Nature Reserve Flatey
Nature Reserve Flatey is a landscape in West Iceland, Iceland — about 209 km from Reykjavik and reached by a ferry crossing scheduled around the weather window. The eastern part of the island, and a group of islets south of it, form a 1.62 km² nature reserve, closed to all traffic from 15 April to 15 July. Shoot it in late July and August — the closure lifts on 15 July while the puffins are still ashore, and the village end of the island is open all year, then use the GPS coordinates, parking notes, and nearby waypoints below to fold this stop into a longer photography route.
Access restriction
The eastern part of the island, and a group of islets south of it, form a 1.62 km² nature reserve, closed to all traffic from 15 April to 15 July.
- drones need a permit from Umhverfisstofnun
- landing from the sea is prohibited inside the reserve
- camping and overnight stays are prohibited
Best window: late July and August — the closure lifts on 15 July while the puffins are still ashore, and the village end of the island is open all year.
Overview
The largest island in Breiðafjörður, with a restored village of traditionally painted houses. The eastern part of the island is a nature reserve: all traffic is prohibited from 15 April to 15 July, and drones need a permit.
Planning more than one stop? Open the Iceland landscape photo map to put Nature Reserve Flatey on the same offline layer as everything nearby.
Notes on this location
Compiled from published sources rather than a visit. Sources are listed below.
A flat island in Breiðafjörður with an old village of restored, traditionally painted houses. The eastern part of the island, and a group of islets south of it, form a 1.62 km² nature reserve that is closed to all traffic from 15 April to 15 July — the first three months of the puffin season.
- Closed 15 April – 15 July
- Article 6 of the declaration: “Öll umferð um friðlandið er óheimil á tímabilinu frá 15. apríl – 15. júlí.” All movement through the reserve is prohibited across that period, and Umhverfisstofnun may close it at other times as well
- Drones need a permit
- Flying unmanned aircraft inside the reserve requires permission from Umhverfisstofnun, except for heritage inspection, public-interest, search or rescue flights
- No landing from the sea
- “Öll landtaka frá sjó er óheimil innan friðlandsins” — arriving by boat into the reserve is not allowed. Overnight stay, camping and fires are also prohibited
- Where the boundary runs
- The reserve covers Flatey east of a line drawn across the island from Lundaberg to the Klausturhólar property boundary, plus Akurey, Langey, Hádegishólmi, Geirhólmi, Kerlingarhólmi, Máfeyjar, Flathólmi and Lágmúli to the south. Lundaberg — the puffin rock — is the boundary’s own landmark, so the birds and the closure are in the same place. Outside the closed season visitors must keep to marked paths
- Designation
- Friðland, first declared 1975 (nr. 395/1975), renewed and roughly doubled to 1.62 km² by nr. 955/2021
- Why it is protected
- Breeding birds that are nationally rare, red-listed or Icelandic responsibility species — þórshani (red-necked phalarope), kría (arctic tern) and lundi (puffin) — plus extensive eider nesting, large tidal flats and limited predator access
- Size of the island
- About 2 km long and 1 km wide, mostly flat with few hills
- Population
- As few as six in winter; second-home owners and visitors in summer
- The village
- Restored, traditionally painted houses of the original inhabitants, and a working harbour — outside the reserve boundary
- History
- A monastery founded in 1172 once stood on the highest point; nothing of it remains
- Also here
- Iceland’s oldest and smallest library, established 1864
Plan this one around the calendar before the light. The reserve is shut from 15 April to 15 July, which removes most of the puffin season, and drones need a permit at any time of year — so the obvious shot here is also the regulated one. From 15 July the birds are still ashore and the closure has lifted, which makes the second half of July the window rather than a compromise. The village end of the island is outside the reserve and open year round; flat ground and painted houses make it a subject of colour and horizon rather than relief, which works in flat light that would ruin a mountain. The ferry timetable is still the shoot plan — miss it and the alternative is a night there.
SourcesAuglýsing nr. 955/2021 um friðland í Flatey á Breiðafirði — Stjórnartíðindi, Flatey á Breiðafirði — friðland (nattura.is), Flatey, Breiðafjörður — Wikipedia
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (65.372, -22.912). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- 22.4 h of daylight in June and the sun barely sets, dipping only 1.3° below the horizon — effectively continuous golden light through the small hours.
- Winter
- December: only 3.4 h of daylight (11:44–15:10), but the sun never climbs above 1.3° — the entire day is golden hour. Sunrise bears SSE, sunset SSW.
- Aurora
- Aurora-grade darkness Sep–Mar, peaking at 13 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
Nature Reserve Flatey is a landscape in West Iceland, Iceland, approximately 209 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Landscape map.
Plan for late July and August — the closure lifts on 15 July while the puffins are still ashore, and the village end of the island is open all year. The eastern part of the island, and a group of islets south of it, form a 1.62 km² nature reserve, closed to all traffic from 15 April to 15 July (Auglýsing nr. 955/2021 um friðland í Flatey á Breiðafirði), so most of the summer season is not available. For light, plan around blue hour and the first hour after sunrise.
Ferry access. You arrive by boat, so the timetable and the weather decide the day rather than road conditions. Check the sailing schedule before committing, and note when the last return leaves. The downloadable GPS map puts the waypoint on your phone; your own app routes you to it from wherever you are.
No. The eastern part of the island, and a group of islets south of it, form a 1.62 km² nature reserve, closed to all traffic from 15 April to 15 July under Auglýsing nr. 955/2021 um friðland í Flatey á Breiðafirði, and drones need a permit from Umhverfisstofnun; landing from the sea is prohibited inside the reserve; camping and overnight stays are prohibited. Plan for late July and August — the closure lifts on 15 July while the puffins are still ashore, and the village end of the island is open all year.