Private Bespoke Snaefellsnes Peninsula Tour

On our way to Snæfellsnes we occasionally make a pitstop in the beautiful small town of Borgarnes, made famous by Characters from one of the Icelandic Sagas, Egilssaga.

The drive to tip of the Snafellsnes Peninsula takes about 2,5 hours with beautiful scenery along the way and of course your guide keeps you entertained with history and fun facts along the way

Búðakirkja Church

Black churches are not uncommon in Iceland, but Búðakirkja is probably the most picturesque of them. The church is in the Búðir hamlet, which sits in the Búðahraun lava field. The area has a natural harbor and was one of Iceland’s most important commercial hubs in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The first church in the area was built in 1703. It was a small, turfed church with a cemetery, but funerals have been held in the church since 1705. It slowly fell into disrepair, and the Danish king finally abolished it in 1816 due to its condition.

Widow Steinunn Sveinsdóttir lived in Búðir in the middle of the 19th century and applied for permission to rebuild the church in the area. She paid for the church’s construction, which still stands in Búðir today. Construction was finished in 1848, but it wasn’t consecrated until 1851.

Ytri-Tunga Beach

This place is one of the best in Iceland to spot a few seals lounging on the reefs. Ytri-Tunga is situated in the southern part of Snæfellsnes. There used to be a big farm in the area, and the massive beach, with its seal colonies, was a part of it.

Today, the area is known for its beauty and beautiful animals. Unlike most other beaches in Iceland, the Ytri-Tunga beach has white sand.

The two most common seal species in Iceland are the Harbor seals and Gray seals. However, if you are lucky, you can spot Harp seals, Bearded seals, Hooded seals, and Ringed seals. They do not breed in Iceland, however, and thus don’t spend much time here.

This is a bespoke tour so we can design it based on your interests.

Other places of interest:

Sturlungalaug Pool, Gerðuberg Basalt Columns, Lóndrangar Rock Formations, Selvallafoss Waterfall, Berserkjahraun Lava Field, snowmobiling on Snæfellsjökull Glacier, Grundarfoss Waterfall, Búlandshöfði Viewpoint, Ingjaldshóll, Skarðsvík Beach, Vatnshellir Cave, Sönghellir Cave, Rauðfeldsgjá Canyon, Bjarnarfoss Waterfall, and Eldborg Crater.

Arnarstapi

Arnarstapi is a small fishing village at the foot of the Snæfellsjökull glacier. The coastline is dramatic, with rock formations like Gataklettur and the Stone Bridge. Arnastapi is also a paradise for bird watchers as the surrounding cliffs are popular among various bird species.

The fishing village was founded in 1565 as a trading post of the Danish Crown during the trading monopoly. Danish agents had custodial power over Arnarstapi in the 17th and 18th centuries and commercial rights over nearby lands formerly owned by Helgafell Monastery.

Bárðar Saga Snæfellsáss inspired the Arnarstapi and the nearby Hellnar place names. The Icelandic Saga relates the story of Bárður, a half-human, and half-ogre.

One of the oldest houses in Arnarstapi, Amtmannshús (The Danish Prefect’s Residence) is also one of the oldest houses in Iceland. It was built in 1774-1787

Djúpalónssandur Beach

Close to Arnarstapi is Djúpalónssandur Beach. Meaning Deep Lagoon’s Sand, the beach was once the home to about sixty fishing boats. Despite the name, the beach is by a relatively shallow and sandy bay, which made it easy to land a ship.

The nearby creek Dritvík was also a fishing station. It is believed that men started sailing from Dritvík sometime in the 16th century, and at most, about 600-700 men fished from there.

Gatklettur (Holey-Rock – and not to be confused with the one in Arnarstapi) is in Djúpalónssandur and by it is a beautiful little pond called Svörtulón. Fishermen believed the beach was haunted, and there’s even a cave called Draugahellir or Ghost Cave. Another interesting site is Tröllakirkja, Troll Church.

On the beach are four lifting stones used to test the strength of those who wanted to become fishermen.

Mt Kirkjufell

The famous Kirkjufell mountain is a place of excellent photo opportunities. The picturesque mountain is 463 m tall and is climbable, but this should not be done without an experienced guide.

The mountain got incredibly famous when it was used as the Arrowhead Mountain in the TV series Game of Thrones.

The towns of Snæfellsnes

The towns of Hellnar, Ólafsvík, Grundarfjörður, and Stykkishólmur are all worth a visit to see and experience Icelandic village life. The birdlife in Hellnar, especially as a nesting site for the Arctic tern, is legendary. Ólafsvík is a great place to go whale watching. In Grundarfjörður, you get a unique view of Mt Kirkjufell, and there’s even a Colombian café there. In Stykkishólmur, you can check out the Norwegian House and other old buildings or take the ferry to Flatey Island or the West Fjords. Not far from Stykkishólmur is Bjarnarhöfn, the Icelandic Shark Museum, which is an exciting visit.

On our drive way back we of course use the Hvalfjordur Tunnel to shorten the way as possible but again, the beautiful nature of Iceland greets us and it's always good to travel in a more comfortable car