{"id":471,"date":"2021-08-06T18:52:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-06T18:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catmantravels.com\/?p=471"},"modified":"2025-09-05T06:43:30","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T06:43:30","slug":"day-3-perfect-two-week-iceland-ring-road-trip-itinerary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catmantravels.com\/index.php\/2021\/08\/06\/day-3-perfect-two-week-iceland-ring-road-trip-itinerary\/","title":{"rendered":"Iceland Day 3: Sn\u00e6fellsj\u00f6kull National Park, Kirkjufell & Kirkjufellsfoss, and dinner with a view!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welcome to day 3 of our 14 day Iceland Road Trip! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today we are headed west towards Sn\u00e6fellsj\u00f6kull National Park<\/a> (no idea how to pronounce that so don’t ask) and our first stop of the day is Bjarnarfoss<\/a>, an impressive waterfall right by road 54 on the Sn\u00e6fellsnes Peninsula<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A few kilometers down the road was Rau\u00f0feldsgj\u00e1 Gorge<\/a>. The hike from the parking lot is a little over a quarter-mile. You hike up a stream valley to a small waterfall and a narrow passage that leads inside the mountain.  Inside, the space widens into a majestic grotto covered from the ground to the sky in a bright green moss. Overhead, the canyon lets in a window of light giving the walls and floor a mysterious glisten. The gorge extends inside the Rau\u00f0feldsgj\u00e1 fissure for several kilometers. You are welcome to explore at your own risk but I would recommend having an extra pair of shoes around unless you want to have soggy wet shoes for the rest of the day!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Rau\u00f0feldsgj\u00e1 Gorge crack extends for several kilometers!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After our first two small hikes, we decided to stop by a small cliff-side cafe<\/a> in the small town of Hellnar <\/a>for breakfast!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The views were gorgeous.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Carrot cake counts as breakfast right?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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These cool rock formations right next to the cafe provided for a great photo opportunity. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Hellnar church<\/a> was the first of so many beautiful Icelandic churches. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After our delicious breakfast, we continued our drive along the coast, stopping at several stunning cliff-side viewpoints as well as our very first black-sand beach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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L\u00f3ndrangar<\/a> are uniquely formed basalt volcanic pillars sticking out from the ocean and are the remains of a crater, which has been eroded to its present form by the sea.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Dj\u00fapal\u00f3nssandur beach<\/a>
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Did I say we would be seeing so many beautiful Icelandic churches like Ingjaldsh\u00f3ll<\/a>?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our next area of exploration for the day was Mt. Kirkjufell & Kirkjufellsfoss in Grundarfj\u00c3\u00b6r\u00c3\u00b0ur. Danish sailors, who frequently visited this area in the olden days called this dignified mountain “Sukkertoppen<\/em>” or the Sugar Top. Mt. Kirkjufell also happens to be the most photographed Mountain and it was even featured in the popular Game of Thrones series!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mt. Kirkjufell<\/a> & Kirkjufellsfoss <\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We continued about an hour eastward and were starting to get pretty hungry so we stopped at a viewpoint<\/a> and decided to make some dinner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Probably the best dinner view in my life! Tonight’s dinner was spaghetti. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After dinner, we drove another 45 minutes or so to the B\u00fa\u00f0ardalur tjaldsv\u00e6\u00f0i<\/a> campsite. Although a little crowded, the campsite had super nice toilets, showers, and a dining area if you wish to cook food and eat dinner. The cost for this campsite was also 1,500IKR per person (~$12 USD) but everything listed above was included. They also had laundry facilities which you can pay extra for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is today’s roadmap recap: <\/p>\n\n\n\n