DAY 3 (Aug 2, 2019) - Snæfellsnes peninsula
Gerduberg Cliffs (Basalt Columns)
Bjarnarfoss waterfall
Raudfeldsgja Gorge (waterfall inside cliff crack)
Anarstapi (walk along the cliffs)
Londrangar Viewpoint
Skardsvik Beach (white sand beach)
Dritvik Djupalonssandur (black sand beach)
Kirkjufell
(Landbrotalaug Hot Pot)
Voyagers tips: Spend two days here if you can afford the time and don’t want to feel rushed. Snaefellsnes peninsula is magical. Make a stop at Landbrotalaug Hot Pot also during these days. We missed it and had to backtrack the next day.
Gerduberg Cliffs (Basalt Columns)
This was a cool stop. The columns seem tall, but it was actually fairly easy to climb to the top. This makes for some cool pictures! Basalt columns are very common, can be seen throughout Iceland.
Bjarnarfoss waterfall
Bjarnarfoss was an accidental stop, it’s not the most popular spots, but we loved it! The hike was a lot of fun, although it does get steep towards the top so be prepared. Since it’s not on most “must-do” lists online, there are fairly few people, which made it more enjoyable. One of our highlights of Snaefullsnes, highly recommended!
Raudfeldsgja Gorge (waterfall inside cliff crack)
This is no ordinary hike like we thought. It is essentially walking in a creek or along the rocky walls of a creek. We didn’t bring our waterproof shoe covers, so it was either finding taller rocks to step on in the narrow creek or finding footholds along the rocky walls on either side. The creek leads up to a small waterfall. The path was so narrow and with so few footholds that one person needs to get out of the way for the other person to get by. It was challenging for all hikers, for sure. Most hikers stopped half way through when things got really tricky. We got half way there and the kids couldn’t make the big straddles necessary, so Megan went back with the kids and Ivan kept going to the end. It was quite exhilarating!
Voyagers tips: Bring waterproof shoes! We actually bought silicone water-proof shoe covers on the trip, which would’ve been awesome, but didn’t bring it that day as we didn’t do sufficient research. The kids could’ve kept going had they brought the shoe covers.
Anarstapi (walk along the cliffs)
Drive to the end of the road for a gorgeous trail along the coast that leads to the neighboring town of Hellnar. We really enjoyed the beautiful scenery on a gorgeous sunny day, and stopped often to take pictures. We got carried away with all the jumping pictures! Since we were running short on time, we didn’t complete the 4-km round-trip hike. Such a pity, it really was gorgeous, and there were some cool views and lava rocks along the path that we missed, plus a cute cafe in Hellnar. Maybe next time. My suggestion to anyone visiting Iceland — Spend two full days in Snaefullnes peninsula to fully enjoy this amazing place!
Voyagers tips: Drive After making the turn from the main road, drive straight through to the end where you hit the dock and park there. There’s a beautiful hike to Hellnar if you have time. There’s supposedly a nice bakery after you get to Hellnar also. If you have two days on Snaefullsnes, which I recomend, then save time to do the full hike. If you only have one day, just go as far as you want and turn back.
Londrangar Viewpoint
Londrangar provides a different costal view along the cliffs. The scenery reminds me of the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. Not quite as grand, but the view to the left of the viewpoint was similar. A quick stop along the way, the viewpoint is just a short walk from the parking lot.
Dritvik Djupalonssandur (black sand beach)
This is a fun beach for several reasons. One, there’s a place with stones of varying weights where passerby’s strengths are tested. Two, there’s a cool stone arch you can climb up for a cool picture. Three, a ship crashed onto the beach a long time ago and many people died in this disaster. Big pieces of the ship remains on the beach as evidence of this part of history. Four, the “sand” is more like black pebbles, and the size of the pebbles get smaller as you get closer to the water. Five, the view is gorgeous! Definitely a must-see spot in Iceland.
Skardsvik Beach (white sand beach)
The beach all to ourselves.
There were surprisingly few people at this awesome beach. It’s not quite “white sand” as they call it, but it’s a nice beach surrounded by black rocky hills, makes for a beautiful view. The kids discovered a tiny cave they can crawl/walk through from one end to another. It was sized for small kids only. We could’ve easily spent half a day here just chilling and enjoying the view if time allowed.
Kirkjufell
Kirkjufell, the most photographed mountain in Iceland. The popular shot is one with waterfall in front on the left and the mountain in the back on the right. The tip of the mountain was hidden by the clouds when we were there, giving it a unique feel. The waterfall itself is relatively small, but the two waterfalls side by side, surrounded by a beautiful view of greenery and the majestic mountain in the back, it really felt like we were in a postcard.
Voyagers tips: To get the postcard view of the waterfall and the mountain together, park on the street and walk around to the other side of the waterfall. If you have an SLR, remember to set it to long shutter speed to get the silky waterfall effect.