Snæfellsnes Peninsula Road Trip – Iceland in a Nutshell

The master photographer Martin Schulz returns with yet another brilliant article for Stuck in Iceland, and this time he covers the Snæfellsnes peninsula in a West Iceland Road Trip.  Thanks, Martin, for sharing your epic pictures and your travel story from Iceland.

Visiting Iceland for the 14th time

It’s been 14 times now that I have been able to visit Iceland. I am fascinated by the beauty of this remote island. In those times, I was able to visit the most varied places, from the remote highlands with their rugged beauty to the icy region of Vatnajökull and up to the lovely area around Lake Myvatn.

Visiting the beautiful Snæfellsnes Peninsula on a West Iceland Road Trip

But one special part of Iceland I have visited in all my travels. A place which is said to be “Iceland in a nutshell”, because you will be able to find everything that is typical for Iceland at this awesome location. Located west of Reykjavik, about a two-hour drive away, you can find the beautiful Snæfellsnes peninsula. Like a finger, it points out into the North Atlantic Ocean with the distinctive glacier Snæfellsjökull at its peak. Even Jules Verne was so fascinated by this place that he started his “Journey to the Center of the Earth” right on top of this glacier. I was able to experience a lot of wonderful moments in my 14 visits, many of which are kept in my pictures. With this article, I want to take you on a journey around this peninsula through the different seasons, as seen through my eyes.

Arriving at Borgarnes

Let’s start on the ring road and drive in a westerly direction. After about an hour of driving, we will reach the nice little town of Borgarnes. A perfect place to buy all the essentials you will need for your next journey. Also, you will find “Iceland’s coziest place” right in the center of town. Blómasetrið is a very special place; it has a mixture between a flower shop – where you can also get very tasteful decoration articles – and a café with a great living room atmosphere to offer. A place where you can really feel at home while you enjoy great cake and waffles combined with good coffee, served by the incredibly nice owners and their daughter Katrín. It is also possible to stay there overnight and rent a room. Right after leaving Borgarnes, we turn left onto road 54, which leads directly to the circumnavigation of the peninsula Snæfellsnes. Wide lava fields are the first thing you will notice on that journey. After a short drive, we are going to see a beautiful, equally shaped crater named Eldborg (fire castle).

The Most Beautiful Views

In a one-hour walk, you can easily reach this crater and climb up to its top. A trip that is really worth a stop. Elongated meadows and massive mountain ranges in the background line our further journey. Especially in autumn, when nature prepares for the nearby winter and turns into a dream of yellow, it offers the most beautiful views. This is just one of the many awesome sites you can expect on a West Iceland road trip.

Detour to Hotel Búðir

Not only for an extended stay on this beautiful peninsula, but I would also recommend the short detour to Hotel Búðir, and so we’ll turn to the short access road. In addition to a wonderful hotel, you will find a striking little church, which stands in a beautifully vegetated lava field. Seeing the sun rise above this little church is really special. When the first rays of sunlight let the autumn-colored grass start to glow and shine, and you can see the peaks of the magical glacier Snæfellsjökull on the horizon beside the church, you get the reward for getting up early and freezing in the cold wind. I spent my wedding anniversary here together with my wife, and what shall I say… it was awesome.

Walk to the Secluded Beaches

Just a few meters further, you can walk down to the secluded beaches of Búðir. Each of these small coves is different and unique. Red sand and black lava rocks line the coast. I have very often seen how the sun started to rise at this special place, and again and again I was deeply impressed by how different and beautiful this landscape can be. How fantastic our nature is.

Taking the Road Further West

We leave this wonderful place and continue on Road 54 farther west. Different lava fields line the roadside and invite you again to stop by. Especially in winter, the weather can change on this route in the shortest time. From clear skies to a big snowstorm, in which you can feel the snowflakes like pinpricks on your skin, you can get everything right in a few minutes.

Especially in spring, you can experience the most fascinating sunsets here with a variety of lighting effects. Motives for a nice foreground can be found in abundance.

Shortly before we reach the town of Arnarstapi, the landscape opens up and gives us a good view right upon a very striking mountain called Stapafell, which is located right beside Arnarstapi and the mighty peak of Snæfellsjökull.

Directly on the slopes of this impressive massif, we have the possibility to drive right up to the summit of Snæfellsjökull. Good weather and a good car are essential for survival. Halfway to the summit offers us a completely different view of the distinctive Stapafell.

Heading to Arnarstapi

We turn around and make our way down to the nearby town of Arnarstapi. From the car park, you can reach the impressive coast in a few minutes. Dozens of lava formations are here in the often roaring sea and invite you to take a walk on the partially crossed by caves coast. From here, you can even hike along the whole coastline until you reach Búðir again.

Instead of this, we will turn to one of the most striking lava formations. A huge stone arch, in the middle cut through with two large holes, eroded by the surging sea, named Gatklettur. Considering this formation in a warm summer night around 3 o’clock, the North Atlantic often shows its gentle side. On a cold winter evening, however, the full force of the sea can be observed very impressively at the same place. True water masses shoot with tremendous force through the surf holes of the sheet.

Arriving at Hellnar

On our journey, we come over to another small town, to Hellnar. We turn until we reach the small harbor. An absolute must on a beautiful day is to stop at the little café (Café Fjöruhúsið) right beside the water. With homemade cakes, you can enjoy the view of the seals, which often relax on the stony coast.

Another spectacular view will be offered to us right after a short ride. In the direction of travel, we acknowledge an extraordinary rock formation named Lóndrangar right at the coastline. On a short walk, we will reach a good position directly beside the steep coast to look at these remains of a volcanic caldera. Seabirds are breeding along the coastline and on the lava formations inside the sea. These coasts show themselves in the summer, often gentle and calm. In a winter storm, on the other hand, you can feel the true power of the sea.

A lot of small farms are located beside our way on, often with beautiful little churches. A trip is always worthwhile.

Defend Yourself Against the Fierce Kria

We circumnavigate the tip of the peninsula, with the magical peak of Snæfellsjökull always in view. On the north side of the peninsula, we will find rough cliffs and beautiful, sandy beaches where the waves break, inviting us to stop. In the summer months, however, one should be careful here, because these beaches are the area and the breeding grounds of the Arctic Terns (Kria). The birds defend their territory with targeted attacks on the intruder’s head. A stick or a tripod held up in the air is a great way to protect your head from painful pecks.

Arriving at Kirkjufell Mountain

After we drove through the small town of Ólafsvík, we reached, about half an hour later, one of the most beautiful places on the entire peninsula. Shortly before the town of Grundarfjörður, an evenly shaped mountain named Kirkjufell (church mountain) rises above the sea. The name is caused by the fact that its lateral edge has great similarity with a single church nave.

I have spent several days, evenings and nights at this mountain and the nearby waterfall. Beautiful summer moods, icy nights of auroras, and fast-changing weather in the fall are what I experienced here. The entire area around the mountain is ideal for short walks; you will be able to experience a lot of natural spectacles here if you just keep your eyes open. I already wrote a detailed article about this mountain some time ago.

Enjoy Your West Iceland Road Trip

Completing our West Iceland road trip, we pass through a beautiful lava field called Berserkjahraun and can decide whether we continue the circle around the peninsula on road 54, or turn right onto road 56 and go over a nice pass back to the south side of the peninsula and take the trip back to Reykjavík from there. In my countless visits, I got to know the Snæfellsnes peninsula’s most beautiful sites. Different seasons and markedly different weather have ensured that I am still under the spell of this wonderful landscape. Many visits will follow, and I am sure there are still so many places to discover that these visits will never get boring.