Day trip to the Reykjanes Peninsula

Reykjanes Peninsula is the home of the Blue Lagoon and the Keflavik airport. What many people do not know is that is also the home to some very beautiful natural wonders, that make for a great day-trip. With all the tourists coming to Iceland, Reykjanes is a fresh breath of serenity that I really enjoy.

I went there recently, started out by visiting Kleifarvatn and getting a view over the beautiful lake area. It's breathtaking and one of my favourite spots in Iceland. Just by Kleifarvatn is the Krýsuvik geothermal area, where you will find bustling mud-geysers and incredible geothermal activity.

Head towards Grindarvík and enjoy the amazing cliffs on the shore-side, just before reaching the city of Grindarvík. There are no signs, so just keep your eyes open and wait until you see the intense cliffs.

Reykjanes is not overflowing with gourmet restaurants, so a good place to stop for lunch is at Bryggjan Cafe in Grindarvík, which has a nice lobster soup as well as gigantic portions of cake. (It's a authentic taste of Iceland and you'll be high on sugar for a few hours to come so better head out in the wilderness and burn off some of those calories).

Drive towards South Reykjanes, in the direction of the Gunnuhver area. There you will spot the following:

• Gunnuhver; a fierce and smokey hot-spring (named after the witch Gunn.) The area features a number of hot-spring and is filled with colourful landscape, impacted by the geothermal activity.

• Reykjanestá where you will catch amazing views over the area and the Atlantic ocean. Hike up the cliff and look for Eldey, which is a beautiful small island situated off the shore

• Reykjanesvíti; The oldest lighthouse in Iceland. Its situated on a beautiful hill, overlooking the area.

If you still have some time left, you can visit the Bridge Between Two Continents after the Reykjanestá area. I personally am not too amazed with bridge between the two continents as I find it to be a little bit of a gimmick (that's just my opinion and doesn't mean you won't like it).

If you haven't already planned this in into your Iceland trip-plan, then you could finish off the day by visiting the Blue Lagoon which will be on your right hand side on the way back to Reykjavik. (approx. 10 km off the main road in direction of Grindarvík). Remember to book in advance as slots might be fully booked already. Your booking can be adjusted in case you are running late/early.

Head back to Reykjavik after a great day on the road.