After getting my fill of gorgeous hot springs and geothermal wonders, the rest of my time on the Reykjanes Peninsula was spent on the coast.
The weather had been pretty consistently pleasant all day, up until I arrived at the most gorgeous coastal lookout. The sky which had been threatening to open up for the whole day finally followed through. If you have been following my travels for a while you will know that I absolutely adore rainy weather, so for me, this was absolutely perfect.
I had been warned that climbing up the cliff faces would be dangerous while the weather was windy and rainy, but I have never been very good at following advice, so cliff climbing was most certainly a go! I must admit though, that the people who warned me were absolutely right to do so. It was incredibly windy at the top, but the views were absolutely magnificent. The rain really started coming down at this point and I doubt that anything could have wiped the enormous smile from my face.
Next it was on to the Bridge Between Continents. Iceland is amazing for many reasons, but one of my personal favourites is that the country rests on two different continents. The tectonic plates of Eurasia and North America meet and converge through Iceland and make for some absolutely stunning scenery. The Bridge itself is fairly unremarkable, but it is pretty amazing to be able to walk from one continent to another in just a few seconds.
On my previous trip to Iceland in January 2014, I was lucky enough to be able to snorkel between these tectonic plates at a remarkable site called Silfra. You can find that old post here.
The black Icelandic sand is pretty damn special too. People always rave about white or golden sand beaches, but I think black volcanic sand is my personal favourite.
Finally, on the way back to Reykjavik I caught a small preview of the Blue Lagoon. I had visited on my previous Icelandic trip and it was lovely to see the rich blue mineral water again. There will be more about my most recent trip to the Blue Lagoon in a few posts time but until then, feel free to read about my previous Blue Lagoon soaking here.
T H E L O W D O W N
Getting There: The Reykjanes Peninsula is vast, but could easily be explored in 1-2 days. It is an easy drive from Reykjavik or from Keflavik area. If you are not self driving, there is plenty of information about tour operators at Visit Iceland
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M1 with 12-40mm lens and 52mm HOYA polarising filter
Budget: If you are driving, you will only need money for petrol and food. If you are joining a tour, expect to pay around 12.500ISK ($125 AUD)
Remember: Bring a waterproof jacket, I love mine from Kathmandu, which has kept me dry in even the wettest conditions
Hoping to visit Iceland someday!
Thanks for posting this. I am so pleased to see Thingvelllir (?) and the preview of the Blue Lagoon – I so loved my time in Iceland and nice to see the places I visited without snow!!!
It actually isn’t thingvellir in these photos, but I have been there before 😊
Wouldn’t have thought of Iceland as a snorkelling destination but I might just add that to my vague itinerary.
This is truly an incredible place…
The landscape looks so different and I really would like to explore once …
Thanks a lot for sharing this beautiful post and a lot of positive energy 🙂
Have a great time 🙂
Thank you so much 😊 it really is gorgeous! Hopefully you get to visit soon
Looks wonderful!!! How cold was it? The wind look serious lol
It was about 4 degrees centigrade so not too bad! 😊
Thanks for sharing from the corner of the world!
Your smile says it all. You look SO happy to be there. Gorgeous photos, too. It looks like an absolutely stunning area!
These are nice photos! Good that you got up on the cliff safely! 😀 The blue lagoon looks spectacular!
Looks incredible. I hear there’s some unique eats such as horse meat? I’ve wanted to also dive the fissure where you can also swim over the two tectonics plates.
It’s an amazing scuba and snorkelling spot! And there is some extremely weird foods! I never tried horse but I did try fermented shark and puffin!
“…snorkel between these tectonic plates…” First time I have ever read that phrase. 🙂
😊 you know what they say, there’s a first time for everything 😊
What caught my attention was snorkeling in January in Iceland. That may be a new definition of hardy. –Curt
It certainly was freezing (quite a few degrees below actually) but there’s nothing else quite like it!
I can only imagine… (grin) –Curt
Sounds like you had a wonderful time. I can appreciate the rain and the black sand. Iceland definitely goes in the bucket now.
Great post! I can’t wait to visit!
Your photos are awesome and that smile, well – it’s contagious. I needed that today. Thank you for sharing such a great experience.
Thank you so much, I’m so glad my photos had a positive impact on you, that means the world to me 😊
Wow, definitely need to visit Iceland
I lived in Iceland in 1999-2003 and these posts brought back so many memories! We went to the tectonic plates on a field trip and so enjoyed it. Great post!
Wow! Great pictures! Love the bridge between the continents.
Must go to the Blue Lagoon….now! Looks AMAZING!!!!
Wow, great photos! Thanks for sharing! (Looking forward to your next update…)
New update now up 😉
Amazing! Iceland is where I want to go the most, I’ve heard so many good things about it. It looks so beautiful 🙂
It is an absolutely stunning country 😊
If you’ve not been to Jeju Island, South Korea, I highly recommend the black lava beach at Hallim, on the island’s west coast. My late wife, our son and I enjoyed several visits there, as well as to the sandy beaches, during the 5 1/2 years we lived there.
I have not yet been to South Korea – I shall definitely keep it in mind for the future!
Beautiful place! I home someone will take me there….