You could spend your whole holiday on the Reykjanes peninsula. Stand on the bridge spanning the continents. Take a thrilling ATV ride up to a moonscape of mountains, volcanos and lava fields. Bathe in the world-renowned Blue Lagoon, with its warm, healing waters. Ride the Icelandic horse. Go hiking and caving. Catch your breath—you are just beginning! Here, some of the first pioneers set up home. You can see their ancient ruins. Their rich fishing fields just offshore still provide large catches but winter storms are so fierce they can throw ships many metres inland. Their salt fish is famous in the Mediterranean countries. Here, you will find the Viking longship that sailed to America in the steps of Leif the Lucky, the first European to discover North America in the year 1000, and the museum for one of the world’s most famous polar explorers, Jean-Baptiste Chacot. Take a tour with one of the knowledge able guides to see the area: the birdwatching sites, the ancestral Viking house, the boiling mud springs and steam vents, bubbling lakes, the cultural centres. Enjoy a stay in one of the hotels, guesthouses or camp sites and eat delicious meals in a wide variety of restaurants, pubs and cafés. This is the Land of the Vikings!
A geological wonder
Reykjanes Peninsula is a UNESCO Global Geopark and part of the European and Global Geopark network. The peninsula, with its diversity of volcanic and geothermal activity, is well suited to be a Geopark as it is the only place in the world where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is visible above sea level.
Photo: FRIÐÞJÓFUR HELGASON
