Cliff Viewpoint
Cliff Viewpoint is a landscape in West Iceland, Iceland — about 193 km from Reykjavik and reached by a drive to the trailhead and a short walk in (footwear and weather check). Shoot it year-round, though winter wind, ice, and short daylight rework the shot list, then use the GPS coordinates, parking notes, and nearby waypoints below to fold this stop into a longer photography route.
Overview
A beautiful viewpoint in Arnarstapi village.
As a photography stop, Cliff Viewpoint is a landscape in West Iceland, roughly 193 km from Reykjavik, reached by a drive to the trailhead and a short walk in (footwear and weather check). Plan the shoot year-round, though winter wind, ice, and short daylight rework the shot list. The downloadable Landscape map pins exact GPS coordinates, parking, and nearby waypoints so you can fold it into a wider route instead of hunting for the pull-off on arrival.
Cliff Viewpoint sits inside all 62 landscape viewpoints, alongside the other spots worth routing a day around.
Notes on this location
Compiled from published sources rather than a visit. Sources are listed below.
The cliffs at Arnarstapi on the south side of Snæfellsnes, inside Snæfellsjökull National Park — basalt columns, arches, blowholes and stacks, with the Gatklettur arch on the 2.5 km coastal walk to Hellnar.
- Where
- Arnarstapi, on the southern side of Snæfellsnes, within Snæfellsjökull National Park
- The rock
- Lava cooled into basalt columns, worked by the Atlantic into arches, blowholes, sea caves and stacks
- Gatklettur
- A basalt arch shaped by erosion, described by the source as one of the best photo spots here
- The walk
- A 2.5 km coastal trail connects Arnarstapi and Hellnar, passing the cliffs and lava formations
- Harbour
- A natural harbour, which the source says is what drew settlers; today a small fishing harbour
- Birds
- Kittiwakes, fulmars, gulls and nesting Arctic terns, with puffins occasionally in summer
- The statue
- A stone statue of the saga figure Bárður Snæfellsás stands here. The cited page gives no sculptor and no height, and other summaries supply both
Nesting Arctic terns are the practical detail: they defend a radius and they do it from above, which constrains where you can stand on a cliff path in June and July. The 2.5 km walk means the arch, the columns and the harbour are one continuous subject rather than three stops.
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (64.763, -23.636). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- 21.6 h of daylight in June and the sun barely sets, dipping only 1.9° below the horizon — effectively continuous golden light through the small hours.
- Winter
- December: only 3.9 h of daylight (11:34–15:25), but the sun never climbs above 2° — the entire day is golden hour. Sunrise bears SSE, sunset SSW.
- Aurora
- Aurora-grade darkness Sep–Mar, peaking at 12.9 h a night in December. Not possible Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug — the sky never gets dark enough.
Bar height is daylight hours. Months marked • have enough astronomical darkness for aurora; the rest do not.
Questions & answers
Cliff Viewpoint is a landscape in West Iceland, Iceland, approximately 193 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Landscape map.
The recommended season for Cliff Viewpoint is All. For light, plan around blue hour and the first hour after sunrise; Iceland's long shoulder-season twilight extends usable conditions on either side.
Drive/Hike access. Bring weather-appropriate footwear and check conditions before setting out. The downloadable GPS map puts the waypoint on your phone; your own app routes you to it from wherever you are.
Yes — Cliff Viewpoint can be visited year-round, though winter conditions may require a 4x4 or storm-tolerant plans.