As a birthday present Mara booked a day trip from Reykjavik to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula on Iceland’s west coast, named “Journey to the center of the earth” after Jules Verne’s most-known romance. The tour guide from Arctic Adventures picked us up early in the morning and after a couple of hours drive along the south coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, we turned inland and crossed over to the northern coast. According to our guide, it’s best to visit the peninsula counter clock wise to avoid the crowds.
Kirkjufell & Kirkjufellsfoss – Arrowhead mountain
Our first stop, after almost 4 hours’ drive, was Mt. Kirkjufell and the Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall, which we found almost completely frozen when we visited it. The area is very beautiful, someone even claimed that Mt. Kirkjufell is in the top 10 most beautiful mountains in the world, but it probably owes its popularity to the Game of Thrones saga where it is featured in some episodes as Arrowhead Mountain.
In winter, 20 minutes are more than enough to walk around and take some nice photos, maybe a bit longer in summer when it is easier to explore the surrounding area.
Djupalonssandur black beach
After Kirkjufell, our tour continued with a quick stop at Djupalonssandur – a splendid black beach with many intriguing rock formations and a spectacular view of the Snæfells. There are three paths to follow from the parking area. The one to the left will take you down at the beach in about 30 minutes, the one in the center is a few minutes’ walk to a lookout point on the cliff, and a third path to the right that is a bit steeper goes down to the beach and features a great rocky wall with a hole at its center – a great spot for photos.
Tip: try to frame the Snæfells summit in the hole for a superb shot!
If you visit in winter and there is ice on the path, be careful while descending from the parking area to the beach, as we saw more than one person losing balance and falling.
Arnarstapi fishing village
Following the steps of Verne’s book, we stopped at Arnarstapi, a cute fishing village with a lot of things to see. When you reach the town’s visitors parking you will notice a tall sculpture representing the legendary Bárður, a half-ogre ad half man mentioned in the Icelandic Bárðar Saga, protector of the area.
From there it is easy to walk to the nearby cliffs where there are fantastic view-points, ideal for great photos and videos. The closest one is known as cliff viewpoint (what a fantasy!), which offers a great view of the basaltic cliffs continuously hammered by the ocean waves.
Not far from the first view point, there is the Gatklettur or stone bridge, a rock formation resembling a bridge and home of hundreds of sea birds during the mating season. This place is so fascinating that we lost track of time, and our guide had to come and scold us for being late!
The ocean force against basalt cliffs 
Ocean waves at Arnarstapi cliffs 
Basalt Cliffs at Aranrstapi
Vatnshellir Cave – Snæfellsnes Peninsula highlight
It was mid-afternoon when the guide finally drove us to the highlight of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula day trip: Vatnshellir cave! Like the protagonists of Verne’s book, we followed the local guide deep into a lava tube to the heart of Snaeffels volcano!!
You don’t need special equipment to visit the cave as the guide will provide you with helmets, flash lights and all required technical support. It is however recommended to wear comfortable trekking shoes to walk on uneven surfaces and dress warmly, since the temperature is just above freezing throughout the year.
You don’t need to be a geology expert to enjoy this tour as the guide explains everything in simple words, adding from time to time content for those in the audience who have a better understanding of the subject. We really liked the guide, who was friendly and talkative, and managed to fascinate everybody in the group independently from their scientific background.
The tour lasts 45 minutes and it is really worth the drive to the peninsula. Being fans of Verne’s book, we also appreciated the original reminders to the story we found in the cave, making the tour even more unique.
You may also want to read: Golden Circle Day Trip – What you shouldn’t miss!
