2-Day West Coast Tour | Snaefellsnes, Silver Circle & the Lava Cave

The Silver Circle with Lava Caving:

After a hotel pick up from Reykjavik, embark on a scenic journey to Borgarfjordur. Admire the coastal scenery as you drive past Mount Esja and a road tunnel deep under Hvalfjordur to Borgarnes, the gateway to the region. There’ll be a quick stop here for refreshments and to admire the sweeping views of Hafnarfjall (Harbour mountain) and Skessuhorn mountain.

Then we leave the Ring Road behind and turn inland through fertile farmlands, crossing rapid rivers from the nearby Langjokull glacier, the second biggest in the country.

Visit Glanni, a charming waterfall in Bifrost – a place that you might have heard about when reading stories about Norse Mythology. Enjoy views over 3 volcanic craters called Grabrok, that rise above these fields.

Discover Deildartunguhver, the site of the most powerful hot spring in Europe, which pumps out more than 180 liters of boiling water every second.

Visit Reykholt, which is an historic site in Iceland’s folklore. See the Snorralaug (Snorri’s Pool), an archaeological gem and an old-time hot spring, where locals have bathed for hundreds of years.

See the Hraunfossar, which translates to the “Lava Waterfalls”, is a wide plateau waterfall, with several viewing platforms that allow you to see the cascades from many different positions.

There is another waterfall nearby, known as Barnafoss, or the “waterfall of the children”.

The highlight of the first day in West Iceland is a 1.5 hour expedition to the Lava Cave at Vidgelmir. It is easily the largest lava tunnel in the country. On the guided tour, see some incredible sights – delicate lava formations, ice crystals, stalactites and stalagmites.

The Snaefellsnes Peninsula

As soon as we leave Borgarnes and start our circuit around this 100km peninsula, the glacier-topped volcano called Snaefellsjokull comes into view. Snaefellsjokull was the inspiration for Jules Verne when he wrote “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, where the entrance to the planet’s core was thought to be located, and many people still think of Snaefellsnes as a very spiritual place.

Visit the Ytri Tunga seal colony and see these cute creatures as they laze around here on summer days on a golden sand beach.

The next stop is the Black Church – Budakirkja, famous for being built by a determined local woman, even though the church authorities didn’t think there was much need for one here.

Explore the ancient fishing hamlet of Arnastapi, see the towering Londrangar Cliffs, where awesome basalt columns cling to jagged 70-meter-high pillars, visit the stunning black sand beach of Djuplalonssandur, and discover the majestic Kirkjufell Mountain, featured in “Game of Thrones” as the “Arrowhead Mountain”, and seen in several Hollywood films.