Dverghamrar
Dverghamrar is a landscape in South Coast, Iceland — about 270 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
Dverghamrar (Dwarf Rocks), just east of Foss, are peculiar and beautiful formations of columnar basalt located in the southern region of Iceland.
As a photography stop, Dverghamrar is a landscape in South Coast, roughly 270 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.
Dverghamrar is one waypoint of many — you can load all 62 landscape viewpoints before you leave signal.
Notes on this location
Compiled from published sources rather than a visit. Sources are listed below.
Columnar basalt off the Ring Road at Kirkjubæjarklaustur — vertical hexagonal columns of varying height below, irregular above. The Síða waterfall is visible from the cliffs.
- The rock
- Vertical hexagonal columns of varying height; hexagonal at the base, irregular in the upper part
- How it formed
- A lava flow cooled into columns, with layers of solidified lava and volcanic ash around it; the formation likely began during the Ice Age
- Where
- Off the Ring Road at Kirkjubæjarklaustur, southern Iceland
- Also in view
- The Síða waterfall can be seen from the cliffs
- The story
- In 1904 a girl herding sheep reported hearing the hymn "Faðir á himna hæð" sung from the cliffs; finding nobody there, locals held that the dwarfs in the rock had sung it — of the race of the high elves
Two kinds of jointing in one outcrop — regular hexagons low down, irregular above — means a single frame can show the transition, which is unusual and more interesting than another wall of even columns. Being visible from the Ring Road also makes this a five-minute stop rather than a detour, and the Síða waterfall in the same view gives the frame a background most column formations do not have.
SourcesDverghamrar — Wikipedia
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (63.849, -17.861). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- June: sun up 02:48–23:36 (20.8 h). Evening golden hour 21:45–23:36, light coming from the NNW.
- Winter
- December: only 4.4 h of daylight (10:55–15:18), but the sun never climbs above 2.9° — 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
Dverghamrar is a landscape in South Coast, Iceland, approximately 270 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Landscape map.
The recommended season for Dverghamrar 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 — Dverghamrar can be visited year-round, though winter conditions may require a 4x4 or storm-tolerant plans.