A Journey to the Center of the Earth and more Taking a glimpse of the wonders of Snæfellsnes Peninsula Snæfellsnes has everything and a bag of chips! In Snæfellsnes you can see a microcosm of all Iceland in a convenient Reykjavik Excursions day trip from Reykjavik. It has majestic mountain views, black-sand beaches and a volcano and glacier rolled into one (a Volclacier? A Glacano?) and scattered around the scenery you find quaint little towns with interesting histories, as told by their local folk museums. SNÆFELLSJÖKULL – THE ENTRANCE TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. One of the most interesting things on Snæfellsnes is without a doubt Snæfellsjökull glacier, which sits atop an active volcano at the tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. The volcano is 700.000 years old and has erupted about 20 times since the last ice age. In his book a “Journey to the center of the earth” Jules Verne used Snæfellsjökull as the point of entry through which Lidenbrock and his team start their journey.
In the park, among other things, you will find Djúpalónssandur black-sand beach. There you can test your strength with the three rocks, Strong, Full-Strong and Half-Strong. These were used by sailors of ages past to compete in strength and the heaviest one is 154 kg! (339 pounds!) ARNARSTAPI Arnarstapi is a long-abandoned fishing village which comes to life in the summertime, with fishermen sailing from the harbour and people spending their summers in local cottages. It has a camp ground, an inn and a restaurant. Here you can hike around the surrounding area and enjoy the mind-blowing rock formations of the coastlines from the observation deck to which the RE tour will take you. STYKKISHÓLMUR. Stykkishólmur is a picturesque and beautiful fishing town with only 1100 inhabitants, but this doubles in the summertime with all the fishermen and tourists. It serves as the center of transportation for the area – it’s
where you catch the ferry for Flatey Island and Brjánslækur in the Westfjords. The town has many wooden houses from the 19th and early 20th century. The oldest of these is the Norwegian House, built in 1832, which now houses the local folk museum. Stykkishólmur also has a volcano museum and a swimming pool, among other things. From Stykkishólmur you can also catch one of a selection of fascinating boat tours, which also available through Reykjavik Excursions. Among them are scenic tours where you can explore the whales, dolphins and the incredibly diverse birdlife of the Breiðafjörður bay. On at least one of the tours you can even sample “Viking Sushi” seafood fresh from the sea. That’s just three of the countless interesting things to see, not even mentioning the scattered little farms, the area’s rich history (the peninsula was where the Saga of the Icelanders, one of the main historical sources of Iceland was written, as well as being the setting of the ancient Laxdæla), the magnificent Gerðuberg basalt columns, mountains like Helgafell and Hólahólar(the Hill-hills), and many other things. To learn more, book a trip and see for yourself! Tours of the whole area and all the sights are available through Reykjavik Excursions.
Reykjavik Excursions BSI Bus Terminal, Vatnsmyrarvegur 10, Reykjavik center, 101 Tel: +354 564 4776 56 | MyDestination - Reykjavik
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