Washitsu.Casa Guide:

Other Local Wonders

Street Art & Hidden Coves

The Exclusive Paved Hike-and-Bike Trails

It is virtually unheard of in rural Iceland, but our village is connected to neighboring Hellissandur and Ólafsvík by dedicated, smoothly paved (tarmac) walking and biking trails! You do not need to share a dangerous, narrow highway with passing cars. Instead, you can enjoy a leisurely, incredibly scenic walk through the meadows, along the coast, and straight into the neighboring villages to explore.

Ingjaldshólskirkja & Christopher Columbus

Taking a pleasant stroll inland from Washitsu.Casa will bring you to Ingjaldshóll, crowned by one of the most picturesque churches in all of Iceland. But its beauty hides an incredible history: Christopher Columbus spent the winter of 1477 right here on this hill, studying the ancient Viking maritime records of lands to the West before undertaking his historic 1492 voyage to the Americas! In addition to its famous visitor, Ingjaldshólskirkja is historically significant as the very first concrete church built in Iceland (completed in 1903), and one of the very first in the world. In the summer, the foreground is spectacularly carpeted with vibrant blue lupin flowers—making it the ultimate backdrop for a quiet afternoon (or a perfect spot for a proposal).

The Murals of Hellissandur (The Street Art Capital)

Take the beautiful walking path just a few kilometers down the road to Hellissandur. You will be amazed to discover that this tiny, remote fishing village is actually the street art capital of Iceland! The sides of old fish factories and village walls are covered in massive, spectacular murals painted by international artists, depicting everything from seabirds and mythical trolls to scenes of oceanic fury.

The Maritime Museum & Fishermen's Caves

To understand what it took to survive in these punishing waters, visit the excellent Seafarer Maritime Museum in Hellissandur.

As you continue your exploration towards Gufuskálar, the history becomes visceral. Look for the ancient, dome-like lava rock structures built to dry fish—these are some of the absolute oldest fishing-related artifacts ever found in any of the Nordic countries. Explore the immediate area to find the ancient, stone-built Irish Well (Írskubrunnur), and seek out the tiny, primitive natural lava caves where hardened fishermen literally huddled for shelter hundreds of years ago.

The Gateway to Snæfellsjökull National Park

Washitsu.Casa sits directly on the threshold of the magnificent Snæfellsjökull National Park. In fact, the absolute raison d’être for the park itself—the towering Snæfellsjökull glacier-volcano—is directly visible right from the Casa, weather permitting!

Before you embark on deeper explorations, we highly recommend taking the paved path or a short drive to our neighboring village of Hellissandur to visit the newly built National Park Visitor Center. It features many interesting exhibits and is the perfect place to absorb some initial geographic and ecological context.

However, because the breathtaking natural wonders of this region refuse to be confined to strict, imaginary park borders, we have built a completely separate, comprehensive guide dedicated to the park and the entirety of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. We are incredibly proud to invite you to explore snaefellsjokull.org !

Head over to our dedicated peninsula website to uncover our definitive roadmap to the "Iceland in Miniature" Grand Tour—including hidden golden beaches, 8,000-year-old lava tubes, drive-in volcanoes, and the legendary resting pools of half-trolls!

Krossavík: The Abandoned Harbor

Just past the village of Hellissandur lies the area of Krossavík. Once an active local harbor, it has now been reclaimed by the wild. The crumbling remnants create varied and unique habitats for wildlife, making it an excellent spot for birdwatching and spotting seals. Because it sits at the deep curve of the bay, Krossavík is also widely considered one of the premier hidden spots on the peninsula for spring whale watching!

The Cascading Twins: Svöðufoss and Kerlingarfoss

If you gaze south out of the windows of Washitsu.Casa toward the glacier, you will spot bright silver ribbons of water tumbling down the distant cliffs. These are our local waterfalls, Svöðufoss and Kerlingarfoss! Instead of boarding a tour bus to battle the crowds at the famous waterfalls in southern Iceland, take a very short drive, walk, or hike inland from the Casa. A pleasant path will take you right to the base of Svöðufoss, a stunning cascade framed by spectacular, hexagonal basalt columns with the towering glacier as its backdrop. Best of all, depending on the time of the day, you might have these waterfalls entirely to yourself.

The Giant Gufuskálar Mast: The Ancestor of GPS

As you look out across the western horizon, you absolutely cannot miss a staggering, incredibly tall metal spire piercing the sky at Gufuskálar. Standing at an unbelievable 412 meters (1,351 feet) tall, it is one of the tallest structures in Western Europe! But this isn't just a simple antenna. Before orbiting GPS satellites existed, world navigation relied on terrestrial radio networks (like the LORAN-C system). This massive mast functioned as a booming lighthouse of the skies and seas, transmitting low-frequency radio waves across the Atlantic Ocean so ships and aircraft could triangulate their exact location on the globe.

Golf at the Edge of the Arctic

If you happen to be a golf enthusiast, our corner of the peninsula offers an absurdly surreal experience. Right outside the village boundaries lies an exceptionally scenic 9-hole golf course. Imagine teeing off right where the rough landscape meets the volcanic terrain, under the Midnight Sun, while a mystical glacier watches from above. Just try not to get distracted by a swooping Arctic Tern while practicing your short game!

Pathless Freedom: No Ants, No Ticks

In most parts of the world, hiking requires you to strictly follow designated dirt paths to avoid dense underbrush or private property. Here, you are free to roam. While our village has wonderful paved paths, it is also perfectly alright to just wander off into the untamed nature without a trail. Find your own secret coastal bluff, hike across open meadows, and lie down on a deep cushion of ancient, spongey volcanic moss. An incredible, little-known luxury of Iceland’s pure environment is the lack of common pests: the grass here is completely ant-free and tick-free! You can comfortably sink into the deep green earth, stare up at the sky, and truly decompress.

The Long Black Beaches & The Abandoned Ship

If you venture just beyond the village boundaries and harbor, you will find sweeping, dramatic stretches of Iceland's signature black sand beaches hugging the coastline close to the Casa. Because tourists rarely venture out to these specific coves, you will often have them completely to yourself. Take a long walk and listen to the rhythmic, crushing sounds of the Atlantic waves rolling over the fine volcanic sand. On one of these nearby stretches, you will also discover a hauntingly beautiful piece of maritime history: the rusting, towering remains of an old ship sitting quietly on the shore. Rather than a tragic shipwreck, this vessel was purposefully brought ashore and left behind by the locals, creating an absolutely surreal and majestic backdrop for photography today.

A Safe Cocoon in the Fury of the Arctic

To truly know Iceland, you must understand its weather—and there is a profound, mesmerizing thrill to experiencing the raw, untamed fury of an Arctic storm from an incredibly safe vantage point. You do not need to embark on a dangerous polar expedition to feel nature’s absolute power. Washitsu.Casa acts as your heavily insulated, warm front-row seat to the chaos.

Even though the house sits securely set back from the ocean's immediate ledge, the elemental forces here are so immense that certain rooms can sometimes carry the crisp, bracing scent of sea salt right in the air. Following heavy coastal swells, our large living room windows are frequently blasted opaque by the ocean’s salt spray—only to be miraculously scrubbed clean a few days later by a furious bout of horizontal Icelandic rain!

Defying Gravity: Upward Waterfalls & Backward Waves

What the seasoned locals of Rif casually brush off as just a "windy day" can frequently mean wind gusts reaching absolute hurricane speeds. Feeling this wind—whether from the warm safety of the Washitsu sofas or by stepping outside—is a humbling, unforgettable experience.

The wind systems crossing the Snæfellsnes Peninsula are so legendary that they actively appear to break the laws of physics. If you look closely at the distant waterfalls plunging off the mountains during a gale, you will routinely watch the water halt mid-fall, bend, and be blown violently upwards into the sky. If you look out at the crashing oceans, you will be mesmerized to see heavy, cresting waves caught by the sheer force of the wind and blown entirely backwards out into the sea! Experiencing this overwhelming, majestic force of nature is an absolute privilege that standard summer resorts simply cannot offer.