Snæfellsnes Adventure 

“Iceland´s nature at its wildest and most beautiful”

Details

Departure time: 8:00
Duaration: 13 hours
Type of group: Small group
Avalabillity: All year
Pick up: Anywhere in Reykjavík
Drop off: Anywhere in Reykjavík

High Lights

Dinner at a horsefarm
Visit to a local book café
Meeting a local farmers
Arnarstapi
Djúpalónssandur
Kirkjufell mountain

What should I bring?

Warm clothes: Scarf, a winter hat, gloves and warm socks
Waterproof jacket and pants
Thermal layers
Good sturdy shoes
Dress according to weather and remember that the wind factor can be considerable in Iceland.

What’s included?

Dinner at a local horse farm
Parking fees
National park entrance fee
Free WiFi
USB charge for every seat
Bus fare
Professional local guidance in English
Pickup and drop off at selected places (see detail)

Exclusions

Food & drinks
Tip or gratuity

Cancellation policy

Bookings are non-refundable. All sales are final.

Snæfellsnes Adventure – PRIVATE TOUR

Included in the tour

Dinner and a visit to a horse farm
Meeting a local farmers
Visit to a local book café

Kirkjufell mountain, the arrow head mountain from Game of Throne
Arnarstapi, one of the most picturesque fishing villages in Iceland.

Djúpalónssandur, black pebbled beach at the foot of the glacier

 Like a giant finger, the Snæfellsnes peninsula stretches 90 kilometers (56 miles) off Iceland´s west coast. It has the country´s third and most recent national park established in 2001.

Snæfellsnes has been described as Iceland in a nutshell as it combines a diversity of dramatic natural wonders: towering mountains, lush lowland pastures, a wild Atlantic coastline with black sandy beaches, expansive lava fields, caves, cascading waterfalls, teeming birdlife, charming fishing villages and an active volcano crowned by a glacier considered by many to be the country´s most beautiful. This is Snæfellsnes in all its glory!

The peninsula´s wild beauty has inspired artists and writers through the ages. Finding an entrance up on the glacier, this is where the protagonists in Jules Verne´s famous novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth kicked off their mad adventure.

Our tour involves driving the peninsula, stopping here and there on the way for walks along the coast to see bird colonies and fantastic rock formations, descending into caves or going down to the shore to explore old shipwrecks or look for seals.

And as you travel your guide will regale you with tales about trolls and fearless locals who sailed westwards into the unknown to discover Greenland and America long before Columbus. This is a place whose history is as rich as its landscape is fantastic.

The Snæfellsnes glacier is believed to radiate a powerful spiritual energy and to be one of the earth’s seven main energy centers. One thing is certain, experiencing the beauty and solitude of this remote peninsula, far from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, will touch your soul.

To make your Iceland adventure even more memorable, we at Thor Travel like to have our clients meet the locals and get to know more about us Icelanders and our way of life. This could be visiting a farm for coffee and a chat, stopping at a horse farm to learn about and be introduced to the beautiful Icelandic Horse, or enjoying a traditional evening meal hosted by an Icelandic family.

What you will see

Kirkjufell – Iceland´s most photographed mountain

Just outside the town of Grundarfjörður on the Peninsula´s northern coast is Kirkjufell or Church Mountain. Extending out into the sea this impressive landmark with its unique shape is reputed to be the most photographed mountain in Iceland, and with good reason.

Reaching to a height of 463 meters (1389 feet), its distinctive layers were formed by numerous volcanic eruptions, while its steep sides and sharp-edged peak are the result of glacial erosion.

The mountain´s unique form and the stunning surrounding nature are the reasons why it attracts so much attention; Game of Thrones fans will recognize it from Seasons 6 and 7, where it goes under the name “arrowhead mountain”.

Through the centuries the mountain has served as a guiding landmark for both seafarers and those travelling on foot.

Lýsuhóll - horsefarm where we will have included dinner

The farm Lýsuhóll is located in Western Iceland on the South coast of the Snæfellsnes peninsula, which many Iceland experts consider to be the most beautiful part of the country. It is charactarized by a huge variety of landscapes and the glacier Snæfellsjökull with its nearly magical attraction gives it a very special charme.

AT Lýsuhól we will meet the local farmers Jóhanna and Ragnar and enjoy their hospitality for dinner and meet their horses

Arnarstapi – a charming fishing village, a bracing cliff walk and tall tales from the distant past

Located at the foot of the impressive Mount Stapafell, Arnarstapi ranks as one of the most picturesque fishing villages in Iceland. Through the centuries it was a major fishing station and trading post. This was when fishing was labour-intensive and done from open row boats.

Today the village still has an active harbour for smaller fishing boats. Most of the village homes however are summer houses or accommodation and services for travellers.

A bracing walk along the coastal path offers breath-taking views. There are the wonderful rock formations that include basalt columns, grottoes and Gatklettur, Iceland´s Arc de Triomphe – a huge natural arch whose centre has been hollowed out over time by the powerful Atlantic Ocean.

During the summer, the place is teeming with birdlife. Thousands of kittiwakes nest precariously on cliff sills and ledges, while large colonies of Arctic Tern nest in the high grass.

One feature that will immediately catch your eye is this giant sculpture of the half-troll half-human Bárður Snæfellsás.

Bárður was one of the original settlers in the area and there are many stories connected with him. Devastated after killing his two young nephews in an uncontrollable rage, he turned his back on human company, walked up to the glacier, and entered it. Inside he built a giant ice cave and lived alone.

Arnarstapi is also where Professor Lidenbrock and his intrepid group, in Jules Verne´s Journey to the Centre of the Earth, set off to the Snæfellsnes glacier to enter a lava tube and descent into the earth´s belly.

Berserkjahraun - A vast and beautiful lava field steeped in saga lore

In the north of the peninsula and close to the town of Stykkishólmur is the enormous Berserkjahraun lava field formed over 4000 years ago.

The field´s bizarre volcanic formations and the contrasting colors of the carpeting green moss and the red, yellow and black of the rocks make this a wonderland to explore.

Berserkjahraun, or the Berserker´s Lava Field, has a rich history stretching all the way back to the Saga age. The name is said to derive from the fact that two berserkers were employed by a local farmer to build a pathway through the field. A seemingly impossible feat to perform, the farmer felt safe in promising his daughter in marriage to one the berserkers upon completion of the path. But the berserkers managed the impossible and so the farmer was forced to quickly come up with a devious plan to kill the two berserkers.

By the way, berserkers were Viking super warriors who would work themselves into a frenzy before heading into battle. They were said to induce this crazed behavior by eating a certain type of mushroom.

Djúpalónssandur – The black pebbled beach at the foot of the glacier

In former times there were many fishing stations dotted along the Snæfellsnes coast. Farm labourers were sent to these stations over the winter months when there was less work to be done on the farms.

Eight-man rowboats were launched from beaches for a day´s fishing. Getting the boat safely back on shore in often treacherous sea conditions was a tricky business and drownings were commonplace.

From as early as the 16th century, Djúpalónssandur beach was a major fishing station with hundreds of men there at the height of the fishing season.

The beach is covered with little black pebbles formed over time and washed up by the powerful Atlantic Ocean.

Scattered about the beach is the debris of the Epine GY7, an English trawler that ran aground here in 1948. Fourteen crew members lost their lives.

On the beach you´ll find four stones of differing sizes. These are the Lifting Stones and were used to test a man´s strength to see what he was capable of. The last thing you needed when the going got tough was a crew member who lacked power and stamina. You´re welcome to test your strength and see whether you´d have passed the test!

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