Cliffs in Iceland

Dyrhólaey

Dyrhólaey is a 120-meter-high promontory on Iceland's south coast, about 20 minutes west of Vík, named for the huge rock arch at its seaward tip, about 20 meters high and 50 meters wide. From the top you look straight down the black-sand coast to Reynisfjara and its sea stacks, with Mýrdalsjökull glacier filling the view inland. The Dyrhólaey peninsula has been a protected nature reserve since 1978, mostly for its birdlife. In summer, puffins nest in the grassy slopes of the Dyrhólaey cliffs, and the lower viewpoint is one of the easier places on the Ring Road to watch them at close range. Eider ducks and other seabirds breed here too, which is why the reserve can restrict access in spring. There are two parking lots. The lower one sits beside the viewpoint over the arch and the long beaches on either side, while the upper one, by the Dyrhólaey lighthouse, is reached by a steep and narrow gravel track. The lighthouse dates from 1927, rebuilt on the site of a 1910 original, and the walk between the two areas is roughly 1.3 km each way. Dyrhólaey is about two and a half hours' drive from Reykjavík, reached from Route 1 on Road 218. Allow 45 minutes to an hour, or longer in puffin season. Entry is free, but check the signs for parking payment, and in winter expect the upper track to be icy or closed. The Environment Agency can close parts of the reserve between May 1 and June 25 while birds are nesting, and it sets the dates and hours each year. Kirkjufjara, the beach just below the headland, is closed for good after rockfalls and accidents at sea. Wind at the top can be fierce, so keep well back from the unfenced cliff edges and keep a firm hand on children.

Hvitserkur

Hvitserkur (Hvítserkur) is a basalt sea stack about 15 meters high, just off the eastern shore of the Vatnsnes peninsula in Northwest Iceland. Waves have worn holes through its base, and from the bluff above the beach the rock looks like a stone animal bending down to drink from the sea. Local folklore says it was a troll from the Strandir coast who set out to wreck the church bells at Þingeyrar. He was too slow, the sun came up, and he turned to stone where he stood. Seals often haul out on the sandbanks nearby, and in summer seabirds use the top of the rock, which explains its pale streaks. The stack is on Road 711, the gravel loop around Vatnsnes, roughly 30 km of mostly unpaved driving from the Ring Road. From the small parking lot on the cliff, a short path leads to a viewpoint above the stack. A steeper path continues down to the beach, and at low tide you can walk closer to the base. Check the tide before you go, and take care on the slope when it's wet. There's no entrance fee and the site is open all year, but check the signs at the lot for any parking charge. In winter Road 711 can be icy or snowbound, so look at road conditions first. Allow about an hour for the stop, or half a day if you drive the full Vatnsnes loop with Hvammstangi at the southern end.

Lögberg

Lögberg, the Law Rock, is the spot in Þingvellir National Park where Iceland's Alþingi assembly was addressed from its founding in 930 until it last met there in 1798. Today a flagpole on a ledge above the rift valley marks the site, about 45 minutes' drive northeast of Reykjavík on the Golden Circle. This was the center of the assembly. The lawspeaker stood at Lögberg and recited the law code from memory over his three-year term, and anyone with a case or proposal spoke from here too. The adoption of Christianity around the year 1000 was announced at the Law Rock, and the Republic of Iceland was proclaimed at Þingvellir on June 17, 1944. Nobody knows exactly where the original rock stood, because the ground at Þingvellir has shifted through a thousand years of rifting. Historians have proposed more than one site, and the flagpole on the slope called Hallurinn marks the most widely accepted one. With the wall of Almannagjá behind you and the plain spread out below, the setting still makes sense of why the assembly met here. From the Hakið visitor center, a paved path runs down through Almannagjá and reaches Lögberg in about 10 minutes. Drekkingarhylur and Öxarárfoss are a short walk farther on, so most people fold the Law Rock into an hour or so on foot in the gorge. Visiting Lögberg is free, but parking at Þingvellir costs 1,000 ISK per car, valid for the whole day in lots P1, P2 and P5. Come early or late in the day to miss the midday tour crowds. In winter, expect the path to be icy in places.

Gatklettur

Gatklettur is a basalt arch rock on the coast at Arnarstapi, on the south side of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland, where waves have punched a round hole straight through the sea cliff. The name means roughly "rock with a hole," and it is also called the Hellnar Arch because it sits on the coastal path between Arnarstapi and Hellnar. On a rough day you can watch the Atlantic surge through the gap, which is reason enough to stop. Gatklettur in Arnarstapi is about a 2.5-hour drive from Reykjavík, and from the village parking lot the arch is only a few minutes' walk along the cliff top. The trail starts near the big stone statue of Bárður Snæfellsás, the half-troll guardian of the peninsula from the medieval Bárðar saga. Most visitors take a few photos and head back within half an hour. If you have more time, keep going: the Gatklettur hike continues about 2.5 km along the cliffs to Hellnar, past basalt columns, small coves and more arches, and takes roughly an hour each way with photo stops. The coast between the two villages has been a protected nature reserve since 1979, so stay on the path and leave the rock formations alone. Summer is the busiest season on these ledges. Kittiwakes and fulmars nest on the cliffs, and Arctic terns breed in the grassland behind them, diving at anyone who wanders too close. In winter the arch is still worth the stop, but the path can be icy and the wind strong, so wear shoes with good grip and keep well back from the edge.

Gerðuberg Cliffs

The Gerðuberg cliffs are a long wall of basalt columns on the western edge of the Hnappadalur valley, just off Route 54 at the start of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland. On a road trip into the peninsula they make one of the easiest first stops, and from Route 54 they look like a row of giant pencils stacked along the hillside. Up close the regularity is almost hard to believe. Most columns stand 7 to 14 meters high and 1 to 1.5 meters across, pressed side by side like organ pipes. Unlike the basalt columns at Reynisfjara or Svartifoss, Gerðuberg rarely draws a crowd, and you can walk the whole length of the wall in peace. Gerðuberg sits about 46 km north of Borgarnes, roughly 35 minutes away, and about an hour and three quarters from Reykjavík. A gravel side road of about 1 km leads from Route 54 to a small parking area at the foot of the cliff, and there is no entrance fee. Give it 30 to 45 minutes, or longer if you climb the slope beside the columns for a view across the lava plain toward the coast, staying back from the edge where the rock is loose. The Gerðuberg basalt cliffs are worth a stop in any season: late afternoon light in summer brings out every crack between the columns, while in winter a cap of snow on each column top makes a strong photo, though the gravel road can be icy. Landbrotalaug, a tiny natural hot pot, is only a few minutes away. Ytri-Tunga beach, where seals often haul out, is farther west along Route 54.

Lóndrangar

Lóndrangar are two basalt sea stacks on the south coast of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland, standing about 75 and 61 meters high inside Snæfellsjökull National Park. Seen from the cliff path, the pair of black pillars rising out of the surf is one of the most recognizable sights on the peninsula. The Lóndrangar cliffs are volcanic plugs, the hard cores of a crater that the sea has otherwise worn away, and the neighboring hill of Svalþúfa is thought to be a surviving piece of the old crater rim. The taller stack was reportedly first climbed in 1735, while the smaller one held out until 1938. In Landnámabók, the settler Lón-Einarr meets a troll sitting on the stacks, stamping its feet until the waves rise. From late spring through summer, the stacks and surrounding cliffs fill with nesting seabirds, including kittiwakes, common murres, fulmars and puffins. Early summer is the busiest time on the ledges, and binoculars are worth packing. Most visitors park at the small lot below Svalþúfa, just off Route 574, and reach the viewpoints in about five minutes. You can also start at the national park visitor center at Malarrif and walk east along the coast for about 1 km. Lóndrangar is roughly 2.5 hours' drive from Reykjavík, with Vatnshellir cave, Djúpalónssandur and Hellnar all a few minutes away. There's no fee to see the basalt cliffs, and the viewpoints are open year-round. Allow 30 to 45 minutes. The clifftops are exposed, so keep well back from the edge in strong wind or icy conditions.

Elephant Rock

Elephant Rock is a dark basalt sea cliff on the west side of Heimaey in the Westman Islands, off Iceland's south coast, known locally as Fíllinn. Plenty of people see an Elephant Rock Iceland photo online and assume it is fake, but the shape is entirely natural. From the right angle it looks exactly like an elephant with its trunk dipped into the Atlantic, and even the wrinkled, weathered surface resembles elephant skin. The shape only really works from the sea, which is why most visitors see it on an Elephant Rock Iceland tour by boat from Heimaey harbor. Prices and schedules vary by operator, so book through the operator's official website. From the shore you can still pick out the rock, but the profile is much less convincing. No ferry goes to the rock itself, which catches some people out. To get to Elephant Rock, take the Herjólfur ferry to Heimaey from Landeyjahöfn on the south coast, about two hours' drive from Reykjavík, then join a boat tour from the harbor. In rough weather some sailings move to Þorlákshöfn, a much longer crossing, so check the ferry schedule a day ahead. The boat trip itself is short, but Heimaey is worth at least half a day. Pair it with a climb up Eldfell, the volcano that rose here in 1973, and bring a warm, windproof layer for the water even in July.

Hornstrandir

Hornstrandir is a nature reserve at the northern tip of the Westfjords in Iceland, a roadless peninsula of sheer sea cliffs and long-abandoned farm valleys. For a few weeks each summer, it offers some of the best multi-day hiking in Iceland, with Arctic foxes for company and almost nobody else. The Hornstrandir cliffs are the big draw. Hornbjarg and Hælavíkurbjarg rise straight out of the Greenland Sea and hold huge seabird colonies in early summer, while the valleys between them have been empty since the last farmers left in the mid-20th century. Arctic foxes are protected in the Hornstrandir nature reserve and often come close, so keep at least 40 meters from dens, never feed them and leave them undisturbed. Getting in takes planning, because no road reaches the reserve. Most hikers arrive by boat from Ísafjörður or Bolungarvík to landing points on the western side, or from Norðurfjörður on the Strandir coast to the eastern side, and those services run mainly in summer. Ísafjörður itself is about six hours' drive from Reykjavík, and day trips by boat leave from there if you only want a taste. Rules are strict for a fragile place. Camping is allowed only at designated campsites, which have dry latrines or water toilets, and you have to carry out all your trash. Dogs are banned apart from landowners' dogs on a leash, and drones need a permit. Between March 1 and June 15, and again from September 1 to November 1, every visit must be registered online with the nature conservation authority in advance. Treat hiking Hornstrandir as a real wilderness trip. Mobile coverage is patchy or absent, fog makes trails hard to follow, rivers can rise after rain and snow can linger on high ground into summer. Pack a map, GPS and extra food in case the boat is delayed, leave a travel plan with Iceland's search-and-rescue association, and stop at the Hornstrandir visitor center in Ísafjörður for current route advice.

Arnarstapi

Arnarstapi is a small harbor village on the south coast of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland, set below Mount Stapafell with Snæfellsjökull rising behind it on clear days. The reason to stop is the shoreline just below the houses, where basalt columns, sea arches and rock pools line the Arnarstapi cliffs and kittiwakes nest on the ledges in summer. From Reykjavík the drive takes about two and a half hours via Borgarnes, with the last stretch on Road 574 along the peninsula's southern shore. The cliff edge is only a short walk from the parking lot in the village, so even a quick stop gets you to the best of the coast. A marked coastal path runs southwest from Arnarstapi to the hamlet of Hellnar, across the edge of the Hellnahraun lava field. It takes about 30 minutes each way at a steady pace, though most people go slower because of the arches and rifts along the way, starting with Gatklettur close to the village. The shore between the two villages has been a nature reserve since 1979, so stay on the path and give nesting birds space. Near the shore stands a stone statue of Bárður Snæfellsás, the half-troll guardian of the peninsula from Bárðar saga, made by Ragnar Kjartansson. Down at the small harbor, fishing boats still tie up behind the breakwater. Among the old buildings in the village is the Amtmannshús, a former Danish official's residence that was moved away in 1849 and brought back in the 1980s. Late spring and summer bring the birdlife and long evenings, while midday is when the tour buses arrive, so early morning or evening is quieter. Allow an hour for the cliffs around the village, or about two hours if you walk to Hellnar and back. In winter the path can be icy and the wind strong, so keep well back from the edge.

Dverghamrar

Dverghamrar, the Dwarf Cliffs, are a row of basalt columns beside the Ring Road about 12 km east of Kirkjubæjarklaustur in South Iceland. They stand at the edge of a hayfield right off the highway, which makes them one of the easiest geology stops on the whole south coast drive. The Dverghamrar basalt columns formed when a lava flow cooled and contracted, cracking into regular pillars, some of them up to 1 m across. Above them sits a band of irregular, cube-jointed rock where the lava cooled faster. At the end of the last ice age the sea stood higher than it does now, and waves are thought to have carved the cliffs into the shape you see today. The name comes from folk belief. People in the area long said that dwarves and hidden people lived in these rocks, and one of the two information boards at the parking lot tells those stories while the other explains the geology. Farmers also used the cliffs as a sheep fold until the middle of the 20th century, and the site has been a protected natural monument since 1987. From Kirkjubæjarklaustur the drive takes 10 to 15 minutes on Route 1, and from Vík about 1 hour 15 minutes. The parking lot sits just off the highway, and a short loop path runs through the monument from there. The waterfall Foss á Síðu is just to the west, so you can see both from the same stop. Plan on 15 to 30 minutes, and visit any time of year. Walking is only allowed on the marked paths inside the protected area, so stay off the slopes and the moss. The path is not suitable for wheelchairs.

Hellnar

The Hellnar cliffs line a small cove on the south coast of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland, where a handful of houses, a church and a small café are all that remain of a once-busy fishing station. Snæfellsjökull rises right behind the village, and on a clear day the ice cap fills the whole view inland. Hellnar sits just off Route 574 on the edge of Snæfellsjökull National Park, roughly two and a half hours by car from Reykjavík. The shoreline between here and Arnarstapi has been a protected nature reserve since 1979, because the surf has carved the old lava into arches, fissures and caves. The best of it is at the water's edge. Valasnös, a rock headland, juts into the bay, and inside it is Baðstofa, a sea cave where light reflected off the water throws shifting colors onto the walls. Calm seas and low tide get you closest. Through the summer, seabirds nest on the ledges above the cove, and you'll hear them well before you see them. By local tradition, Hellnar is the birthplace of Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir, who sailed to Vinland around the year 1000 and is said to have given birth to the first European child born in North America. A statue of her stands at Laugarbrekka, just above the village. Most visitors pair the village with the coastal path from Arnarstapi to Hellnar, about 2.5 km each way along the cliff tops past sea stacks and the Gatklettur arch. Plan on an hour one way at an easy pace, longer if you stop for photos. Parking in Hellnar is tight, so many people leave the car in Arnarstapi and walk over and back, a good two to three hours in all. Fjöruhúsið, the café on the beach facing Baðstofa, serves soup and coffee in the warmer months, but its season and hours vary, so don't count on it outside summer. In winter the clifftop path can be icy and very windy, and you should keep well back from the edges.

Hljóðaklettar

Hljóðaklettar is a group of basalt crags in Vesturdalur, in the Jökulsárgljúfur section of Vatnajökull National Park in Northeast Iceland, about 15 km south of Ásbyrgi. The columns here run sideways, curl into rosettes and arch over caves instead of standing in neat rows, and the name means echo rocks, after the way sound bounces between the cliffs. The Hljóðaklettar cliffs are the worn-down plumbing of old volcanoes. They belong to a row of craters about 6 km long that erupted 8,000 to 9,000 years ago. Outburst floods on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum later scoured away the loose cinders and left the magma that had cooled inside the vents, which is why the basalt columns point in every direction. A paved road leads to the parking lot at Langavatnshöfði, just off Route 862 between Dettifoss and Ásbyrgi. From Dettifoss it's about half an hour north, and from Reykjahlíð at Mývatn a little over an hour. The short V2 trail (1.2 km, about 30 minutes) reaches the rock called Tröllið, while the V3 Hljóðaklettar circle runs 3 km and takes 1 to 1.5 hours over uneven ground. On the circle, look for Kirkjan, the church, a domed cave framed by curved columns, and for the honeycomb weathering on the rock faces. With more time, the V4 trail continues 5 km to the red Rauðhólar craters, and the longer canyon trail links Hljóðaklettar with Hólmatungur and Dettifoss to the south. Stay on the marked paths, since the park protects the thin vegetation here. June to September is the time to come, when the trails and the campsite in Vesturdalur are open. Route 862 has limited winter service, so check the official road-conditions map before driving north in the colder months. Most people pair Hljóðaklettar with Ásbyrgi and Dettifoss on a Diamond Circle day.

Kálfshamarsvík

Kálfshamarsvík is a small cove on the Skagi peninsula in North Iceland, about 20 to 25 km north of Skagaströnd, where columnar basalt runs right down into the sea. Some columns stand upright in the low cliffs, while others lie tilted along the shore like a tray of fallen pencils. On calm days you can walk out across their hexagonal tops. Above the columns stands Kálfshamarsviti, a white Art Deco lighthouse built in 1940 that makes the cove easy to spot from the road. It outlived the village that once stood here. In the early 1900s about 100 people lived at Kálfshamarsvík and fished from the cove, but the settlement was deserted by around 1940, and only scattered ruins remain in the grass. The cove is on Road 745, a drive of roughly 25 minutes from Skagaströnd and about four hours from Reykjavík. It isn't an F-road, so any car can make the trip in summer, while snow and ice can slow it down in winter. Check the official road-conditions map before you go, and expect a small parking lot with a picnic table right next to the lighthouse. Plan on 30 minutes to an hour for a walk along the columns and out to the point. The rocks are slippery when wet and waves can surge over the lower ledges, so stay back from the water in rough weather. Few travelers come this far out on Skagi, which means you will often have the place to yourself, especially in the evening light of June and July.

Látrabjarg Cliffs

The Látrabjarg cliffs are a 14-kilometer wall of sea cliffs at the western tip of the Westfjords, marking the westernmost point of Iceland. They rise up to 441 meters above the sea, and in summer their ledges fill with nesting seabirds. Látrabjarg is one of the largest bird cliffs in Europe, home to puffins, razorbills and guillemots. Puffins dig their burrows in the grassy cliff top, so you can often watch them at close range near Bjargtangar lighthouse at the western end. That closeness is the reason people drive this far. The nesting season runs from May 15 to September 15, and early summer is the best time for Látrabjarg puffins. Since March 2021, about 37 square kilometers of land and sea here have been a protected nature reserve. Stay behind the safety barriers, keep to marked paths and use a zoom lens instead of edging closer to the birds or the drop. To get to the Látrabjarg cliffs, turn onto Route 62 near Flókalundur and drive about 40 minutes, then follow Route 612, a narrow gravel road that takes roughly another hour to reach the lighthouse. Patreksfjörður is the nearest town for gas and food, and Rauðisandur beach branches off the same road. In winter the gravel can be slow or impassable, so check the official road-conditions map before you set off. Plan on one to two hours for the cliff-top path that runs east from the lighthouse parking lot. Camping isn't allowed in the reserve and pets are banned during the nesting season, while drones need a permit from the Environment Agency of Iceland.