Epic Travel → Europe → Iceland → Southwest Iceland → Reykjanes Nature Preserve

Location: Reykjanes Peninsula, Southwest Iceland

Time Required: 2 hours – multiple days

Red Tape/Notes: Reykjanes has an official website with a ton of options for things to see and GPS coordinates for the sites. The information is pretty cursory, though, so you may need to do some additional research if you don’t like winging it.

What’s Nearby?: Reykjanes Lighthouse, Valahnúkamöl, Gunnuhver, Kleifarvatn, Seltún, Grænavatn, Krýsuvíkurberg, Blue Lagoon

The entire Reykjanes Peninsula is a UNESCO global geopark, but few people will visit its interior (and most people won’t get beyond the Blue Lagoon, and obviously the airport), a large portion of which is covered by the 300 square kilometer Reykjanes Nature Preserve. It’s a shame more people don’t get out here, because there are loads of  interesting hikes and opportunities to see some of the unique landscape and geological features that make Iceland so special. You’ll want at least a basic 4-wheel drive vehicle to explore the area (we were fine in a Dacia Duster, even on snowy/icy roads in March) since all the roads will be F roads. We recommend bringing a GPS unit with you and the coordinates of the places you want to visit. It’s kind of like a treasure hunt to see how close you can get on random dirt roads.

Epic Travel → Europe → Iceland → Southwest Iceland → Reykjanes Nature Preserve