Day 11 – Grundarfjörður to Reykjavik

Today was our final day on the road. The plan was to circle Snæfellsnes peninsula taking in the sights. We also had a lava tube tour booked as well as a ride on the glacier at the peak of the volcano Snæfellsjökull. We spent much of todays drive counting waterfalls as we passed them. By the time we had exited Snæfellsnes we had counted over 40.

Snæfellsnes

I had heard of Snæfellsnes being described as a mini Iceland. There are lava beds, a volcano, a small glacier, dramatic coastlines, many waterfalls and even a fjord or two. Just about everything that you might want to see in Iceland is here, but on a smaller scale.

Driving around Snæfellsnes
Much of the drive was very close to the coast.

Vatnshellir Cave

Stairway down into a lava tube.

Malarrif Lighthouse

Londrangar

Rock formations along the southern coast of Snæfellsnes.

Snæfellsjökull

After exploring the peninsula we headed to our tour to the top of Snæfellsjökull. The tour, which we booked here: http://www.theglacier.is, was an easy and relaxing way to get on top of a glacier. We started at the tour owners family farm where we fed their chickens and horses while waiting for others to arrive. Eventually we boarded a bus, which took us up the volcano to the edge of the snow, where we hopped aboard snowcat for the remainder of the climb.

4700 feet above the sea

Snæfellsnes to Reykjavik

If summer days had an end in Iceland we would have reached it by the time we left Snæfellsnes and started the two hour drive back to Reykjavik. The drive felt longer than usual. Perhaps because we were approaching the end of the journey. As we neared Reykjavik the roads became familiar for the first time in a long time.

Exiting Snæfellsnes. One of the last waterfalls on the left.
Long straight and flat roads. Hard to believe we were one hour from the largest city.
Civilization. The town of Borgarnes.
Back to the wilderness, 30 minutes outside of Reykjavik. The sun is dropping low.
Hvalfjörður Tunnel

The Video

We started this video a bit late as we were circling the peninsula. But the scenery is very pretty along the way. If you look closely you should be able to see dozens of waterfalls. About 15 minutes from Reykjavik the camera battery died.

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