Best of Snaefellsnes Peninsula in 2 Days Including Northern Lights – Part 2

Southern Iceland Road-Trip in Winter in 10 Days – Day 9

Are you a fan of the HBO series Game Of Thrones? Then you would recognize many parts of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula as shooting location of the series. Even if you are not a fan or haven’t watched GOT, no problem! You must know that the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, often called Iceland in Miniature, has inspired multiple filmmakers, photographers, etc. for centuries. If you have only 2 days in Iceland, you should just visit the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Go nowhere else, as here you can see everything the country has to offer. The most famous feature of the area is the Snaefellsjokull Glacier, which is a twin-peaked glacier and volcano, surrounded by a diverse array of natural features. There are volcanic craters, dramatic mountains, lava fields, stunning beaches – both golden and black, waterfalls, fjords, hot springs, awe-inspiring gorges, lush meadows, twisting lava caves and cute fishing villages of colorful wooden houses.

Highlights of the Day

• Giant Padlock
• Bulandshofdi View Point
• Olafsvik
• Baejarfoss
• Hellissandur & Its Murals
• Gufuskalar
• Irskrabrunnur
• Skardsvik Beach
• Ondverdarnesviti Cape
• Svortuloft Lighthouse
• Saxholl Crater
• Djupalonssandur Beach
• Dritvik Cove
• Malarrif Lighthouse
• Londrangar
• Hellnar
• Arnarstapi
• Snaefellsjokull View Point
• Budakirkja Church
• Bjarnarfoss Waterfall

Ultra-Intensive Itinerary of Snaefellsnes Peninsula in 6 Hours

We knew that we would get not more than 4 hours of proper daylight. We have so many places to see in Snaefellsnes Peninsula, so we planned it a day earlier. I laid out every detail on map – all places that we planned to visit. Glad that we already visited Grundarfjordur village and Kirkjufell Mountain on the previous day, so I listed down all the other places to visit. It was not possible to spend a lot of time in each site, so we planned accordingly. Firstly, we had proper breakfast – a huge bowl of fruits – thanks to our shopping from Bonus supermarket the previous day. We also prepared sandwiches using the leftover groceries and packed them in boxes to have lunch on the go. We left the guesthouse at around 10.30 AM.

Giant Padlock & Bulandshofdi View Point

Our first stop was Giant Padlock which was just 5 km west of Grasteinn Guesthouse. There was a huge padlock at the gate of a seaside farm. We could not get an idea of that but loved the beach there. A few km ahead, is the Bulandshofdi View Point. It is one of the unknown, low-key, but most beautiful viewpoints to stop by and admire the view of the Atlantic Ocean.

Olafsvik & Baejarfoss

Soon there was a diversion in the road, where Snaefellsnesvegur road turns left, while the straight road is Utnesvegur heading to the less explored gems of Snaefellsnes Peninsula. We drove straight to reach Olafsvik. It is a lovely fishing town on the north side of the Snaefellsness Peninsula, and is an important part of Snaefellsbaer Municipality. We briefly stopped by the town to take few pictures of the strange-looking church and the beautiful waterfall. Baejarfoss waterfall is easy to reach from the Olafsvik Church. A path at the right side of the river leads to the base of the waterfall that can be reached in 5-10 min.

Hellissandur & Its Murals

Just 10 km away from Olafsvik, is located the village of Hellissandur, which has gained a reputation as the street art capital of Iceland. In 2018, a team of international artists including Camilo Arias, Ban Pesk, and Luis Rincon transformed an abandoned fish factory and several unadorned buildings around Hellissandur town into 30 huge murals. We took a brief pause here to absorb the wonderful artwork of the town.

Gufuskalar & Irskrabrunnur

We stopped by 2 signs on the road, indicating Gufuskalavor and Irskrabrunnur. We found that Irskra brunn­ur means “Well of the Irishmen”. It is a well from the time of the settle­ment, in the fields near Gufuskalar. There are also ruins of Irskra kirkja meaning “Church of the Irishmen” on the shore and ruins of Irskra budir meaning “Irishmen’s booth” at the edge of the lava field. At Gufuskalavor, we saw grooves worn in the rock over the ages where the rowing boats were pulled ashore.

Skardsvik Beach

As Richie kept driving along the coast leaving the Utnesvegur road, we were marveled at a golden stretch of sand. The beach is known as Skardsvik Beach. We got used to black sandy beaches in Iceland, whereas Skardsvik beach shows how diverse the landscapes of Iceland can be.

Ondverdarnesviti Cape & Svortuloft Lighthouse

Now, we finally went to the westernmost point of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. The first thing we noticed there was the small orange lighthouse called Ondverdarnesviti. It was first built in 1909. Later, a new lighthouse was then made out of concrete taller than the old one in 1973. After driving down south, there is another bright orange lighthouse called Svortuloft Lighthouse, taller than the previous one. Great views of the westernmost part of the volcanic Snaefellsnes Peninsula can be seen from these two lighthouses.

Saxholl Crater

Next, we headed to Saxholl Crater as it is one of the best examples of seeing a crater in Iceland where you do not even have to hike much. Once, this crater shot hot magma from the earth, sculpting the landscape around it. Saxholl is actually two craters, though most guests will only summit the first due to its close proximity to the Utnesvegur road. We did not summit any, but took drone shots.

Djupalonssandur Beach & Dritvik Cove

Our next stop is the most beautiful black lava pearl beach of Snaefellsnes Peninsula. It is known as Djupalonssandur Beach, meaning Deep Lagoon Sand Beach. It is more than just a beach. Djupalonssandur is one such place with interesting lava rock formations, dramatic coastal cliffs, black sand, mysterious rocks, and stunning landforms jutting out of the ocean. The journey to the destination is magnificent.

Malarrif Lighthouse & Londrangar

Our next stop was Malarrif Lighthouse. On the way, we passed by Vatnshellir Cave, which is an 8000-year-old lava tube on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and a popular site for caving tours. We did not stop there. Instead, we visited the Lighthouse and the nearby Londrangar View Point from where we checked out the Londrangar basalt cliffs. We got to know about the two trolls who did not make it to the mountain before the glacier descended, and so they are turned into stones at Londrangar.

Hellnar & Arnarstapi

Hellnar and Arnarstapi are two tiny villages located at the end of the Snaefellsnes peninsula. Both are nestled on a dramatic coastline of spectacular and beautiful cliffs which rise directly from the ocean.

Budir Church & Bjarnarfoss

Our final stopping point was the Black Church of Budir locally known as Budakirkja. On the way to the church, we stopped by the Snaefellsjokull View Point to take few pictures. Also, the small distinct black church has become a popular photo destination in Snaefellsnes Peninsula. After visiting the church, the weather changed dramatically, and we got ready to head back. At the junction of Utnesvegur road meeting Snaefellsvegur road, we stopped for a while to absorb the beauty of Bjarnarfoss Waterfall. A 30-km drive from there through the Snaefellsjokul National Park to our guesthouse took only half an hour.

Rest & Dinner

We got back to our guesthouse at around 4.30 PM. It was completely dark by then. It was an intensive day of sightseeing as the daylight hours were very few. But we managed to see as much as possible in a day. We took a power nap right after coming back. In the evening, we cooked a meal of pasta for dinner.

Northern Lights in Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Later at night, Richie and I closed all the lights of the guesthouse and were struck by the magical beauty of Northern Lights. We did not even have to drive far away. It is tricky to see all these in naked eyes, so yes, a great camera is always helpful. Snaefellsnes Peninsula is an ideal location for witnessing the magical phenomenon of Northern Lights, because this area is located far from the city, hence away from pollution and the sky is clearer. The Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis appear when electrically charged particles from the sun travel at a high speed towards Earth and collide with the air particles present in the Earth’s atmosphere. The different colors of the lights are in accordance with the different gases that are found up there. The color-palette ranges from green, red, yellow or white to purple or even pink tones.

Remember to always see the Northern Lights using the camera; your naked eye can rarely spot this.

Total Distance Traveled: 150 km

NET EXPENSE FOR 1 PERSON (IN USD)

Let us have a look at the shared expenses of Day 9 in Iceland – Best of Snaefellsnes Peninsula in 2 Days Including Northern Lights – Part 2

• Expense: 0 (because lodging expense already added in the day before, and food was already sorted, our car was fueled up, there was no parking fee or entrance fee to any site)

Total expense (roughly): 0 USD

For a more customized itinerary, whether for solo or couple or group of any number of people, feel free to contact me on Contact Us page.

If you are planning for a much-organized, tastefully-curated, stress-free yet exciting vacation, consider booking your holidays at Travel Love Repeat. It is going to be a treat for sure!