey to the centre of the planet by entering into the crater at the top of the Snæfellsnes volcano. We can’t promise you the adventures that Verne’s characters enjoyed, but we guarantee that you’ll have a day that you will never forget.

Departing from Reykjavik, you'll travel along the island’s western coast to the Snæfellsnes peninsula. First stop is in Arnarstapi, a beautiful little fishing village at the foot of Mount Stapafell, a hyaloclastite mountain, which means it consists of a mix of rock, lava and glass. The village’s tiny harbour is surrounded by impressive basalt cliffs, which almost appear manmade due to their columnar structure.

You'll pass the fantastic beach of black volcanic sand at Djúpalónssandur. Here, there are four lifting stones, which were traditionally used to test the strength of new fishermen before they went to sea for the first time. Their names mean ‘full strength’, ‘half strength’, ‘weakling’ and ‘useless’ in Icelandic. If you couldn’t lift the ‘weakling’ stone, you couldn’t go to sea!

Continuing your journey along the coast, you'll see spectacular scenery, especially on the beaches where, over the millennia, the waves have carved out incredible cliffs and caves. Your journey then continues along the unbelievable coastline; the landscape is like nowhere else on Earth.

The journey back to Reykjavik will take you through the small town of Ólafsvík and Kirkjufell, a stunning lone mountain that features on North-of-the-Wall scenes in 'Game of Thrones'. All along the way, you will see the most amazing natural wonders. You’ll return to Reykjavik amazed by the incredible landscapes of this unique country.