“Jules Verne chose this ice-capped volcano as the entrance to the centre of the Earth, and on a clear day you can see it from Reykjavik, 120 kilometres away.”
About Snæfellsjökull
Snaefellsjokull is a stratovolcano capped by a glacier, last erupting around 1,800 years ago. Long regarded in Iceland as a place of mystical energy, it gained worldwide literary fame when Jules Verne made its crater the connection to the underworld in his 1864 novel. The volcano and its lava-and-coast surroundings were designated a national park in 2001.
What Snaefellsjokull is
Snaefellsjokull is a glacier-capped volcano at the tip of the Snaefellsnes peninsula in west Iceland, a near-perfect cone of ice and rock that dominates the skyline and, on a clear day, can be seen from Reykjavik some 120 kilometres away across the bay. The volcano and its surroundings form Snaefellsjokull National Park.
The volcano and its surroundings form Snaefellsjokull National Park.
Starting point for the Centre of the Earth
The mountain owes much of its fame to Jules Verne, who chose Snaefellsjokull as the entrance to the underworld in his 1864 novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth, where his explorers descend into the crater to begin their journey. The volcano has long been considered a place of spiritual power in Iceland, and its striking, isolated form rising between the sea and the sky has drawn writers, mystics and travellers for centuries.
The Experience
You approach across the lava fields and fishing villages of the Snaefellsnes peninsula, with the white cone floating above the landscape and the sea. Guided tours can take you up onto the glacier, while the lower slopes, lava caves and dramatic coastline make the national park a small-scale version of Iceland, often called 'Iceland in miniature', within easy reach of Reykjavik.
Why It Matters
Snaefellsjokull is one of Iceland's most iconic and mythologised mountains, tying the country's landscape to world literature through Verne's novel. As the centrepiece of a national park that compresses Iceland's variety into one peninsula, it is a favourite for travellers short on time.
Snaefellsjokull is one of Iceland's most iconic and mythologised mountains, tying the country's landscape to world literature through Verne's novel.
Why Visit
An iconic, literary glacier-volcano at the heart of a national park that packs Iceland's variety into one accessible peninsula near Reykjavik.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
See the cone from across the bay on a clear day, even from Reykjavik.
- 2
Take a guided tour to go up onto the glacier safely; do not attempt it alone.
- 3
Explore the wider Snaefellsnes peninsula, often called Iceland in miniature.
- 4
Bring layers; conditions on and near the glacier change fast.
