Hvalnes Lighthouse
Hvalnes Lighthouse is a lighthouse in South Coast, Iceland — about 499 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
The Hvalnes Lighthouse is in the eastern region of Iceland along Route 1 (the Ring Road) between the cities of Höfn and Djúpivogur.
As a photography stop, Hvalnes Lighthouse is a lighthouse in South Coast, roughly 499 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 Lighthouse 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.
Hvalnes Lighthouse is one waypoint of many — you can load all 13 coastal lighthouse spots before you leave signal.
Notes on this location
Compiled from published sources rather than a visit. Sources are listed below.
A bright orange lighthouse on Route 1 in east Iceland between Höfn and Djúpivogur, with Eystrahorn rising behind it and a black pebble beach running several kilometres along the shore.
- The lighthouse
- Bright orange
- Behind it
- Eystrahorn rises behind the coast; whether the mountain is visible largely decides whether the stop is worth it
- The beach
- Black pebble, stretching several kilometres
- Birds
- Birdwatching is one of the reasons to stay rather than pass through
- Where
- On Route 1 between Höfn and Djúpivogur, east Iceland
- Not in the source
- The page cited gives no height, construction year, building material or protected status for the lighthouse
Orange against black pebble and dark mountain is the entire picture, and it is a colour relationship rather than a shape one — which means flat overcast, usually the enemy, works here because it saturates rather than blows out. The source is blunt that Eystrahorn being visible decides the stop: in low cloud the backdrop disappears and what remains is a small tower on a beach.
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (64.408, -14.543). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- June: sun up 02:21–23:37 (21.3 h). Evening golden hour 21:37–23:37, light coming from the NNW.
- Winter
- December: only 4.1 h of daylight (10:51–14:55), but the sun never climbs above 2.3° — 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
Hvalnes Lighthouse is a lighthouse in South Coast, Iceland, approximately 499 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Lighthouse map.
The recommended season for Hvalnes Lighthouse 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 — Hvalnes Lighthouse can be visited year-round, though winter conditions may require a 4x4 or storm-tolerant plans.