Even if you are not up for an organized attraction, you can simply walk around the shore or climb up the hill behind the marine.
BJARNARHOFN SHARK MUSEUM
Driving around aimlessly, we saw the advertisement of Bjarnarhofn shark museum and we all said "heeey, we have to try this!". After Stykkisholmur, we had about 20 minutes drive until we reach there. The entrance fee is about 1000 ISK each and you get to eat all you can eat rotten shark. To me, that's a good deal.
This used to be an old house for a family with the shark producing business. The family used to go out fishing the shark and prepare the meat to be served. Lately, they decided that the cost of fishing is way too higher than they can afford so started to purchase the raw fish from other fishers and focus on just preparing the rotten shark. In the meanwhile, they serve a guided tour to the visitors, explain the preparing process and make you taste the rotten shark, which is like one of the most traditional eats from Iceland. The fish meat contains a lot of ammoniac and has a really strong taste, so you could also eat with some bread to lighten the taste.
After the tour, you can visit the storage room, where they keep the shark meet that is being prepared for the table. Be aware that if you are too much sensitive to smell, you might consider to avoid this part.
Next to the storage, we also found some cute and photogenic Icelandic horses to pet!
KIRKJUFELL
Kirkjufell is somehow one of the best spots for photography lovers in Iceland. Mt. Kirkjufell has the cutest shape just along the seaside. For hiking lovers, it is a pretty nice walk up to the hill and enjoy the panoramic view of the neighborhood and the cute little town called Grundafjörður. You can park your car for free next to the Kirkjufell waterfall and also appreciate this view.
Obviously, compared to all other giant waterfalls in Iceland, this does not look that georgous and impressive, but if you can capture this cute waterfall with the mountain itself, then it gets pretty impressive. I mean, just look at it!
SNAEFELLSJOKULL
Snæfellsjökull glacier is the main attraction in the Snæfellsnes peninsula. It is an active volcano and a giant glacier with almost 1,5 km high length. Snæfellsjökull is claimed to be one of the seven greatest energy centers on earth. This energy is claimed to be so strong that it distributes some mysterious vibe to the surrounding neighborjhoods that thousands of people complained that they all kept waking up during the night because they felt funny. Honestly, I don't know if the place is really that mysterious, but the mist around it for sure seems mystical!
From the north coast, we are headed to the south and we decided to approach Snæfellsjökull as close as we can. This is why we decided to take the road F570 which was a perfect combination of adventurous and impressive. You can drive all the way up to the glacier and walk to its roots, but if you are interested in really exploring the glacier, we would highly recommend you to find some tours with experienced guides for safety reasons.
Snæfellsjökull is so impressive, it inspired many artists for their books or movies. For example, Jules Verne got inspired from Snæfellsjökull to write his most famous science fiction book "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" where a bunch of scientists ventured into the crater of this glacier. They also used this location to shoot the movie of the very same story.
Along the road, don't forget to take your time to stop and appreciate this amazing view of the ocean and the volcanic rocks. The road itself is highly demanding to drive as you can see, but it's gonna worth it so much!
ARNARSTAPI
Following the F570 road, we found ourselves in Arnarstapi. In the old days, it was an important harbor and a trading post for the area and the population was a lot bigger than it is today. We made our stop at the cliff view point, where they have a free car park. On the way to the sea side, you can see the big stone structure designed by an Icelandic artist for the national day celebrations in 1985.
After crossing the monument, keep walking until you reach the seaside. For travelers, I recommend a walk on the coastline through a really beautiful path right next to the ocean and its hazardous cliffs. Believe me, you are going to want to stop hundreds of times on your way to take pictures!
YTRI TUNGA
After Arnarstapi, we started our way back to Reykjavik. We wanted to have a stop in the Budir black church on the same coast, but somehow we missed the turn and decided to keep driving. On this coast, you can actually find tons of giant waterfalls and also some touristic caves that you can explore. We decided to make our last stop on Ytri-Tunga.
Ytri-Tunga is a very popular beach for seal-spotting as a seal-colony resides here, as it were. It is a sandy beach with a lot of rocks in it where the seals like to spend their time. The seals are friendly and it is possible to climb the rocks and get pretty close to them. The best time to spot seals is in June, July and August. But, keep in mind that we failed to see them in August because of the strong wind and people state to see them in winter, so you never know.
