Iceland Six Days Five Nights Travel Diary: Snæfellsnes Peninsula One-Day Tour Guide and Hidden Gems Exploration

Iceland 6-Day 5-Night Trip Diary — Guide to Iceland Local Tours

3/20 Today's itinerary is a day trip to Snaefellsnes Peninsula, which is famous as a filming location for the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty in Iceland. Later, after doing some research, I discovered that the four locations featured throughout the entire movie—Greenland, Iceland, Nepal, and the Himalayas—were actually all filmed in Iceland, and Snaefellsnes Peninsula is Iceland's representative filming location. Reykjavik city isn't very large, and the pickup point for the local tour is only an 8-minute walk away. From Reykjavik (Iceland's capital) to Snaefellsnes Peninsula is about a 2-hour drive. Along the way, I occasionally photographed the scenery outside, where earthy-yellow earth rises with towering black mountains covered in silky white snow—this is Iceland's color!

On the way, we also picked up passengers in another small town, which gave us a chance to shop at a supermarket for something to eat. The tour guide said today's schedule was pretty tight, so buying something simple to eat on the bus as lunch would be fine. During our days traveling in Iceland, our breakfast and lunch were almost always bread with cheese and some yogurt — partly because during day-trip itineraries there usually weren't good restaurants when we were out in remote areas, and partly because we wanted to save the budget for a nicer dinner. We bought a bottle of Coke, since we'd 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 I carried it with me, in Iceland's temperature the Coke stayed perfectly cool the whole time, which of course made it taste better.

斯奈山半島的第一個景點是海豹沙灘Ytri Tunga，車上導遊跟我們說有高達9成的機率可以看到海豹，只要看到一群人圍在那就是了。 下車步行五分鐘，果然看到一群人圍在一個地方看，延伸過去就是翻身躺在岩岸上的海豹，有趣的是我本來拍攝時注意的是離我較近的海豹，後來檢查照片才發現遠方白色的也是!

Besides the harbor seals being a highlight, the scenery here is also very beautiful. The seals only occasionally lift their heads or move their tails a bit; the rest of the time they stay completely still—it's really so chill. The second attraction is the Black Church, one of Iceland's oldest churches. This church is a popular proposal spot in Iceland, and also a popular place for self-guided travelers to view the Northern Lights. The pure black and pure white pairing is just like Iceland's mountain scenery and snowy landscapes.

When we arrived at this spot, light snow began to fall again, adding a touch of romantic atmosphere.

The third spot is the small town of Arnarstapi and the trail beside it. This town is a place many independent travelers choose to stay in. Just like yesterday, it was very windy today, so walking along the coast was quite tough, but the scenery was absolutely amazing.

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

Walking from the trail toward the parking lot, you'll see a huge rock sculpture, like a guardian spirit of the coast.

The fourth spot isn't a long drive away, and it's also part of the coastal scenery of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula — Londrangar. It has a striking name, "Monster Coast," which highlights the oddly shaped rocks along the shoreline. This scene reminded me of the Twelve Apostles in Melbourne.

Continuing along the coast, the fifth attraction is also on the south coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula — Djúpalónssandur, 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 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. The 23kg stone is what a normal person should be able to lift; if you can lift the 54kg one, congratulations, you can become a sailor, but you'll only get half pay; the 100kg one, congratulations, you can receive full pay; and if you can lift the 154kg stone, congratulations, you are the captain of this ship!

I used every ounce of strength I had and could only lift 54 kilograms, so obediently I went to collect half pay (sigh). As I walked down the black sand beach, the wind and snow suddenly picked up — stepping on the black sand and gravel while white snow swirled across the sky, it looked exactly like a scene straight out of an outer space movie.

Because the snowstorm was really too strong, everyone only stayed briefly at the Black Sand Beach before hurrying back to the bus. We had finished all the attractions on the southern side, and today's final stop was Kirkjufell, the most famous mountain on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. On the way there the snowstorm was still very heavy, and our bus seemed to be driving through thick fog, only able to creep forward slowly, with the body of the bus shaking now and then from strong gusts of wind. At the rest stop we received bad news again — tonight's aurora bus tour had once again been cancelled due to poor weather, and we had no choice but to push it back another day. We arrived at Kirkjufell around 4 PM, but at that moment there was a raging blizzard, and even though it was daytime, it felt like night. The scenery at that point had no contrast in color at all, just an expanse of white. Visibility was really too poor — we couldn't see Kirkjufell at all (back on the bus, a tourist tried hard to take a photo in the direction of Kirkjufell, and you could just barely make it out). It seems Iceland was destined to leave me with some regrets.

After finishing the trip, we drove back to the city, and at 17:20 we finally saw the sun again, which also cleared away the worry that bad weather might affect our later itinerary. We even saw a double rainbow at the rest stop (though the camera could only capture one of the arcs).

Returned to the city at 19:30, and since tonight's aurora tour was cancelled again, I could enjoy a nice meal tonight too. I chose Seabaron, another restaurant recommended by Guide to Iceland, which specializes in seafood.

You still had to line up to get inside, though it wasn't as crazy as yesterday, and most of the faces inside were Western tourists. This restaurant's signature dish is lobster soup, and even though one bowl costs almost 600 dollars, everyone still has to order one for themselves! We also ordered two skewers of grilled fish, plus two skewers of grilled potatoes in case we didn't get full enough.

The lobster soup was super rich, and there was quite a generous amount of lobster too; we ordered two kinds of grilled fish, blueling and wolf fish, both were pretty delicious, and by the time we got to the potatoes at the end we were already really full! Eating like this came to almost 1400 per person, which given Iceland's prices should be pretty good value for money! After eating we strolled around the city center as usual, but local shops in Iceland actually close quite early (mostly open until 5-6pm), so wandering around after 8pm the only things still open were restaurants, supermarkets, and souvenir shops.

Today the clouds are too thick, so there's absolutely no hope of seeing the northern lights. I'll just rest up early to get ready for tomorrow's itinerary~ Explore more of this magical six-day, five-night journey through Iceland! 👉 【Iceland Six-Day Highlights Self-Drive Guide】Itinerary Planning × Local Group Tour Experience × Cost Estimate Get a full picture of the itinerary planning and start designing your dream trip to Iceland! 👉 Iceland Six-Day, Five-Night Travelogue: The Start of the Journey and a Rocky First Day Arriving in Iceland, strolling around Reykjavik 👉 Iceland Six-Day, Five-Night Travelogue: A One-Day Snæfellsnes Peninsula Guide and Hidden Gems Exploration Explore Iceland's enchanting peninsulas and capture magnificent natural landscapes. 👉 Iceland Six-Day Five-Night Journey: The Golden Circle One-Day Tour — Classic Sights and Travel Guide Feel the breathtaking charm of Iceland's classic attractions and gain memories that will last a lifetime. 👉 Iceland Six-Day Five-Night Journey: Exploring the Magnificent Black Sand Beach and Waterfalls of Southern Vik (Part 1) Step into the mysterious world of Vik and feel the natural beauty of the south. 👉 Iceland Six-Day Five-Night Journey: The Wonder of the Blue Ice Cave and a Southern Adventure Under the Northern Lights (Part 2) Experience a blue ice cave adventure firsthand and capture the wonder of the Northern Lights dancing across the northern skies. 👉 Iceland Six-Day Five-Night Travel Diary: A Helicopter Volcano Sightseeing Experience, Overlooking the Magnificent Lava Landscape Fly over Iceland's volcanic terrain and enjoy a truly one-of-a-kind adventure.