EastWest · Reykjavik
EastWest's driver-guides take 19 guests around the peninsula, stop for a home-cooked lunch at Lýsuhóll, a horse farm on the south coast, and finish at Kirkjufell for half an hour. It has the best rating of the big-selling tours, and it's the one day where you don't have to think about food.
EastWest starts collecting guests at 8:30 and finishes around 9:00. Thirty minutes before your pickup you get an email with a photo of the vehicle, its plate and your guide's name, and the driver gets out to look for you. The loop starts on the south side: Borgarnes, the seals at Ytri Tunga, then lunch at Lýsuhóll, a horse farm on the south side of the peninsula, with 1 hour 15 minutes set aside. After the black church at Búðir you pass below Snæfellsjökull to Arnarstapi (40 minutes) and Djúpalónssandur (45 minutes), then cross to the north coast for Kirkjufell, about 30 minutes, and drive home past the Berserkjahraun lava.
Guests rave about the lunch: home-cooked, plentiful, with the farm's Icelandic horses outside the window. Nobody knows the menu in advance, though. One guest warned that picky eaters and anyone with dietary needs should be aware of that, so tell EastWest about allergies when you book. Drinks cost extra.
It costs about $80 more than the classic coach, and you are paying for three things: 19 seats instead of 65, pickup at your hotel, and the meal. Like every tour that ends at Kirkjufell, the mountain comes late in the day, which means dusk in midwinter. Children under 4 are turned away at the door, and everyone must be able to walk and board on their own.
Be ready at 8:30. The email 30 minutes before pickup shows the car, its plate and your guide.
A short stop in Borgarnes, then 25 minutes with the seals on the rocks at Ytri Tunga.
1 hour 15 minutes at the horse farm for a home-cooked meal, then the black church at Búðir.
Below Snæfellsjökull to the Arnarstapi cliffs (40 minutes) and the black beach (45 minutes).
About 30 minutes at the mountain, then back past the Berserkjahraun lava and Borgarnes.
★★★★★This was an excellent tour to see another area of Iceland. It was well paced. Our tour guide Martin did a very good job of explaining the legends and history tied to the places we visited. The lunch at the farm was abundant.
★★★★★I highly recommend this day trip. Our guide (“Simon”) was wonderful. The tour combined natural wonders with history. The lunch stop provided an opportunity to see Icelandic horses up close. The food was good!
★★★★★This was a day filled with beautiful sites, educational tidbits, laughter, and yummy food! Martin was a phenomenal guide. [...] The highlight was lunch at the horse farm. The food and the people were warm and welcoming!
★★★★★Martin, our guide, was fun, kind, and incredibly knowledgeable, he answered all of our questions with ease. The tour was great, and since we were ahead of schedule, we even got to make two extra little stops. The food at the horse farm was freshly made and absolutely delicious.
Read next:
A home-cooked meal at Lýsuhóll, a horse farm on the south side of the peninsula. The menu isn't announced in advance; guests describe it as fresh, generous and homemade. Drinks are extra.
About 30 minutes, as the last stop before the drive back to Reykjavik.
4. Children under 4 are not allowed and will be refused boarding. Children aged 4 to 12 pay the child rate; from 13 it's the adult price.
If you want a small group, hotel pickup and lunch handled, yes. If you only care about seeing Kirkjufell, the classic coach tour gets you there for less. Our tour comparison sets them side by side.
Ready to book
A home-cooked lunch at the Lýsuhóll horse farm, hotel pickup and about 30 minutes at Kirkjufell to end the day.
Snæfellsnes Minibus Tour with LunchThe smallest group from Reykjavik, 17 at most, with lunch in Arnarstapi and half an hour at the falls and the mountain.★ 4.9 · 11 hours · from $234
Small-Group Snæfellsnes National Park Day TripTop rated small group: free hotel pickup, 40 minutes with the seals at Ytri Tunga and 30 minutes at Kirkjufell to end.★ 4.9 · 11 hours · from $154
Snæfellsnes & Kirkjufell Small-Group TourA small group of 19 at nearly the coach price, with Kirkjufell saved for last: about 25 minutes in the evening light.★ 4.8 · 12 hours · from $150