Reykjanes Peninsula is a perfect place to discover Iceland. With its valleys flows into the lava, its bare heights, its dark rocks and gaping craters, the landscape so exceptional of the peninsula makes us showing wonderfully the unusual character of this country…

In this part of the island, it is the elements that dictate to the world how to live. This strip of land located in the southwest of Iceland is marked by an active underground volcanic activity. Its cooled lava soil, that does not allow to the vegetation to grow, gives us to see bald reliefs and dark rocks typical of volcanic areas, a moonscape shaped by lava flows… The combination of that, a lot of hot springs and sulfur springs make us understanding why Rekjanes Peninsula is an incredible place of special beauty. It is also a unique place in the world because it is the only point on earth where the rift that separates the tectonic plates of Europe and North America is out of the ocean and visible. These extraordinary reliefs shelter many species of birds which are stunning with their unique color blends.

The largest and deepest lake in this part of Iceland. The lake sits on a highly active volcanic fissure zone. The lake is surrounded by black sand shores and volcanic mountains. After the series of earthquakes in 2000, the lake began to disappear into a large fissure created by one of the earthquakes : an enigmatic phenomenon… Summer houses that were once mere steps from waterfront are now more than a kilometer away from the water’s edge. The placid waters have dropped more than four meters during the following year. In their place is a barren lake bed speckled with sulphur-rimmed thermal springs that spit boiling water and mud.

We continue our journey to the charming geothermal field of Seltún. This place has many mudpots and fumaroles, heated by an underground magma chamber. Sulphuric water and gases have created colorful deposits. We will take a wooden pathways to explore this fascinating area, especially when a new maar is born with a spectacular explosion.

Near the geothermal fields are located several maars, rounded lakes. They were formed by explosions caused by the overheated steam of groundwater. We will stop at the largest one : Grænavatn. Up to 46 meters deep and 350 meters wide, it is a gorgeous emerald colored lake caused by a combination of thermal algae and sunlight absorbing crystals.

During our tour, we will explore a protected natural feature : two perfectly-formed scoria craters. They are a part of a lava ring. The age of this stunning volcanic phenomenon is not well known, but if we look the soil cover, the effects of weathering on its surface it might be 7000-8000 years old. You will enjoy this amazing moonscape.

The journey proceeds through one of Iceland’s best-known bird-cliffs and the highest cliffs in the southwest part of Iceland. Their average height is 50 meters, and the highest point is 70 meters. It is a home for almost 60 000 pairs of birds – mostly gulls, guillemots, razorbills, fulmars. From the middle of March to the end of August you can watch also puffins – a living symbol of Iceland. And if we are lucky we can also see whales and dolphins which are floating near the shore.

This place is both surprising and enchanting. This is a crater with ocher and orange stones that contrast with the turquoise milky waters of a lake located at the top. It is said that if you put your head under the water, you can hear the volcano breathing…

We continue our trip to a desert volcanic lava area. From there the view is amazing, you can see those cliffs and rocks growing straight out of the ocean and explore a mountain composed of tuff layers, pillow lava and breccia. This mountain was formed in a single eruption and shows evidence of the different phases of eruption.

The tour continues through wonderful lava fields and we go to the unique place where two of the Earth’s tectonic plates split. You will have the opportunity to walk over this footbridge which crosses the fissure. This 18 meters long bridge, in a symbolic purpose, illustrates the phenomenon of continental drift and connects the tectonic plates. It is where the Old World (Eurasian continent) and the New World (North American continent) was engaged in a tug of war. From the 1220s to the 1240s, the area was all on fire ! Evidence of this firestorm can still be seen in the canyons, crevices and along the jagged lines of this amazing place.

In the heart of Reykjanes Peninsula, this place appeared after a volcanic eruption under a glacier who was covering the area a long time ago… Sog is the largest freshwater river in Iceland in terms of water volume (average flow is 110 m³/sek) and flows out in a multicolored gorge. These tint are due to few mud pools, sulfur, and a high temperature alteration of the area. You will be astonished by this colorful site and the mind-blowing surroundings.

We also offer a nice surprise for this tour ! Because we love surprise 🙂 … But yes, we can’t tell you more here 🙂