Parque Nacional Snæfellsjökull

Snæfellsjökull National Park was established in 2001 to protect the tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, centred on the glacier-capped Snæfellsjökull stratovolcano (1446 m). It is Iceland’s only national park that extends to the coastline, encompassing lava fields, sea cliffs, bird colonies, sandy beaches, and the haunting beauty of the glacier summit.

The park gained literary immortality as the starting point of Jules Verne’s ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’, and many visitors remark on its unusual atmosphere — local tradition attributes mystical energy to the Snæfellsjökull glacier, which is considered one of the seven ‘chakra points’ of the Earth by some spiritual traditions. Whether or not you subscribe to that, the landscapes are genuinely extraordinary.

Key visitor sites within the park include Vatnshellir lava cave (guided tours), Saxhóll crater, Djúpalónssandur black pebble beach, Londrangar basalt sea stacks, and Arnarstapi. The park roads (Route 574) are paved and accessible by regular car year-round. The main visitor centre is in Hellissandur. Entry to the park is free; specific attractions like Vatnshellir cave charge a fee.