NP Snæfellsjökull and Snæfellsnes Peninsula
The Snæfellsnes Peninsula is known for its beauty and diversity. The glacier, mountains, rivers, springs, lakes, ponds, sandy beaches, steep shores along with rich flora and fauna, makes Snæfellsnes Peninsula a unique place. A mountain ridge runs the entire length of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula from east to west, leading to the Glacier. The landscape is very diverse and so is the vegetation. Around 70% of the wild plant species in Iceland have been found in this area, or 330 species.
The westernmost part of the Peninsula is a protected area and is one of three national parks in Iceland, called Snæfellsjökull National Park. The park was established in 2001, with the aim to protect both the nature and historical monuments. Another aim of it is to provide information about the area to travelers and to introduce laws and rules to them. The size of the park is approximately 170 km2, and it is the only national park in Iceland that is adjacent to the sea.
The Peninsula is sparsely populated with approximately 4.000 inhabitants. There are five municipalities in the area and five villages, Stykkishólmur, Grundarfjörður, Ólafsvík, Rif and Hellissandur. Also there are some very small villages or hamlets in the southern part of the Peninsula. The main industries in the area are fishing, tourism and agriculture. As one community, the five municipalities in Snæfellsnes Peninsula have received environmental certification from the EarthCheck certification program. The community is the first one in Europe to reach this standard, and the fourth in the world (nesvottun.is/).
One of the benefits of Snæfellsnes Peninsula is how easy it is to travel around. The driving distance from Reykjavik to the tip of the Peninsula is just over 200 km. The area is not too big and the roads are good, so you can explore all the diversity in just a one day or two (if you are in a hurry).
Links to websites related to Snæfellsnes Peninsula and Snæfellsjökull N.P.:
The Icelandic Department of Environment www.ust.is/snaefellsjokull-national-park/
Visit West Iceland www.west.is/SeeDo/SnaefellsjokullNationalPark/
The Regional Park of Snæfellsnes Peninsula svaedisgardur.is/english-summary
Pictures with GPS-coordinates www.svaedisgardur.is/flickr