Snæfellsjökull National Park★★
Nationalpark: ganzjährig. Vatnshellir-Höhle: Touren täglich (Sommer), eingeschränkt im Winter
Nationalpark: kostenlos. Vatnshellir-Höhle: 3.750 ISK (25€)
Jules Verne's Entrance to the Center of the Earth
The Snæfellsjökull is a 1,446-meter-high stratovolcano whose summit is covered by a glacier cap. In clear weather, it is visible from Reykjavík (120 km away) — a majestic cone on the horizon. The volcano became world-famous as the entrance to the center of the Earth in Jules Verne's novel "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1864).
The National Park (established in 2001) encompasses the western tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and offers:
- Glacier hike: Guided tours on the Snæfellsjökull (6–8h, demanding, only in summer). From 25,000 ISK (167€)
- Vatnshellir Lava Cave: An 8,000-year-old lava cave that can be explored on a guided 45-minute tour. Stairs lead 35 meters down, where bizarre lava formations, stalactites, and absolute darkness await. 3,750 ISK (25€)
- Djúpalónssandur: A black pebble beach with four "lifting stones" that fishermen used to test their strength to join a boat crew: Fullsterkur (155 kg), Hálfsterkur (100 kg), Hálfdrættingur (54 kg), and Amlóði (23 kg). Rusting shipwreck parts on the beach remind of the British trawler Epine, which stranded here in 1948
- Lóndrangar: Two striking basalt rock pinnacles (75 and 61 m) that rise like castle towers from the sea — remnants of a former volcanic crater eroded by the sea. A short hiking trail leads to a viewpoint
