Iceland Six Days Five Nights Travel Record: Snæfellsnes Peninsula One-Day Trip Guide and Hidden Gem Exploration

Iceland Six Days Five Nights Travelogue - Guide to Iceland Local Tour

3/20 Today's itinerary is a one-day tour of Snaefellsnes (Snaefellsnes Peninsula), a peninsula famous for being the filming location of the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty in Iceland. It was only later, when I looked into it, that I found out that all four of the places featured in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty—Greenland, Iceland, Nepal, and the Himalayas—were actually all filmed in Iceland, and the Snaefellsnes Peninsula is the location that represents Iceland! Downtown Reykjavik isn't very big, and the pickup point for the local tour is just an 8-minute walk away. It's about a 2-hour drive from Reykjavik (Iceland's capital) to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, and along the way I kept taking photos of the scenery outside—towering black mountains rising from the yellowish-brown earth, covered with silky white snow. This is the color of Iceland!

On the way, we also stopped in another small town to pick up passengers and let us stop by a supermarket to buy some food. The tour guide said today's schedule was rather tight, so buying something simple to eat on the bus as lunch would be fine. During these days traveling in Iceland, our breakfast and lunch were almost always bread with cheese and some yogurt — partly because during day-trip itineraries there weren't many good restaurants out in the countryside, and partly to save the budget for a nicer dinner. We bought a bottle of Coke, having heard that Coca-Cola in Iceland tastes especially good (it later turned out to actually be Pepsi). But I did find it genuinely tasted good, because carrying it around with us, in Iceland's temperatures the Coke always stayed nice and cool, which of course made it taste better.

The first attraction on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula is the seal beach Ytri Tunga. The tour guide on the bus told us there was up to a 90% chance of seeing seals—just look for a group of people gathered there and you'll find them. After getting off the bus and walking for five minutes, sure enough, I saw a group of people gathered in one spot watching. Extending from there were seals lying on their backs on the rocky shore. What was interesting is that when I was taking photos, I initially paid attention to the seal closer to me, but it wasn't until I reviewed the photos later that I realized the white one in the distance was also a seal!

Besides the seal attractions, the scenery here is also very beautiful The seals only occasionally raise their heads, occasionally move their tails, for the rest of the time they don't move at all, it's really very chill. The second attraction is the Black Church, it is one of Iceland's oldest churches, this church is a popular proposal location in Iceland, and it's also a popular spot to admire the Northern Lights during self-guided tours, the combination of pure black and pure white is like Iceland's mountain scenery and snowy landscape.

As we arrived at this scenic spot, light snow began falling from the sky once again, adding a romantic touch to the atmosphere.

The third attraction is the town of Arnarstapi and the trail next to it, a place where many independent travelers choose to stay. Like yesterday, it's very windy today, and walking by the seaside is quite tiring, but the scenery is absolutely amazing.

The end of the trail is Gatklettur - Arch Rock, a sea cave.

Walking from the pathway toward the parking lot, you'll see a massive rock sculpture that looks like the guardian spirit of the coast.

The fourth attraction isn't far by car, also featuring the coastal scenery of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula—Londrangar, which bears a striking name: Monster Coast, highlighting the bizarrely shaped rocks along the shoreline. This view reminds me of the Twelve Apostles in Melbourne.

Continuing along the coast, the fifth attraction is also on the south side of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula's coastline, Djúpalónssandur, which is the black sand beach on the west side of Iceland. On the way down from the parking lot to the black sand beach, you'll pass by a set of trial stones. They were originally used by Icelanders applying to become sailors, and there are four levels: 23kg, 54kg, 100kg, and 154kg. 23 kilograms is what a normal person should be able to lift; at 54 kilograms, congratulations, you can be a sailor, but you'll only receive half pay; at 100 kilograms, congratulations, you can receive full pay; and if you can lift 154 kilograms, congratulations, you are the captain of this ship.

I used all my strength and could barely lift 54 kilograms, so I went dutifully to collect half pay (sigh). When walking down the black sand beach, the wind and snow suddenly intensified. Treading on black sand and gravel, with white snow swirling across the sky, it looked exactly like a scene from an outer space movie.

Because the wind and snow were really quite severe, the group only stayed at the black sand beach briefly before quickly heading back to the bus. We had completed all the attractions on the southern side. Today's final stop was Kirkjufell, the most famous church mountain on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. On the way there, the wind and snow were still intense. Our bus felt like it was driving through thick fog, moving only slowly forward, with strong gusts occasionally causing the vehicle to sway. At the rest stop, we received disappointing news again—tonight's aurora bus was still cancelled due to poor weather conditions, so we could only reschedule it for another day. Around 4 PM, we arrived at Church Mountain, but we encountered fierce wind and heavy snow. Although it was daytime, it felt like evening. The landscape had no contrast—just a sea of white. The visibility was so poor that we couldn't see Church Mountain at all (back on the bus, a tourist made a valiant effort to photograph in the direction of Church Mountain and could barely make it out). It seems Iceland is destined to leave me with some regrets.

After the tour ended, we drove back to the city, and at 17:20 we finally saw the sun again, which dispelled the worry that had been weighing on us about bad weather affecting the rest of the trip. We even saw a double rainbow at the rest stop (although the camera could only capture one arc).

Returned to the city at 19:30. Since the evening aurora tour was cancelled again, we can still have a nice dinner tonight. I chose Seabaron, a restaurant recommended by Guide to Iceland, which is a seafood specialist.

We still had to wait in line inside, but it wasn't as crowded as yesterday, and most of the customers inside were Westerners. This restaurant's signature dish is lobster soup, and even though one serving costs nearly 600, we still had to get one bowl each! We also ordered two skewers of grilled fish and two skewers of grilled potatoes that we added because we were worried we wouldn't be full enough.

The lobster soup was incredibly rich, and there was a generous portion of lobster too; we ordered two kinds of grilled fish, blueling and wolf fish, and both were really delicious. By the time we finished with the potatoes, we were already pretty full! All in all, it came out to almost 1400 per person, but given Iceland's prices, this place seems like really good value for money! After eating, we strolled around the downtown area as usual. Shops in Iceland actually close pretty early (most are open until 5-6pm). After 8pm, walking around outside, the only things you could still see open were restaurants, supermarkets, and souvenir shops.

The clouds were too thick today, so there was no hope for the northern lights — better to rest early and get ready for tomorrow's itinerary~ Explore more of the magical 6-day 5-night journey in Iceland! 👉 【Iceland 6-Day Highlights Independent Travel Guide】Itinerary Planning × Local Group Tour Experience × Cost Estimates Get an overview of the full itinerary and plan your dream trip to Iceland! 👉 Iceland 6-Day 5-Night Travelogue: The Start of the Journey and a Rocky First Day Arriving in Iceland, strolling around Reykjavik 👉 Iceland 6-Day 5-Night Travelogue: Snæfellsnes Peninsula Day Trip Guide and Hidden Gems Exploration Explore Iceland's enchanting peninsulas and capture its magnificent natural landscapes. 👉 Iceland 6-Day 5-Night Travelogue: Classic Sights and Play Guide for the Golden Circle Day Tour Feel the breathtaking charm of Iceland's classic attractions and gain memories that will last a lifetime. 👉 Iceland 6-Day 5-Night Travelogue: Exploring the Magnificent Black Sand Beaches and Waterfalls of Vik in the South (Part 1) Step into the mysterious world of Vik and feel the natural beauty of the south. 👉 Iceland 6-Day 5-Night Travelogue: The Southern Adventure of the Blue Ice Cave Wonder and a Night of Northern Lights (Part 2) Experience the blue ice cave adventure firsthand and capture the wonders of the Northern Lights in this Nordic wonderland. 👉 Iceland 6-Day 5-Night Travelogue: Helicopter Volcano Sightseeing Experience, Overlooking the Magnificent Lava Land Fly over Iceland's volcanic landscape and enjoy a truly unique adventure.