The Wonders of Snaefellsnes

This morning we were up bright and early and Reykjavik Excursions picked us up at our hotel just after 7:30am. We had to get an early start because we were headed out for a twelve hour tour!

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...

Lonely Planet Iceland (Travel Guide) - now on sale.