Iceland is a lot bigger than you might think. For example, there is a ring road around most of the island, and if you were to do that route, it is a distance of about 1,300 kms (800 miles). It is about the size of the state of Kentucky.
So when we saw the route we were taking today and all of the things we were going to see, it's no wonder it's a twelve hour tour. And we were still only seeing a very small part of the island.
We left from Reykjavik (A) and did a circular route around the Snaefellsnes Peninsula (B) and (C). We did 470 kms (290 miles) today.
An hour in to the trip, we stopped at the town of Borgarnes so people could buy some food if necessary and use the facilities. We knew we would be gone for a while so we had packed a lunch and snacks with us. So while others were doing that, we went for a quick walk.
Near the town of Borgarnes.
Scenery along the way.
The only problem with taking a bus tour is trying to take pictures through the bus window of the scenery along the way. Having said that, Reykjavik Excursions is the premier tour company of West Iceland and they give you ample opportunity to take pictures at the major stops of your day trip.
We stopped at a sandy beach where they have seen seals in the past, but no seals today.
How would you like this house by a waterfall?! We saw more waterfalls today that we have ever seen anywhere!
More scenery.
There were about 35 people on today's tour and our tour guide Hoddi was really good at telling us local stories and explaining facts about things we saw along the way.
Kevin with some weird rock formations.
Lots of natural bridges formed along the coastline.
Iceland is essentially one big chunk of volcanic rock!
We stopped at this little community to go for a walk.
Easy now, don't slip!
Reykjavik Excursions even arranges for a beautiful rainbow on this part of the tour!
In all seriousness, I have never seen a rainbow like this in my life! A quick shower had gone through and we had actually gotten a little bit wet, but it was totally worth it when we turned around to see this beautiful rainbow. The colors were so pronounced and rich. Absolutely amazing!
Wow!
Another community along the way.
Stunning coastline with interesting rock formations.
And this is where I'm cutting things short. Too many beautiful pictures to show you! Do you realize we're only at the halfway point on today's tour? The rest is going to have to wait for another day. You can find Part 2 here...http://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2012/11/back-to-iceland.html
The twelve hour Wonders of Snaefellsnes tour by Reykjavik Excursions is a fairly expensive tour. It costs 18,000 koronas ($145) per person for the day, but you get a lot of information and I'm pretty sure you'll agree that the scenery is totally fantastic.
It's already 11:00pm and we're getting up early again tomorrow to do the Golden Circle Tour. Stay tuned, because Iceland is very photogenic!
This will make you want to visit Iceland even more...
I had no idea, what a beautiful PLACE!
ReplyDeleteFacinating - awesome photos!
ReplyDeleteHoly Cr*p! That's all I got.
ReplyDeleteSome tours may seem expensive but if they are good, they are usually well worth the money. Glad you had a nice day.
ReplyDeleteYou are right. For this tour, really the only other way to see it is if you rent a car, but then you will have an all day trip and believe me coming back most of the people on the bus were sleeping. It is a long distance and to do it yourself you will find the drive back tiring, plus you don't get all the info that the guide has given on the trip about the area or the Icelandic folklore stories.
DeleteThe map helps visualize your experience. Good shots.
ReplyDeleteSuch a moody place ... with scenery like this we just might have to add a few days to our trip to get up that way.
ReplyDeleteI think if you do anything less than five days, you won't see enough to give you perspective of what Iceland's scenery has to offer.
DeleteWow is right!
ReplyDeletePhotogenic for sure, amazing! Every time I come back to a new page and the header picture pops up I glance at the two story house in the centre of the pic on the piece of green ground and think how peaceful it must be.
ReplyDelete