Private Snæfellsnes Peninsula Tour

The first major stop is the mountain pass Vatnaleið, opened in 2001, where basalt-rock tables at the Fossá rest stop frame a wide view over Selvallavatn lake and the 4,000-year-old Berserkjahraun lava field. A short walk leads to the two-ledged Selvallafoss waterfall, locally known as Sheep's Waterfall. Nearby, the 80-meter scoria crater Gráakúla — grey with lichen despite its red volcanic rock — sits as the second-largest in a row of four craters that created this lava field.

The environmentally certified fishing town of Grundarfjörður sits beneath Kirkjufell, the 463-meter mountain widely regarded as the most photographed in Iceland and known to Game of Thrones viewers as Arrowhead Mountain from seasons 6 and 7. The adjacent waterfall Kirkjufellsfoss completes the landmark pairing. Continuing along the north coast, the old market town Ólafsvík offers a recommended lunch stop with fresh fish courses and vegan options at a local restaurant, along with a visit to Svöðufoss, a 10-meter waterfall dropping off a basalt-columned cliff.

At the western end of the peninsula, the golden sand beach Skarðsvík offers a rare alternative to Iceland's black beaches, its aquamarine waters set against deep black fractured basalt. A 10th-century burial mound of a young male was uncovered here in 1962, with an information sign marking the site. Öndverðarnes cape, a fishing station since the 13th century, holds the small orange lighthouse Öndverðarnesviti, ancient ruins, and the stone well Fálki, which once held three distinct water sources.

A walk down Nautastígur path through lava leads to Djúpalónssandur, a black pebble beach where four lifting stones once tested the strength of fishermen seeking berths on fishing boats, and scattered iron remnants of the 1948 wreck Epine GY7 remain as a protected memorial. Observation platforms nearby give views of the twin rock pinnacles Lóndrangar, 61 and 75 meters tall, and the sea-bird cliffs of Þúfubjarg below the palagonite headland Svalþúfa. The 24-meter lighthouse Malarrifsviti stands on the former fishery and farm site of Malarrif visible in the distance.

The twin villages of Hellnar and Arnarstapi sit side by side on the south coast, connected by a 2.5-kilometer coastal walking trail past lava arches, sea-bird ravines, and the cave Baðstofa inside the boulder Valasnös at Hellnar. In Arnarstapi, a large rock statue of the peninsula's mythical guardian Bárður Snæfellsás marks the start of a trail past the arch Gatklettur and the three coastal ravines of Stapagjár. Búðir follows, home to the iconic black wooden Búðakirkja church and a rare olivine-green sand beach at the edge of the protected Búðahraun lava field.

The final stop is the golden sand beach Ytri-Tunga, home year-round to both harbor seals and grey seals, though summer visits after pupping season offer the best sightings. Visitors are asked to keep a minimum distance of 50 meters from the animals and to minimize noise near the colony. Seal hunting has been prohibited in Icelandic waters, and these animals now live undisturbed along this stretch of the south Snæfellsnes coastline.