From Reykjavík it is 120 kilometers (75 miles) away – and still visible on clear days.
At the foot of the mountain: lava, black beaches and a black church.
At the top: the place where Jules Verne began his journey to the center of the earth. Tour only.
Scroll –
up onto the ice
The park is open around the clock, all year – admission is free. Since August 6, 2026, however, the nature conservation agency charges a service fee, collected through parking: 1,100 ISK per car, valid until midnight for every parking lot in the park. The volcano itself is at green with the Met Office; the last eruption was about 1,750 years ago. What limits visitors is not alert levels but weather, crevasses, a summer-only road and a locked cave.
About 35 marked hiking trails, the beaches Djúpalónssandur and Skarðsvík, the craters Saxhóll and Rauðhóll, the Lóndrangar basalt pinnacles. No opening hours, no reservation.
The entrance is locked; you get in only with Summit Guides, on behalf of the park. Daily, year-round, from age 5. Often sold out – book online ahead.
Climbing is not prohibited, but the park explicitly advises tours: crevasses, fog, storms. Easiest by snowcat from Arnarstapi, as long as road 570 is open – usually July to the end of September.
Photo: Steinninn · CC BY 4.0
The park stretches from the summit to the sea – the first in Iceland to do so. You drive route 574 along the coast, and every few miles the landscape changes: the mossy Búðahraun lava field, the basalt cliffs of Arnarstapi with thousands of seabirds, the black pebble beach of Djúpalónssandur with the rusted remains of a trawler from 1948, the 130-foot steel staircase up the Saxhóll crater. Above it all, when the clouds allow, the white cap. It has been shrinking for decades: 16 km² of ice in 1946, 10 to 11 km² in 2008, and in August 2012 the summit was ice-free for the first time.
Photo: Rob Oo from NL · CC BY 2.0
Affiliate links to GetYourGuide: if you book, we earn a commission and the price stays the same. Prices and ratings as of 22 September 2026. The day tours circle the peninsula – whether the park fee is included is up to the operator.
Three things cost money or need a booking. Everything else – trails, beaches, craters, both visitor centers – is covered by the parking ticket.
1,100 ISK per car (up to 5 seats), 1,400 ISK for 6–9 seats, 450 ISK motorcycle, buses 2,700 to 9,400 ISK. Valid until midnight for the whole park: Djúpalónssandur, Saxhóll, Lóndrangar, Malarrif, Hellissandur, Skarðsvík, Öndverðarnes.
Parka app or website with your license plate, QR code at the parking lots, payment machine at the Malarrif visitor center (a machine at Djúpalónssandur is planned). Pay before you drive on – it saves questions from the rental company.
Tours daily, fewer in winter; often sold out according to the operator. Check-in at the cave entrance at Gufuskálar on route 574, three minutes' drive from the Malarrif visitor center, 10 minutes early. Free cancellation up to 4 hours before the start, 8% off early departures.
Glacier Paradise leaves Arnarstapi (Arnarstapavegur 2) at 10 am, bus to the foot of the glacier, then snowcat as high as possible, 2.5–3 hours, 18,000 ISK. On foot 3–5 hours, rated “difficult” by the park – only with a guide and rope or your own crevasse gear.
| National park service fee, car up to 5 seats, valid until midnight (about US$8) · 6–9 seats 1,400 ISK · motorcycle 450 ISK | 1,100 ISK |
| Service fee buses 10–21 / 22–32 / 33+ seats | 2,700 / 5,200 / 9,400 ISK |
| Vatnshellir guided tour, adults (about US$43) · seniors 65+ and students 4,600 ISK | 5,900 ISK |
| Vatnshellir, ages 12–17 · children 5–11 free · under 5 not admitted | 2,600 ISK |
| Snowcat onto the glacier from Arnarstapi (Glacier Paradise), adults (about US$130) · midnight sun tour 25,000 ISK | 18,000 ISK |
| Visitor centers Hellissandur and Malarrif, hiking trails, beaches | free |
Photo: David Jones from Isle of Wight, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0
The summit is not why most people come – the park is. Still: if you want to go up, you have two options, and both depend on road 570.
Departure 10 am, bus transfer to the foot of the glacier (your own 4x4 may follow), then by snowcat to the summit plateau or as close as possible. Weather-dependent; visibility can vanish at any time. Resellers give May to July as the season, the operator none.
From road 570 at Jökulháls or from Arnarstapi with a guide: 3–5 hours, about 750 m (2,460 ft) of climbing, rated “difficult” by the park. Best in late spring, while the crevasses are still snowed in; by late summer they are open. No current operator price is documented – Go West in Arnarstapi reports “currently not operating”.
Ólafsvík – pass at the glacier edge – Arnarstapi, 30 to 45 minutes, gravel, steep, no river crossings. The road administration opens it depending on snow, usually early July to the end of September, and closes it again. Check the status on umferdin.is; the same goes for F575 through Eysteinsdalur.
Arnarstapi – Hellnar 2.5 km (1.5 miles) / 1 hour with basalt arches and the Baðstofa cave. Svalþúfa – Lóndrangar – Malarrif 2.6 km (1.6 miles) / 1.5 hours. Djúpalónssandur – Dritvík 1 km / 20 minutes, after 2 km through the lava from the upper parking lot to the beach. Wind is the usual reason the park rates trails as “demanding”.
Photo: Jakub Hałun · CC BY 4.0
With a rental car you do not need a day tour from Reykjavík. Two offers start right in the park – the cave tour is the same one the operator sells itself.
Affiliate links to GetYourGuide: if you book, we earn a commission and the price stays the same. Prices and ratings as of 22 September 2026.
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Without a car: Strætó from Reykjavík (Mjódd) with route 57 to Borgarnes, 58 Borgarnes–Vatnaleið–Stykkishólmur and 82 Vatnaleið–Grundarfjörður–Ólafsvík–Hellissandur; since January 1, 2026 twice daily, not on Tuesdays and Thursdays (arrival Hellissandur 11:21 am and 7:11 pm). The south side (Arnarstapi, Malarrif, Djúpalónssandur) has no bus – car or tour only.
By car: From Reykjavík road 1 to Borgarnes, then 54 (Snæfellsnesvegur) and 574 (Útnesvegur) around the peninsula; parking lots with Parka payment at Djúpalónssandur (paved in 2024, bus and car spaces), Saxhóll, Svalþúfa/Lóndrangar, Malarrif, Hellissandur, Skarðsvík, Öndverðarnes. 570 and F575 only with 4x4 and only in summer.
June to early September: road 570 open (snowcat, glacier pass), long daylight, restrooms at Djúpalónssandur. For climbing the glacier on foot late spring (May/June) is better, because the crevasses are still snowed in. Vatnshellir and the coastal trails work year-round; in winter the park is empty, but storms and darkness limit you. The summit is often in cloud – book the snowcat tour in the morning with a clear forecast.
Photo: Steinninn · CC BY 4.0
Completely banned along the coast and below the Útnesvegur from April 15 to September 15 – seabird nesting season. Otherwise only with a park permit via the conservation agency's service portal, including recreational flights.
Not allowed in the park. The only exception: hikers and cyclists for one night at the designated spot. Campgrounds exist in Hellissandur, Ólafsvík and Arnarstapi.
The administration closes sensitive areas when needed. Documented in 2026: Saxhóll and Öndverðarnesvegur in June/July for construction; for the solar eclipse on August 12, 2026 one-way traffic on road 570 and a shuttle to Öndverðarnes. As of September 22, 2026: no closure known.
Photo: joiseyshowaa from Freehold, NJ, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
No, but since August 2026 there is a service fee collected through parking: 1,100 ISK per car, valid until midnight for every parking lot in the park. Pay via the Parka app, QR code or the machine at Malarrif.
Yes, but the park explicitly recommends tours: 3–5 hours, rated “difficult”, crevasses and fog. The easiest way is the snowcat from Arnarstapi (2.5–3 hours, 18,000 ISK), as long as road 570 is open.
Only on the 45-minute guided tour by Summit Guides, daily and year-round, from age 5. Adults 5,900 ISK, children 5–11 free. Book online – tours are often sold out.
Usually yes, until the end of September – but the road administration closes it as soon as snow lies. umferdin.is shows the status for the day. On September 22, 2026 the status could not be read there.
For the peninsula, yes: 11 to 12 hours around the park with Kirkjufell, Arnarstapi and Djúpalónssandur. The bus tours usually do not take you onto the glacier or into the cave – for that you need a rental car or the offers on site.
Yes. In 1864 Jules Verne had Professor Lidenbrock descend into “Sneffels”. There is no way into the earth's interior – but the Vatnshellir lava cave does take you 30 meters (100 ft) down.
It counts as an active volcano that has been dormant for about 1,750 years. As of September 22, 2026 the Icelandic Met Office lists it at aviation colour code green and alert level 0. The earthquakes on Snæfellsnes since 2024 belong to the neighboring Ljósufjöll system.
The guided tour takes 45 minutes and costs 5,900 ISK for adults, 2,600 ISK for ages 12–17; children 5 to 11 are free, younger ones are not admitted. Helmet and lamp are provided; it is just above freezing.
Yes: short trails, the Saxhóll crater cone with its staircase, the lifting stones at Djúpalónssandur beach, the cave from age 5 and the snowcat with no age limit. Only the glacier hike is not for children.
Wind- and waterproof layers even in summer, sturdy shoes. For Vatnshellir add a warm jacket and gloves, no sandals or smooth soles; on the glacier sunglasses and a hat.
By car about 190 km (120 miles) on roads 1, 54 and 574 (2.5–3 hours). By Strætó: 57 to Borgarnes, 58 to Vatnaleið, 82 to Ólafsvík and Hellissandur – twice daily, not on Tuesdays and Thursdays; the south side with Arnarstapi has no bus.
Usually from early July to the end of September, depending on snow; Vegagerðin announces opening and closing on umferdin.is. It is gravel and steep, 4x4 recommended; the same goes for F575 through Eysteinsdalur.
Camping is prohibited; only hikers and cyclists may stay one night at the designated spot. Drones are completely banned along the coast from April 15 to September 15, otherwise only with a park permit.
The beach is freely accessible, but the Atlantic surf is unpredictable – keep your distance from the water, children by the hand. The trail from the parking lot runs about 2 km (1.2 miles) through lava; restrooms at the upper lot in summer.
Free: the park center in Hellissandur (daily 9:30 am–5 pm, with restaurant and shop) and the Malarrif visitor center on the south coast (daily 10:30 am–4:30 pm, exhibition, playground). Restrooms at both around the clock.
June to early September for the glacier pass and snowcat; May/June for glacier hikes with closed snow cover. Cave and coast work year-round, in winter with short days and storm risk.
Sources · accessed on 22 September 2026
Photo: Richard Bartz · CC BY-SA 3.0
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