Travel Reykjanes

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Travel Reykjanes

Exploring Reykjanes gives you a taste of many quintessentially Icelandic marvels: the site of the Geldingadalur volcano which began erupting in March 2021, hot springs, lava fields, crater lakes, geothermal fields, waterfalls and, of course, the Blue Lagoon. The region also boasts a wide range of outdoor activities and some excellent museums and cultural centres. One of the obvious charms of Reykjanes is its proximity to Reykjavík, making it ideal to visit for visitors basing themselves in the capital. But it is easily overlooked by travelers sticking to the city limits, and those keen to see the whole country who head north or east, forgetting about the beautiful peninsula to the south-west! The upshot of this is that the area remains relatively unexplored and you may well find yourself completely alone in the middle of a steamy geothermal field or at the top of a lighthouse. Reykjanes has many spectacularly situated lighthouses along its wild coast, including Iceland’s oldest lighthouse, Reykjanesviti, dating back to 1878, and the country’s highest at Garðsskagi. Garðsskagi lighthouse Reykjanes lighthouse Reykjanes Auxiliary lighthouse Old and new Garðskagi lighthouse Selvogur lighthouse Stafnes lighthouse Sandgerði lighthouse Hólmsbergs lighthouse Vatnsnes lighthouse Gerðistangi lighthouse Hopsnes lighthouse Krýsuvík lighthous

Travelling Reykjanes counter-clockwise

The mountain Keilir was created by sub-glacial eruptions during the ice age and is one of the first things you’ll notice in the distance as you head for Reykjanes peninsula on Rte. 41. According to geologists, Keilir’s distinctive cone shape probably means it’s a crater plug. In spite of its steep slopes, the mountain is not too difficult to climb, and the view from the summit on a fine day is unforgettable. Keilir is Reykjanes’ most distinctive landmark and a symbol of the whole peninsula. It’s often visible from Reykjavík, most notably from Suðurgata, looking west along the street from the National Museum. On top of the mountain is a concrete table with a map on a metal plate explaining the view in all directions.

Keflavík

The vast majority of visitors – anyone arriving by plane – will get a glimpse of Reykjanes when they first arrive, but Keflavík is much more than an oft mispronounced airport (the ‘f’ is pronounced ‘p’). Apart from being a town with its own attractions, Keflavík is also an ideal base from which to explore the peninsula. It’s a wonder more visitors don’t stay in Keflavík and treat Reykjavík as a day trip, rather than the other way around! In early September, the sea cliffs are dramatically lit up for the “Night of Lights,” followed by music and fireworks. To reach the town of Keflavík, just head for the airport on Rte. 41 and follow the signs to turn right before (or even at) the airport intersection roundabout. The NATO military base at Keflavík (1951-2006) was on the airport side of Rte. 41, but it’s years now since this was officially abandoned, meaning Iceland no longer has any military forces on its territory. In the wake of the closure, the area has turned to ventures revolving around green energy, logistics, data processing and health, to name a few. But Keflavík also maintains a lively fishing industry, as does the neighbouring town of Njarðvík. Together with Hafnir, these towns form the municipality of Reykjanesbær with a combined population of over 18,000.

A Giantess in the Mountain has been living in Black Cave at the northern edge of Keflavík’s marina in Gróf, since the family and culture festival “Ljósanótt” (The night of lights) in 2008. She is the creation of writer Herdís Egilsdóttir, who has written 16 children’s books about a little girl called Sigga and her friend the Giantess in the mountain. She’s a full-size giantess, designed by the Norðanbál art group, and sits dozing in a rocking chair in her kitchen, with a spectacular view over the bay and marina. Duus Hús. This cultural and arts center contains the Reykjanes Heritage Museum, the Reykjanes Art Gallery and Grímur Karlsson’s Model Ship Exhibit. The model ship exhibit is very popular and includes more than 200 60cm to 1.5m models of Icelandic fishing vessels. Since his retirement in 1984, Grímur Karlsson has constructed the models, which are painstakingly detailed and capture the beauty and individual character of the vessels. In 2009, Grímur was awarded the Order of the Falcon, Iceland’s highest honour, in recognition of the cultural value of his work. Duusgötu 2-8 - duusmuseum.is

LOCAL TIP – SCENIC VIEW if you feel like being outside in the fresh air after soaking up some of the culture at Duus Hús, just north of the center is a scenic walking path along the cliff top. You can almost always see Reykjavik in the distance, and Snæfellsjökull Glacier too on a clear day.

Njarðvík

If you follow the waterfront south from Keflavík, you can visit the adjacent town of Njarðvík. One of this town’s popular attractions is Viking World,

a spectacular modern building which offers a unique look at the Viking ship The Icelander – Íslendingur – with a backdrop of the surrounding bay. The ship was built by Gunnar Marel Eggertsson as an exact replica of the Viking ship Gokstad, which was found almost completely intact in Norway and excavated in 1880, and is thought to have been built around 870.

The Icelander is an extraordinary achievement and took 2 years to build, between 1994 and 1996. It’s 5.25m / 171ft wide, 23m / 75 ft. long, has a holding capacity of around 80 tons, a 130 m2/1400 sq. ft. sail, and an 18m / 59ft. mast. The ship is made out of pine and oak because scholars believe that this was the most common type of wood used to build boats during the Viking Age. In the year 2000, Gunnar sailed with a crew of 8 people from Iceland to New York, thanks to a grant from the Leifur Eiríksson Commission of Iceland. They set off on the journey of 4200 nautical miles on Iceland’s Independence day, the 17th of June, garnering world wide attention. Details and photos of the building of the ship and its journey across the Atlantic are displayed alongside the impressive ship. Viking World also hosts part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Viking millennium exhibition – Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga – shedding light on Norse settlement and exploration. Vikingabraut 1 – 260 Reykjanesbæ –vikingaheimar.is

Garður & Garðskagi

Garður, meaning “wall” or “garden”, is the northernmost town on the peninsula on Rte. 45. It was founded in 1908 and named after one of the many earth walls which rose on the boundaries between properties (some of them visible to this day). Garður is rich in wild birdlife and you can also spot dolphins and whales just near the shore. The area is best known for its two lighthouses and folk museum, outside town at the rocky point of Garðskagi. If you follow the coast toward the lighthouse in the distance, there’s also a pretty church, Útskálakirkja, along the way. Garðskagaviti, the larger lighthouse at Garðskagi, is the tallest in Iceland; the outmoded 1897 lighthouse stands close by. Built in 1944, Garðskagaviti was a gift from American servicemen grateful for being rescued from a sinking U.S. Coast Guard vessel. Visitors can climb steep, narrow stairs and through a trap door to the 360-degree lookout platform. Next to the lighthouse is a small museum featuring boat engines, old radios, a homemade organ and other olden-day novelties, as well as a café. Garðskagi.

Sandgerði

On the western side of the Reykjanes peninsula, still on Rte. 45, is Sandgerði, Iceland’s youngest town (officially established 1990) and one of its major fishing communities, with rich fishing grounds found just off the coast. Southwest Iceland Nature Research Centre, at the north end of town, includes unusual natural history specimens such as barnacles, shark eggs, a walrus, and hosts research on marine invertebrates. Kids can go to the beach, gather seawater and bugs, and examine them under microscopes.

Archaeology buffs, in particular, may wish to visit Hvalsneskirkja Church, 5km south of Sandgerði. The church itself has been beautifully restored, but the item of most interest is a seventeenthcentury gravestone, its lettering very well preserved on display beside the alter. It names Steinunn Hallgrímsdóttir, who died in 1649 just a few years old, the only child of Iceland’s beloved poet Hallgrímur Pétursson. Her gravestone was found in 1964 when the church’s stone walkway was built. (Ask at the Nature Centre, above, to confirm the church is open on the day you’re visiting) Garðvegi 1.

The Western Coast of Reykjanes

South of Hvalsneskirkja Church is a junction that leads to a bright yellow lighthouse, or along the coast (Rte. 45) towards the town of Hafnir. Here, you’ll notice the landscape become more volcanic, with very little greenery interrupting the expanse of lava. It’s no wonder the Apollo flight crew came here to practice moonwalking.

About 5km south of Hafnir is a parking area for the trail to Hafnaberg Cliffs, a prime nesting site for guillemots, kittiwakes, fulmars, and razorbills; and a good whale-spotting location too. The cliffs are spectacular, but note that it’s a 90-minute round-trip along the cliffs, and if you’re not a birder, Reykjanes has other more accessible and equally dramatic sea cliffs. Another 2km south at Sandvík just off Rte. 425 is the Bridge Between Two Continents. This 15m / 49ft. footbridge straddles a major rift in the rock along the division between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, so you can walk between two continents shaped by thousands of years of geological separation. The bridge was built as a symbol for the connection between Europe and North America. If you’d rather scuba dive between the continental plates, see Þingvellir.

GEOLOGICAL INSIGHT The lava-scarred Reykjanes peninsula lies on one of the world’s major plate boundaries, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The Eurasian and North American tectonic plates are continuously drifting apart under this tremendous pressure, causing linear fractures known as fissures to form.

Reykjanes Proper

Reykjanes means ‘Smoky Point’ and originally denoted only this south western corner of the peninsula, with its steamy (mistaken for ‘smoky’) geothermal hotspots. From here you can see Eldey, an island or rock about 14km off Reykjanes, home to the world’s biggest gannet colony. This 77 m / 263ft. high rock is now protected, but it was first climbed by three Icelanders back in 1894: Hjalti Jónsson – who was thereafter nicknamed “Hjalti of Eldey” – and two companions.

Gunnuhver (turn right off Rte. 425 towards Reykjanesviti lighthouse) is one such geothermal area, beautifully colored by minerals, where temperatures of over 300°C / 572°F have been recorded. Although Gunnuhver is often referred to as a hot spring area, only fumaroles and mud pots are present. Unlike many geothermal areas, the groundwater here is 100% seawater, but this doesn’t seem to make a difference to the characteristic sulphurous vapours.

Warning: Watch your step, stay on the paths and hold hands with any children accompanying you. The area is monitored but is constantly changing.

BEWARE THE GHOST OF GUNNUHVER! three centuries ago, the troublesome ghost of Gudrún Önundardóttir—who gives her nickname ‘Gunna’ to this beautiful geothermal field—was tricked by a priest into taking hold of a charmed knottedrope that led her across the field and into the big fumarole. Some say she didn’t fall in with the rope, but is stuck holding onto the end of it, and paces around the rim of the steamy abyss for all eternity. It’s uncanny how the steam shifts in the breeze but never clears completely, as though veiling something, or someone…

Driving towards Grindavík from Gunnuhver along Rte. 425, look out for a place called Brimketill, a turbulent pool of water dug out of the lava rock over thousands of years by the pounding of the Atlantic. Note that even on a sunny day, you may want to view this spectacle wearing a raincoat – the plumes of spray have quite a reach!

Fagradsfjall Eruption Site

Fagradsfjall is the site of an active eruption at the time this publication was written. The eruption began on March 19, 2021 after nearly 40,000 earthquakes originated from this area in a one month period. Fagradalsfjall is a tuya volcano, a type of subglacial volcano that forms when lava erupts through a thick layer of glacier or ice sheet. Tuyas are a rare and primative volcano type and are typically found only in regions were there were glaciers and active volcanism in the same period. At the time of this publication, it is possible to visit the site of the eruption and book tours of the site. Please contact your Iceland Travel representative for more information on these tours. The Safetravel website is updated regularly with further information on opening hours and any changes there might be in regards to weather and/or other conditions. Visit safetravel.is

Grindavík

This beautiful little fishing town on the south coast of the Reykjanes peninsula is one of the few towns along this coast with a harbor. Most inhabitants work in the fishing or boat industry. The Blue Lagoon (a few minutes from the town centre, see below) is the pride and joy of the town, but Grindavík is a fun stop in itself, and is surrounded by a magnificent landscape of lava fields, fissures, craters and small canyons. House of Culture and Natural Resources

This center contains the Icelandic Saltfish Museum (below) and the Earth Energy exhibition, which enables visitors to come to terms with the country’s geological origins, and see what the experts predict for its longterm geological future.

The Icelandic Saltfish Museum

Nobel Prize winning Icelandic author Halldór Laxness once wrote, “When all is said and done, life is first and foremost salt fish.” Life in Reykjanes, as in many other areas of Iceland, certainly revolved first and foremost around salt fish in the heyday of the salt cod industry, and the museum takes you back to the typical Icelandic fishing village of the late 19th and early 20th century. The museum was opened in 2002 and engages all your senses to show how Iceland was built on the salt fish industry. Its exhibition of Icelandic heritage and culture demonstrates the nation’s struggle for survival and its old way of life, with the history of salt fish inextricably linked to the history and prosperity of the Icelandic nation. The museum is right by the Grindavík harbor, and after learning how everyone in the villages used to spend their summers processing salt fish for export, you can then look out at the modern harbor and see where today’s fishing boats bring in their haul, seagulls circling as the catch is sorted. Hafnargötu 12 a.

The Blue Lagoon

The most recognised Reykjanes landmark and attraction is the Blue Lagoon (Rte. 420). In fact, it’s among Iceland’s most popular attractions, with more than 400,000 visitors per year. Like the more humble Icelandic swimming pool, this is something that can stay on your itinerary no matter what the season. In winter there are magical contrasts between warm water and cool winter’s air, with white snow atop black lava surrounding the lagoon, not to mention the possibility of watching Northern Lights from arguably the best vantage point in the country. In summer, the blueness is enhanced by the 24 hours of sunlight, and let’s face it, there’s still a lovely contrast between the cool summer’s air and steamy-hot lagoon!

LOCAL TIP – HAIR CONDITIONER AT THE LAGOON If you have long hair, use the hair conditioner provided both before and after entering the Blue Lagoon! The water will leave your skin feeling soft and revitalised for days, especially if you smear yourself in the white ‘mud’. But your hair won’t thank you for the soak, unless you’re generous with the conditioner, and for some reason it seems just as important to condition your hair before stepping into the lagoon, as it is to do so afterwards.

Chances are you’re already familiar with the images of bathers relaxing in the pearly blue water, or smearing their faces and arms with white silica mud – the Blue Lagoon is often the first thing that comes to mind when foreigners think of Iceland. The color comes from a combination of naturally-occurring

algae, silica and other minerals in the water. The heat is also natural, with the water originating deep within the ground. It comes to the lagoon via the neighbouring geothermal power plant which extracts pressurised, burning hot water to use for its steam turbines to produce electricity. The runoff from this is piped to the lagoon, which also has its own boreholes to help regulate the temperature. This is why you might notice hot-spots as you wade around.

The constant regulation also means that the water you step into has never been in the lagoon more than two days – a great comfort to those unsure of sharing a bath with a whole season of tourists and Icelanders alike! The algae in the water varies from season to season, so don’t be alarmed if the Blue Lagoon is more green than blue when you happen to visit :) The water is as salty as seawater, which also has the effect of minimising the sulphurous odour of the geothermal water. Not only is it fun to see and experience the Blue Lagoon, studies have shown that the water can be beneficial for certain skin conditions such as psoriasis – to the extent that visits by Icelanders suffering from such conditions are subsidised by the Icelandic public health system. Besides the luxurious conditioning and exfoliating effect of the famous white silica mud, another indulgence on offer is the in-water massage. The only danger is that you will realise what you’ve been missing out on with mere land-based massages all this time! Lying on a floating mat under a blanket with the masseuse’s hands working their magic, closing your eyes or looking up at the steam rising into the sky above... Yep, it’s a tough life. Just remember that the Blue Lagoon is one of Iceland’s most popular attraction, so pre-booking is necessary. You can book your tour in your app or on the Iceland Travel website - icelandtravel. is

Selatangar

Twelve kilometres east of Grindavík (on Rte. 427) is the turnoff to Selatangar, a fishing settlement that was abandoned in 1880. The road leads to a parking area near the shore. From there it’s a 10-minute walk east, mostly on striking black sand, to an assortment of crude stone foundations for huts in a stark, solitary, and even eerie setting. The atmosphere is made all the more peculiar by the impressive lava formations of the surrounding Katlahraun lava field.

Krýsuvík geothermal area

Along the fissure of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the south-east corner of Reykjanes peninsula is the Krýsuvík geothermal area (turn left off Rte. 427 onto Rte. 42). This area is divided into a number of ‘hot spots’ of geothermal activity, including Seltún, Hverahvammur and Hverahlíð. The banks around the hot springs in these areas are colored vibrant green, yellow and red. Columns of steam rise skywards and the bubbling mud pools play their rhythmically spluttering symphony.

MOVIE-BUFF TRIVIA if you drive past the site of Krýsuvík Church (built in 1857, destroyed by fire in 2010) you’ll see a large hill opposite, with a distinctive rocky crest. This is Arnarfell and was used in the filming of the Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers. Remember the climatic scene re-enacting the famous photograph of U.S. Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima? None other than Arnarfell!

The area of Krýsuvík is unsurprisingly populated by a number of volcanoes. Mt. Trolladyngja is a hyaloclastite mountain due west of Lake Kleifarvatn. The Trolladyngja shield Volcano has two main hyaloclastite peaks; 393/ 1,289ft. and 374m/ 1227ft. and 374m /1,227 ft high. There are also major central volcanoes to the south and north, whose lava flows have created various lava fields such as Afstapahraun.

Reykjanes Nature Reserve - Reykjanesfólkvangur

This area became a designated nature reserve in 1975 to help protect its lava formations around ridge volcanoes. On the other side of Rte. 42 from Krýsuvík is a picturesque green lake, Grænavatn, inside an explosion crater and colored by its thermal algae. A few minutes further north is the Seltún geothermal field, with a short trail that circles through the chemical odours and bubbling cauldrons of mud. Our final recommended stop in Reykjanes is Kleifarvatn Lake, a large (9.1 km2 / 35 sq. miles deep (97m / 318 ft.) lake fringed with wide black sand banks. Kleifarvatn sits atop the fissure zone of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and after an earthquake in the year 2000, water levels dropped, reducing its surface by 20%. But the fissures that formed in the earthquake slowly became plugged again and the lake has since regained its previous surface level. The barren volcanic surroundings of the lake are unique and beautiful. The view is excellent from the spit of Lambatangi, a short walk from the road along the lake’s southern edge.

ACCORDING TO LEGEND, a worm-shaped monster the size of a whale occupies Kleifarvatn lake.