This is a 12 hour private guided tour, in a luxury vehicle (Mercedes-Benz or similar), around west Iceland’s Snæfellsnes peninsula visiting the landmarks and attractions while exploring the history and culture of Iceland. This tour includes a guided visit to select museums and exhibitions.
Snæfellsnes, or mini-Iceland as some choose to call it, is located on the west coast of Iceland. This tour let’s you experience a little bit of everything such as a glacier, waterfalls, rock formations, coast lines, ancient ruins, natural sparkling water, small fishing villages, viking sagas and more.
1-3 passengers + luggage
1-7 passengers + luggage
1-19 passengers + luggage
Your day starts with pickup at your accommodation or other location of your choice. First a brief introduction with your driver guide who gets you up to speed on what to expect from the day but also learning about your interests. You will be exploring the peninsula in a scenic drive making short walks at select stops. Your guide will tell you stories and facts about Iceland’s culture, history and way of life throughout the centuries. Get answers to the questions you would have never known to ask.
The first stop is at Gerðuberg cliffs. This columnar basalt wall is exceptionally well formed and offers great photo opportunities. The columns are 1-1.5 meters wide and up to 14 meters high. The cliffs are registered as natural monuments in Iceland.
We stop at Rauðamelsölkelda which is a mineral spring with natural sparkling water. The water is believed to have healing properties. You will be able to try the refreshing water and your guide will surely use the opportunity to enjoy a sip.
At Ytri Tunga beach it’s not uncommon to see a colony of seals. They play around in the splashing waves and often crawl onto the beach to lie around and rest. This friendly pinniped animal often enjoys the attention of curious travellers.
Arnarstapi served as a trading post from the 1500s and was home to sheriffs and regional rulers for the next centuries. Today this remote village is home to the viking Bárður Snæfellsás, a statue made out of stacked rocks. At Arnarstapi you will start your 30 minute (2.5km) long hike along the nature reserve beach towards the ancient fishing village Hellnar.
You will have the optional opportunity to enter Vatnshellir lava tube cave. It’s 200m long, taking you 35 meters deep into the lava field. Our partners equip you with helmets and headlamps before entering the cave. Pathways and metal stairs have been installed in the cave to make the exploration safe and comfortable. This is surely one of the best cave experience available in Iceland.
Should you opt to skip Vatnshellir we will make a scenic stop at Lóndrangar rock formation rising 61 and 75 meters from the ocean. From there we head to the Djúpalónssandur beach where you can do the Icelandic test trying your strength on the oval shaped rocks Amlóði, hálfsterkur and fullsterkur to see how much weight you can lift.
If time allows, we stop by at Gufuskálar, ruins of old fish drying sheds dating back 5-700 years. At the same location you can visit the well of the Irish which has supplied the locals with fresh water since the start of settlement in 874.
Kirkjufell mountain is probably Iceland’s most photographed mountain. It’s cone perfect cone shape changes as you drive around it. It rises majestically above the l Kirkjufellsfoss that flows next to it.
Our last but not least stop is at the Bjarnarhöfn shark museum. There you will learn about the talent of hunting and processing shark. Freshly caught it’s full of ammoniac and thus poisonous to humans. It’s meet needs to be cut, processed and buried for fermentation to take effect and break down the ammoniac. Afterwards this turns into an Icelandic delicacy but be aware that this is an acquired taste for most.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience. This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.