Part 1: Snæfellsnes Peninsula Tour | World's Coolest Attraction

Part 1: Snæfellsnes Peninsular Tour

Travelling in Iceland is considered adventurous for an expectant mother. I was in the first trimester of pregnancy. I never regret having an unforgettable journey across striking landscapes on Snæfellsnes peninsula. I had the opportunities to experience the most stunning natural beauty and breathtaking imagery. I marvelled at the magnificence of Snæfellsjökull volcano and discovered the rich heritage and fascinating history of this mesmerizing area. We bought two tickets (~SGD320) for one day trip to Snæfellsjökull Peninsular and Cave Exploration in mid-November from Gray Line, professional tour guide, which provided roundtrip transportation excluding meals. Gray Line tour bus picked up from hotels, guesthouses and designated bus stops. They started 30 minutes before the departure time stated on our vouchers, 8am.

Ytri-Tunga Farm

This tour took us to the west from Reykjavik city on a scenic route to Borgarfjörður and the village of Borganes. Shortly after entering Snæfellsnes peninsula, we stopped by Ytri-Tunga Farm where we expected to spot local wildlife at the beach. Ytri-Tunga is a common Icelandic farm and a home to a seal colony and variety of sea birds. Unfortunately, we didn't see any seals or sea birds. The best time to see them is in the summer season between June and July. Nevertheless, we saw a herd of sheep from far, running away from us. I couldn't catch them to get a close look at them as they ran quickly. 

Ytri-Tunga Farm

It was a short walk down to a beautiful beach with large scattered rocks at the southern peninsula. It was difficult to walk in deep snow. I bought a new pair of trendy, waterproof boots from Timberland store for this trip. I was satisfied with the quality of these leather boots for its craftsmanship, durability and protections for the outdoors. Powdery snow had just fallen and it was loose and soft. When I fell on the ground, I felt like landing on cotton without pain. 

Ytri-Tunga Farm

Ytri Tunga was easy to reach from Reykjavik. By driving the Ring Road north, we eventually reached the Snæfellsnes Peninsular. We took the road along its south side, and about halfway down, we came across a small sign pointing to Ytri Tunga Beach. There was a carpark, an information sign, and a small path leading to the viewing area. 

Ytri-Tunga Farm

I had been dreaming of visiting Reykjavik because I was attracted to the landscape and Northern Light. Iceland holds both a volcano and a glacier, lava fields, craters, waterfalls, black beaches, lava caves, picturesque mountains, calm fishing hamlets, villages and towns as well as gorgeous views along the coastline with rugged rocks and frozen trolls jutting out from the Atlantic waves. Planning a trip to Iceland is tough due to limited time to visit many attractions during different seasons. Seeing aurora is the utmost importance in this trip, which has higher chance to emerge during winter. Thus, I had to eliminated the chance of seeing seals and sea lions at Ytri Tunga Beach along Snæfellsnes Peninsular. A rare blue-sky sighting and amazing scenery made up for the absence of seals. 

Ytri-Tunga Farm

Next stop was a visit to the idyllic Arnarstapi village where we took a walk to view the extraordinary landscape along the precipitous shoreline and where a break was made for lunch. Arnarstapi is a small village on the southern Snæfellsnes Peninsula, once a fishing hub, now a place for tourist attraction, at the foot of Mt. Stapafell between Hellnar village and Breidavik farms. We followed the tour guide to walk along the coastline to watch the birds and the magnificent lava formations. There were amazing landscape all the way 

Arnarstapi village

Arnarstapi village became quite busy in the summertime with tourists coming to experience an authentic small fishing village vibe, as it was so conveniently located only about 2 hours away from the capital. Foodies showed up for the fresh fish dishes and photographers for incredible photo opportunities. There was a popular hiking path between Arnarstapi and Hellnar, about an hour long hike along an old trail across a lava field, Hellnahraun, and next to the beach with awesome views.

Arnarstapi village

The area still served private fishing companies and recreationalvessels and had maintenance docks for boats and ships which had recently been renovated. For other villages on the Snæfellsnes peninsula were also very active fishing and trade common over Iceland.

Arnarstapi village

There was a lovely hike along the beach between Arnarstapi and Hellnar. The trail was an old horse trail goes through a lava field called Hellnahraun. The trail offered a great diversity and a beautiful nature. The lava formation along the coastline were very unique and there was a very interesting and beautiful cliff located there called Gatklettur. 

Hellnahraun at Arnarstapi village

Hellnahraun is a lava field between Arnarstapi and Hellnar in Snæfellsnes, Iceland. The source of Hellnahraun lava field is a crater near Jökulháls, now covered by the Snæfellsjökull glacier. The estimated age of the lava field is 3,900 years. I stood by admiring the natural landscape with impressive cliffs and views. The scenery was awesome; bright, blue sky and snow scattered on the lava cliffs. 

Hellnahraun at Arnarstapi village

Here, the interplay of spectacular waves and the light of the sun created a fascinating spectacle. As lovely as it was, the natural attractions nearby simply warrant more time. The village, sat on the cusp of Snæfellsjökull National Park, home to the Snæfellsjökull glacier and volcano, the beauty of which had inspired many artists. 

Hellnahraun at Arnarstapi village

The snow mountains were excellent subjects for photographers who could easily frame the mountains in the background. Arnarstapi was relatively quiet in winter, in summer the place was buzzing with birds and people but winter was a bit more relaxed. When the snow settled in the mountains and over the grounds the place turned peaceful, still and beautiful in a whole different way than it was in summer.

Snow mountains view at Arnarstapi village

Arnarstapi has beautiful seaside views and interesting rocks in the sea surf, and is surrounded by a large lava field. It only has very few houses, an information centre and a small pier for small boats. Walk along the seashore is highly recommended to enjoy the lava formations. 

Arnarstapi village

Snow was very deep and I felt as if I was sinking every step. I never knew I would walk so much in Iceland. Luckily I bought a pair of good boots to protect my feet. I couldn't flex and extend my ankle freely wearing boots for the whole day from 7:30am to 7pm. The best feeling was walking with bare feet in my Airbnb rental house. Ironically, I enjoyed this day trip very much. Reykjavik Excursion and Grayline were two tour guides where I booked all my day trips. Their big tour buses were clean and comfortable. They were professional, informative and skilful in driving on dangerous routes during winter. 

Arnarstapi village

Most people started the walk by the statue of Bárður Snæfellsás but we ended at the statue and hopped on the bus. The huge statue of Bárður Snæfellsás was so noticeable when we walked into the small village, which made by Ragnar Kjartansson, one of Iceland most renowned sculptures. The statue was his interpretation of the giant character that dominated the area around Snæfellsjökull glacier. Bárður, half-giant and half-man, was believed to the guardian of the Arnarstapi area.

Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss statue

In Helena, there is a small and cozy café called Fjöruhúsið located near the coast at the end of the hike. The café offers cakes, quiche and a very good soup. That's the perfect location to enjoy the vista over a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, or a beer with some homemade cake or soup on sunny days. If you are with tour guide, you won't have much time because you only have one hour break before rushing to the next destination. 

Fjöruhúsið cafe

In spite of winter season, the cafe was almost full of customers. There was a long queue to order food at the counter. Service was quick. Half an hour later, the crowd dispersed. We moved to another table to catch better photoshoot with beautiful background. We ordered mutton soup to keep warm and a plate of scrambled egg with salad and toast bread. Taste was decent but nothing could beat the spectacular views. It was freezing cold out there despite ultra-thick winter attire, no one would dine alfresco. 

Fjöruhúsið cafe