WHY YOU NEED TO DRIVE THE REYKJANES PENINSULA WHILE VISITING ICELAND
WHY YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO ADD THE REYKJANES PENINSULA TO YOUR LIST OF THINGS TO DO WHILE IN ICELAND
I’ve talked about the Golden Circle in Iceland, which you can read here if you haven’t, but another area full of incredible things to see and experience is the Reykjanes Peninsula! Our tour guide from our Bubble tours told us all about it while on the Golden Circle tour and it was absolutely worth it. We weren’t able to do everything on the peninsula; however we did almost everything and it was truly one of my favorite parts of Iceland… apart from all the insane waterfalls. In this blog post you’ll find all the places we visited, where we stayed, where we ate, and a couple places we didn’t get to go but were recommended.
LEIÐARENDI LAVA CAVE
Leiðarendi is a lava tube located in a lava field only about a 25 minutes drive from Reykjavík. Journeys in its depths reveal a wealth of knowledge about Icelandic history, geology and folklore. Check out these Lava Cave Adventure Tours here. Leiðarendi is two caves formed by two separate eruptions on the explosive Reykjanes Peninsula, one two thousand years ago and the other one thousand years ago. During each, rivers of lava slowly cooled from the outside as they travelled from their erupting craters. A hard rock shell formed over the molten liquid, and as this flushed out, a hollow tube was left. In this case, the two caves collapsed into each other, leaving a circular path with a few hidden chambers. Read more about the history of the Lava Cave here.
We were honestly so bummed we didn’t get to check out this lava cave; but we’ll def check it out when we visit again.
KLEIFARVATN
Kleifarvatn is the largest lake on the Reykjanes Peninsula features hiking trails & a small fishing lodge. While driving around the peninsula you absolutely can’t miss this incredibly beautiful lake. We pulled over to just stare at it for a bit, to be honest before heading over to some awesome geothermal hot springs
SELTÚN GEOTHERMAL AREA
Seltún Geothermal Area in Krýsuvík is a must visit while exploring the Reykjanes peninsula! It was freaking beautiful, y’all. I’m definitely a sucker for hot springs and this one is in the middle of nowhere; like we were driving looking at the lake and then BAM. There she was just steaming on a hill. There’s a parking area and once you’ve parked there are numerous trails to explore around the boiling hot springs. Seltún geothermal area in Krýsuvík is one of the most striking landscapes in Iceland — It truly looks like another planet! Steam dominates the area with volcanic vents, fumaroles, mud pots and boiling hot springs. We walked along the trails and then wooden platforms; be careful on those because it can get slick with ice and there are no guard rails. You can absolutely just fall into a hot springs and burn to death.. That’s one thing about Iceland… they don’t have a lot of precautions like if you slip and fall you can grab something… NOPE. I don’t say this to scare you but say it because it needs to be said — especially while visiting Iceland.
Check out my Instagram reel to walk along with us!
GELDINGADALIR VOLCANO
This was another bucket list moment of mine to see an active volcano and walk across lava rock!🌋 The Geldingadalir Volcano is only an hour drive from Reykjavik and with it being along the Reykjanes Peninsula it’s well worth it to see plus all the amazing other things along the way. We found a great place to park for free which I’ve added below, hopped out of our car, and walked up a mountain across from the volcano. HOLY CRAP, y’all… It was WINDY! Like blow you off the mountain windy so definitely wear some hiking boots or trail running shoes with great traction. Once we hiked up the mountain for a view we decided to hike back down and head to the lava rock. IT. WAS. SO. FREAKING. COOL!! It felt so brittle but yet so strong and had pockets of steam coming out of it too. I highly recommend researching if there are any active volcanos in Iceland before visiting.
Have you seen an active volcano up close before?
BLUE LAGOON
The Blue Lagoon is a must visit while in Iceland because it is truly amazing! It is the biggest. hot springs I’ve ever taken a dip into and honestly the story of how it came to be is very interesting too. The lagoon’s unique abilities were first discovered in the early 1980s when local residents began to bathe in the warm blue reservoir that had formed in the lava field beside the Svartsengi Resource Park—a geothermal power plant. Engineers at the facility had expected the water to seep through the lava and return to the earth’s volcanic aquifers. However, owing to the fluid's high concentration of silica, proper drainage did not occur and a beautiful body of water took shape. Read more about the Lagoon’s history and healing here.
It’s highly encouraged to purchase your tickets ahead of time as there is typically a limit on individuals in the lagoon at one time. There are a couple different ticket options for the Blue Lagoon:
COMFORT - $64: Entrance to the Blue Lagoon, silica mud mask, use of towel, & 1st drink of your choice (this drink can be alcoholic).
PREMIUM - $83: Entrance to the Blue Lagoon, silica mud mask, two additional masks of your choice, use of towel, 1st drink of your choice (this drink can be alcoholic), use of bathrobe, & 1 glass of sparkling wine if dining at Lava restaurant.
We grabbed our shoes, robes, and wristband with our info. on it, then headed to the changing room to put on our suits. Be ready to get real comfortable with your body when you come to Iceland and want to check out the hot springs because you’re most likely going to be stripping in front of everyone. After this experience though, I got over being nervous about being naked in front of others at the other lagoons LOL. I also thought, wow I’ve totally grown up in a country that kind of makes us hate our bodies… but that’s for another time! Naked bodies are just bodies and the Blue Lagoon is worth getting naked in public for. There were a couple little areas where you could change in private but not many — like maybe 3 for a huge lagoon.
After changing, I met Andrew on the other side of the changing rooms. We hung up our robes on hooks inside then headed through the doors to the lagoon! We were there in November so it was COLD outside and I just love that feeling of being in water that’s warm and the air outside being chilly. I recommend wearing a beanie while in the water because my ears were freezing. While in the lagoon there is a swim up bar — we loved the cider they had, and then the mask station. Because we stayed on property we had access to try all the masks but typically you have to purchase that extra. Read my full review on The Blue Lagoon here.
My biggest tip for the Blue Lagoon is to stay at the Silica Hotel which is part of the Blue Lagoon but next door and has a private lagoon for hotel guests. That lagoon is a lot hotter and significantly less crowded. Also, because you’re staying on property, you can change in the comfort of your own room if that’s a big concern of yours. I didn’t mind but I did like being in my own space to change A LOT more. Read more about the Silica Hotel below and in my full blog post here.
Check out my Instagram reel to swim along with us!
BRIMKETILL LAVA ROCK POOL
Brimketill hot pot is one of many hidden geological gems on the south side of Reykjanes peninsula, which I highly recommend doing! We only spent about 15 minutes there but it was so worth it seeing what the ocean created in the rocks. This large natural lava rock pool sits at the bottom of a cliff at the ocean's edge, carved by the pounding of waves against soft lava rocks. Beyond it is nothing but the wide Atlantic ocean; but it sure was beautiful to see the ocean waves crashing into the rocks.
Check out my Instagram reel to walk along with us!
GUNNUHVER HOT SPRINGS
This hot springs has a spooky story and y’all know how much I love me a spooky story; especially one that combines cool things created by nature! The tale of Gunnuhver is an example of classic Icelandic folklore, tying together the harshness of life on the island, ghosts, curses and the saving power of Christianity. It was said that a woman called Gunna lived on a farm on the Reykjanes Peninsula about four hundred years ago. She was tied to the land in poverty, under the authority of a wealthy lawyer. One day, she was unable to pay her rent, and her landlord took one of her only possessions, a cooking pot, as payment. She was enraged, and said she would starve herself until it was given back.
Neither relented, and she died of hunger. When her coffin was being carried to her grave, however, those holding it noticed it suddenly grow light. Then, a whisper echoed to the congregation: ‘No need deep to dig, no plans long to lie’. The body of her landlord was later found mutilated, and all who heard the whisper suspected the ghost had killed him. Unfortunately, Gunna’s vengeance did not end there. She killed his wife in a similarly brutal attack, then began to haunt the peninsula, driving many residents to madness. This continued until the arrival of a priest, Eirikur, to the peninsula. Considered a sort of holy sorcerer, the locals begged him to help. He came up with a plan, involving a ball of yarn. He gave the ball to the locals, left one end where Gunna was known to haunt, and told them to take it to the nearby hot spring and toss it in. They walked off with it, and Gunna picked up the end to follow their trail. When the yarn was thrown into the hot spring, it took the spirit with it. It is still said that through the mist of the pools, it is possible to see her fighting to escape, and as such, the hot springs took her name. Read more about the history here. We loved walking around this hot springs and learning about it’s folklore!
VALAHNÚKAMÖL
This was truly the hidden gem we found of our trip! Andrew and I are huge fans of the Eurovision movie starring Will Ferrel and Rachel McAdams based in Iceland. We had heard Valahnúkamöl was a beautiful place to see the cliffs and when we drove up we both were like “is that the freaking keyboard from Eurovision?!” We hopped out and immediately started taking photos in the snowy hail mix that pelted us. It was so worth it! When it’s not raining and crazy; I’m sure it’s even more beautiful in this area.
BRIDGE AMERICA - EUROPE OR MIÐLÍNA
This was such a wild experience, you guys! Walking between the North American & Eurasian tectonic plates🤯 The bridge was actually built as a symbol for the connection between Europe and North America. We were mind blown seeing both sides. You can access the part under the bridge by climbing down the rocks on the right side of the bridge if you’re walking from the parking lot. According to the continental drift theory the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates are continuously drifting apart with great forces under the gaping rifts. As the plates diverge, linear fractures, known as fissures form due to stresses created by the tension that builds up as the plates move away from each other.
There’s also an area on the island where you can scuba and touch them both at the same time. Read more about that here. We unfortunately didn’t get the chance to do that while we were there but it’s def something we’ll look into for the future.
Check out my Instagram reel to walk along with us!
PAPAS RESTAURANT
We were super hungry after exploring half of the peninsula and after the volcano headed to a little town called Grindavik! This place was recommended to us by one of Andrew’s friends when he was visiting Iceland and oh my lawd, y’all! It was so freaking delicious. We both got the fish and chips and they were so crispy and fresh and even the fries were good and crispy. This place is pretty affordable too, which is a plus. I highly recommend checking it out for drinks and a meal.
SILICA HOTEL
As I mentioned before, one of my biggest tips while visiting the Blue Lagoon is to stay on site, preferably the Silica Hotel; It’s part of the Blue Lagoon too, just a walk away.
It has a private lagoon for hotel guests too that’s was our favorite part. The private lagoon is a lot hotter and significantly less crowded. I mean there were only ever 10 people max in the lagoon with us at a time and it was way bigger than we initially thought. Another bonus is that you can change in the comfort of your hotel room, throw on a robe, then head to the showers outside the lagoon to rinse off before hopping in.
As a Silica Hotel guest you get VIP access to the Blue Lagoon which includes a special line to pass everyone else waiting, a robe, shoes, access to all face masks, & drink voucher. Again, get the cider — it was so yummy!
The Silica Hotel is not connected to the Blue Lagoon main area but there are walking trails to it or the front desk will call to have a Mercedes van pick you up and drop you off. While leaving the Blue Lagoon, you can have the front desk call the transportation for you back to your hotel. It was super easy and we loved it; especially while it was cold, snowy, and windy! OR if it’s a nice day, you can walk to and from the hotel and Blue Lagoon on a private trail.
There is another hotel at the Blue Lagoon called the Retreat that’s right next to the Blue Lagoon but it’s significantly more expensive and closer to all the crowds. I believe they have some private areas of the Blue Lagoon but it’s the same lagoon whereas ours was completely separate. Read more about the Silica Hotel in my full blog post here.
Check out my Instagram reel to check out the hotel with us!
Let me know what you think about this post and if you’ve been on the Reykjanes Peninsula before. Also, check out my fun Instagram reel below where you can join me on my adventures in Iceland.
Have you ever been to Iceland?
XOXO
