Reykjavik: Private Snaefellsnes Peninsula with Hvammsvik Hot Springs
by VAREN Iceland · Lagoons & spas · private · Reykjavík
Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at VAREN Iceland's own price and take our commission from them, not from you. What you get here is one checkout across operators, one confirmation, and one place to change or cancel it. If you ever find it cheaper on their own site, tell us and we will match it or explain why we cannot.
More photos of Reykjavik: Private Snaefellsnes Peninsula with Hvammsvik Hot Springs
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Duration
13 hours
Difficulty
Easy
Season
All year
Starts in
Reykjavík
Meeting
Hotel pickup available
Languages
EN
Departs
08:00, 09:00
Minimum age
12
Cancellation
Free until 24h before
About this experience
Most visitors to Iceland never make it to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Those who do tend to say it was the highlight of their trip. This private full-day tour from Reykjavík takes you around one of the most varied and visually spectacular stretches of coastline in the country - and ends it with something that has been called the best thing to do in the world: an evening soak at Hvammsvik Hot Springs.
The day begins at Ytri Tunga Beach, where wild harbour seals haul out onto the rocks year-round in one of Iceland's most reliable and genuinely moving wildlife encounters. The southern shore of the peninsula then leads to Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge - a narrow crack in the cliff face that opens into a hidden, mossy canyon with a stream running through it - and the stunning sea arch of Gatklettur at Arnarstapi, where the ocean has carved a perfect hole through solid rock, framing the open Atlantic beyond.
Along the western tip, Djúpalónssandur delivers one of Iceland's most atmospheric beach experiences: black pebbles, towering cliffs, ancient fishermen's lifting stones, and the rusted wreckage of a trawler still lying where it came ashore. The volcanic landscape of Hólahólar - the dramatic crags of the Lóndrangar area rising from the lava fields - and the perfectly formed Saxhóll Crater, climbed via a spiral staircase to a panoramic rim, round out the peninsula's raw volcanic character before the tour heads north.
The final stop on the peninsula is Kirkjufell - Iceland's most photographed mountain, its distinctive arrowhead silhouette rising from the northern shore with a waterfall in the foreground and a fjord at its back. It is the kind of view that makes people quietly put their cameras down and just look.
The return to Reykjavík passes through Hvalfjörður fjord and into Hvammsvik Hot Springs: eight natural geothermal pools set directly at the edge of the Atlantic, in a fjord landscape of extraordinary stillness. Named the Best Thing to Do in the World by Time Out in 2023, Hvammsvik is not a tourist spa - it is a place where the water, the mountains, and the silence do all the work. A bistro is available on-site. There is no better way to end a day on the west coast of Iceland.
Please note: the entrance fee for Hvammsvik Hot Springs is not included in the initial price but can be added at the checkout page.
Description from the operator, VAREN Iceland. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.
Where you go
- Pickup from Reykjavik
- Ytri Tunga Beach
- Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge
- Gatklettur Rock (Arnarstapi)
- Djúpalónssandur Black Sand Beach
- Hólahólar
- Saxhóll Crater
- Kirkjufell Mountain
- Hvammsvik Hot Springs
- Arrival Back in Reykjavik
Included
- Private transportation (sedan for 1-3 / minivan for 4-8, exclusively for your group)
- Dedicated, professional English-speaking guide for the full day
- Door-to-door hotel pickup and drop-off in central Reykjavík
- Flexible itinerary adapted to your group's pace and interests
- WiFi and USB charging ports available on board
- Bottled water provided on board on demand
- Parking fees and local taxes
Not included
- Personal travel insurance
- Gratuities for your guide (optional, appreciated)
- Food and drinks (not included)
- Hvammsvik Hot Springs entrance fee (not included - see Important Information)
Good to know
- Warm, waterproof, and windproof outer layer - the Snæfellsnes Peninsula is exposed to open Atlantic weather and conditions can change rapidly at any time of year.
- Thermal base layer and mid-layer fleece for colder months (October-April).
- Sturdy, waterproof hiking shoes or boots - terrain at several stops including Rauðfeldsgjá and Djúpalónssandur involves uneven rock and pebble surfaces.
- Warm hat, gloves, and a scarf - especially important outside summer months.
- Sunglasses - useful year-round, essential in summer and on bright winter days.
- Swimsuit or swimming trunks - mandatory for entry.
- Flip flops or sandals for the changing area and pool surrounds.
- You will receive a booking confirmation immediately after purchase.
- Hotel pickup is included.
- Groups of 1-3 travel in a private sedan; groups of 4-8 travel in a private minivan.
- The entrance fee for Hvammsvik Hot Springs is not included in the tour price.
- Advance booking of Hvammsvik tickets is strongly recommended, especially in peak season (please contact our team immediately).
- The minimum age for entry to Hvammsvik Hot Springs is 12 years.
- A bistro serving food and drinks is available on-site at Hvammsvik.
- This tour involves easy walking on uneven natural terrain. It is not recommended for guests with serious mobility limitations.
- The tour is not wheelchair accessible.
- The climb to the rim of Saxhóll Crater is optional and involves ascending a metal staircase on a steep slope.
- Parents or guardians are responsible for the safety of children throughout the tour.
- Wild harbour seals are present at Ytri Tunga year-round but sightings cannot be guaranteed.
- Please keep a respectful distance from wildlife at all times and follow your guide's instructions.
- Food and drinks are not included in the tour price. Cafés and restaurants are available at Arnarstapi and in Grundarfjörður. A bistro is available at Hvammsvik Hot Springs.
Cancellation for this tour
Free cancellation until 24 hours before departure; no refund after that. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.
If the weather cancels this tour
Iceland's weather is real. What usually stops this one is a forecast the operator judges unsafe. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.
- 1VAREN Iceland decides, and tells us. Operators cancel when it is unsafe or pointless, and we back that call every time — we do not ask them to run anyway.
- 2We contact you by email, and by phone if your tour is the same or next day. You choose: another date if there is one you can make, or a full refund. There is no fee and nothing to argue.
- 3The refund goes back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, usually visible within a few working days. If this tour was one of several in your booking, the others are untouched.
What you do not get is the day back. If this is the only free day in your plan, put a spare day next to it — the planner leaves days free with the rest-day option. And if you want out because the forecast looks bad, that is your own cancellation: free until 1 day before departure, the operator's policy after that.
Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →
Sold out on your date?
Seats come back — a cancellation, or the operator adding a vehicle. Tell us the date and we will check once a day and email you if one opens. One email, then we delete the address; nothing else is ever sent to it.
Who this is not for
- Not for families with children under 12 — the operator will not take them, even with a parent.
- Not a good fit if you want a relaxed day: 13 hours is a long time on the road, most of it spent getting there and back.
Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.
Why we list it
VAREN Iceland is one of 154 operators we work with — chosen for reliability, honest descriptions and how they treat guests when weather changes plans. We don't list everything; we list what we'd book ourselves. The six checks every operator passes →
Read before you book
- Blue Lagoon on the way in or the way out — pair it with your airport transferThe Blue Lagoon is twenty minutes from Keflavík. Soak on arrival day or departure day, and why we'd do it on the way in almost every time.
- Blue Lagoon, Sky Lagoon or Secret Lagoon — pick by what your day looks likeThree hot lagoons near Reykjavík, three very different days. We say which one fits an airport day, a city evening and a Golden Circle loop.
- Keflavík Airport Transfer: Shared Shuttle vs. Private Car — Real Price and Time TradeoffsEvery Iceland trip starts at Keflavík. Shared shuttle or private transfer? The right answer depends on group size and landing time more than budget.
Reviews from our travellers
Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.
No reviews yet from our travellers on this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.
Lagoons & spas — questions people ask
Is the Blue Lagoon worth it or is it too touristy?
It is busy and it is worth it, once. The water is milky blue from silica, the setting in the Reykjanes lava is unlike anywhere else, and it sits twenty minutes from Keflavík Airport, so it fits an arrival or departure day. Book a time slot in advance; it sells out. If crowds bother you, go early morning or after 20:00. The Secret Lagoon or Fontana on the Golden Circle are calmer and cheaper alternatives.
Can I do the Blue Lagoon on the way to or from the airport?
Yes, and it is the best way to use it. Transfers like IceTransfer's Keflavík to Blue Lagoon to Reykjavík (/experience/1036423/) or the reverse (/experience/1036419/) stop at the lagoon for a few hours with your luggage stored. Allow at least three hours at the lagoon and check that your slot lines up with your flight. Note that the Reykjanes eruptions have closed the lagoon at short notice; check its status before travelling.
What is the difference between the Secret Lagoon and the Blue Lagoon?
The Secret Lagoon at Flúðir is a simple, warm geothermal pool with a bubbling hot spring beside it and basic changing rooms. It is on the Golden Circle, so it slots into a sightseeing day (/experience/17050/, /experience/624446/). The Blue Lagoon is a spa: silica masks, swim-up bar, saunas and a price to match. If you want a soak after a day of waterfalls, Secret Lagoon. If you want the spa day, Blue Lagoon.
Do I have to shower naked before a pool in Iceland?
Yes, at every public pool and most lagoons. Swimwear off, wash thoroughly with soap, swimwear on, then into the water. It is a hygiene rule because Icelandic pools use very little chlorine, and it is taken seriously. Changing rooms are single-sex with open showers; some larger lagoons have a few private cubicles. Nobody looks. It feels odd for thirty seconds and then it does not.
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Pairs well with
Everything here goes into the same basket and the same single payment, however many operators it comes from.
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