Fjallabak Nature Reserve
Fjallabak Nature Reserve is a landscape in Westfjords & Remote, Iceland — about 182 km from Reykjavik and reached by a hike from the nearest pull-off (bring weather-appropriate footwear). 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.
Access restriction
Friðlandið að Fjallabaki is one of the protected areas where flying a drone requires a permit.
- a drone flight needs a permit from Náttúruverndarstofnun
- permits are issued only for commercial work — research, monitoring, construction, film, news and professional photography — and never for recreational or educational flying
- commercial permits may be granted only between 15 June and 15 September
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Overview
Fjallabak Nature Reserve ("Friðland að Fjallabaki") is an area in the Icelandic Highlands.
As a photography stop, Fjallabak Nature Reserve is a landscape in Westfjords & Remote, roughly 182 km from Reykjavik, reached by a hike from the nearest pull-off (bring weather-appropriate footwear). 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.
Planning more than one stop? Open the landscape GPS map for Iceland to put Fjallabak Nature Reserve on the same offline layer as everything nearby.
Notes on this location
Compiled from published sources rather than a visit. Sources are listed below.
Landmannalaugar sits inside the reserve, at the northern end of the Laugavegur trail, with geothermal springs that can be bathed in and a lava field from an eruption around 1477.
- On the trail
- The northern end of the Laugavegur hiking route
- Hot springs
- Geothermal springs in the area, open to public bathing
- The lava
- Formed by an eruption around 1477
- Seasons
- Horse riding in summer, cross-country skiing in winter
- Not in the source
- The article consulted says nothing about F-roads, river fording, 4x4 requirements or which months the highland is open — check current road status before relying on any plan
Everything about photographing the highlands turns on whether the roads are open and whether the vehicle can ford, and the published source used here answers neither. That gap is the practical point: this is a location to confirm with the road authority on the day rather than to schedule from a map. The catalog also lists this one as reached on foot, which is consistent with it not being a drive-up.
SourcesLandmannalaugar — Wikipedia
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (63.993, -19.113). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- June: sun up 02:49–23:45 (20.9 h). Evening golden hour 21:51–23:45, light coming from the NNW.
- Winter
- December: only 4.3 h of daylight (11:03–15:21), but the sun never climbs above 2.7° — 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
Fjallabak Nature Reserve is a landscape in Westfjords & Remote, Iceland, approximately 182 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Landscape map.
The recommended season for Fjallabak Nature Reserve 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.
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 — Fjallabak Nature Reserve can be visited year-round, though winter conditions may require a 4x4 or storm-tolerant plans.