One-day itinerary – Reykjanes Peninsula

Starting point: Reykjavík and surrounding area

Difficulty: easy to moderate | By car: 180 km | On foot: 2–6 km | Time: 8–12 hours | Season: year-round

Main attractions

Mídlina · Valahnúkur · Seltún – Krýsuvík · Gunnuhver

Other attractions

Skátalaug · Brimketill · Grindavík · Valahnúkamöl · Krýsuvíkurbjarg · Nýjabæjarfjörur · Garðskagaviti gamli

The Reykjanes Peninsula, where Keflavík International Airport is also located, is often overlooked by tourists, yet it offers many places typical of Iceland that are well worth visiting. Near the airport on the northwestern tip of the peninsula is the old lighthouse Garðskagaviti gamli, from which you can see all the way to the Snæfellsjökull glacier, as well as the white sand beach Nýjabæjarfjörur.

The world-famous Blue Lagoon is of course located here, but there is also a much less visited small geothermal pool called Skátalaug. The geothermal area Seltún – Krýsuvík is very popular, as is the southwestern tip of the peninsula, where you will find the famous cliffs Valahnúkur, an unusual beach made of oval stones measuring 60–90 cm called Valahnúkamöl, the powerful fumarole field Gunnuhver, and the lighthouse Reykjanesviti. A short stop is also worth it at the lava formation forming a natural sea pool called Brimketill.

After 800 years of dormancy, volcanic activity has reawakened in this area, and since 2021 there have been several eruptions lasting from a few days to several weeks. You will also find the port town Grindavík, which in a way fell victim to one of the eruptions in 2023, when several houses were buried in lava and cracks opened throughout the town. Since then it has been uninhabited at night, although during the day people still come for work, mainly in fishing. Only the campsite is usually open overnight.

All mentioned places are close to parking areas. If you want to add a hike, then the cliffs Krýsuvíkurbjarg, the mountain Þorbjörn with great views, and the geothermal spring Austurengjahver are worth it, even though you cannot swim there. There are also several lava fields formed by recent eruptions.