Snaefellsnes Peninsula Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

Welcome to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula! Often called “Iceland in Miniature,” this peninsula offers the unforgettable, from views of a glacier-capped volcano to tales of Vikings, trolls, and elves! So let’s get started!

Note: The tour is over 89 miles long, with more than 83 audio stories, and takes about 3-4 hours per tour to complete.

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Just below the parking lot for Djúpalónssandur Beach lie two lagoons. In the 1100s, a Catholic bishop blessed the pools, apparently instilling them with healing powers. If you visit these lagoons, you’ll follow a trail known as Nautastígur, or “The Path of the Bulls.” This is the route that farmers once took as they brought their bulls to drink from the lagoons. Those were some sacred bulls!

At the end of this road, we’ll reach Ingjaldshólskirkja, one of Iceland’s most famous churches. Although this structure wasn’t built until 1903, there has been a church on this property since the early 1300s!

The water at Ölkelda farm is chock full of minerals like calcium, magnesium, and… iron! When iron reacts with oxygen and water, it creates a reddish substance known as iron oxide. If you leave a metal chair outside in the rain, this is what will cause it to rust!

One night, a young farmer wandering at night spotted a seal skin and brought it home with him. There, he locked the skin in a wooden chest. The next morning, the farmer found a young woman sitting on the chest, crying. He consoled her.

Here’s another reason to check out the waterfall: The Lady of the Mountain once bathed here! Not familiar with the Lady of the Mountain? Well, she is a legendary matriarch who locals consider the very incarnation of Iceland itself.

Right now, we’re in front of Búðakirkja, one of Iceland’s most famous churches. You might be thinking: This church is small enough for a Huldufólk wedding!

Earlier in the tour, we talked about two big features of Iceland’s landscape: Volcanoes and glaciers. Well, Snæfellsjökull combines these two elements! A vast glacier covers the summit of the volcano. Sadly, this glacier has become smaller and smaller in recent decades. In 2012, for the first time in human history, you could stand in this very spot and see no ice on the top of Snæfellsjökull.

This is a deep, rocky ravine with a small waterfall. In the summer, you can even climb inside! The half-mile trail to the gorge is moderately challenging and takes about 20 minutes to complete.

If you plan on visiting the cave, it might be time to start warming up those golden pipes… Sönghellir translates to “the cave of songs.” The cave’s twisting, rocky walls provide an absolutely fantastic echo. Some say the echoes are the songs of the Huldufólk!

Ahead is an optional detour to the tiny fishing village of Arnarstapi. In Arnarstapi, you can look out over craggy cliffs, peer through a dramatic stone arch, and even walk over a natural bridge. Plus, the town has a statue dedicated to our favorite troll, Bárðar Snæfellsás!

Since the days of Bárðar Snæfellsás, humans have been drawn to the area around Arnarstapi. Fishermen found plentiful herring in the natural harbors along the shoreline, and the village became a bustling port.

We’re nearing the Lóndrangar View Point, where two basalt columns soar above the surrounding cliffs. These dramatic columns help to explain Lóndrangar’s nickname: “the rocky castle.”

This distinctive lighthouse was built in 1917 to help sailors navigate the treacherous basalt cliffs. The Malarrif Lighthouse might look a little unusual to you: It’s almost shaped like a rocket preparing for lift-off!

Despite the name, Vatnshellir Cave is actually an 8,000 year-old lava tube. Lava tubes form during volcanic eruptions, when rivers of magma continue to flow beneath sections that have already cooled. This creates a long, hollow tube!

Just below the parking lot for Djúpalónssandur Beach lie two lagoons. In the 1100s, a Catholic bishop blessed the pools, apparently instilling them with healing powers. If you visit these lagoons, you’ll follow a trail known as Nautastígur, or “The Path of the Bulls.

Imagine pools of magma bubbling away beneath the Earth’s surface. Sometimes, magma rises up to meet water-saturated rocks. Eventually, this can lead to something called a phreatic eruption. During phreatic eruptions, a huge quantity of water, steam, and molten rock explodes outwards! This leaves behind an enormous hollow, which you’ll be able to explore at Saxhóll Crater!

We’ll soon reach the turn for Skarðsvík Beach. This beach is an absolute study in contrasts. You’ll be able to admire turquoise water straight out of a tropical vacation, while also enjoying the dark volcanic rock that defines so much of the peninsula.

At the end of this road, the bright orange Svörtuloft Lighthouse stands out against the dark lava cliffs. Built in 1931, this lighthouse has helped generations of sailors and fishermen safely navigate the rocks and crags of the western Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Another lighthouse, Öndverðarnesviti, overlooks the cliffs just ahead. Since its construction in 1973, sailors have relied on Öndverðarnesviti to help them navigate the peninsula’s rocky tip.

Although Hellissandur was once a thriving fishing village, today it’s best known as the “Street Art Capital of Iceland!” Huge murals cover many of the walls in town, and galleries line the main road. Another big draw: The Maritime Museum!

So where did all this water come from? As you look at Svöðufoss, you’ll get a pretty big hint. Behind the falls rises Snæfellsjökull… with its glacier-capped summit! Meltwater from the glacier helps to sustain nearly all the waterfalls on Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

The Bæjarfoss waterfall overlooks the small town of Ólafsvík. The waterfall’s name translates to “Town Falls”... and yes, Bæjarfoss is an easy walk from Ólafsvík!

We’ll have the chance to see one of Iceland’s most iconic views: Kirkjufell Mountain rising steeply behind the Kirkjufellsfossar waterfall! If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, this spot might look extra familiar to you

Unlike some of the other mountains we’ve seen today, Kirkjufell is not a volcano. Instead, this is a nunatak! Nunataks are mountain peaks that rise above surrounding glaciers. The erosion of these glaciers left Kirkjufell with its sheer sides and cylindrical shape.

Positioned at the edge of a wide lava field known as Berserkjahraun, Grundarfjörður plays a big role in Iceland’s fabled Eyrbyggja saga. The story goes that a 10th-century farmer named Viga-Styrr employed two muscular ‘berserkers’ to work his fields.

In about a mile, Kolgrafarfjördur Viewpoint provides the final grand panorama of our tour. Think about all the sights we’ve seen today: basalt cliffs, ancient volcanoes, and fields of dark lava…