Rauðisandur Beach
Rauðisandur Beach is a landscape in Westfjords & Remote, Iceland — about 397 km from Reykjavik and reached by a straightforward drive from the nearest highway turnoff. Shoot it during the summer window, when light, road status, and crowd levels line up for photography, then use the GPS coordinates, parking notes, and nearby waypoints below to fold this stop into a longer photography route.
Overview
Rauðisandur (Red Beach) is a 10 kilometer stretch of a beach on the southern coast of the Westfjords (Vestfirðir) in Iceland. And, yes, the sand is red, at least in certain conditions.
Rauðisandur Beach sits inside the Iceland landscape photo map, 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.
Ten kilometres of shell sand on the southern edge of the Westfjords, its amber and copper colour coming from crushed scallop shells rather than lava. Reached on gravel Road 614, and effectively a summer location.
- Why it is not black
- Crushed scallop shells, shimmering amber, copper and soft pink
- Length
- About 10 km
- Where
- The southern edge of the Westfjords, with the Látrabjarg cliffs just to the east
- The road
- Gravel Road 614, the last section steep switchbacks and narrow curves; a 4x4 is recommended, though a sturdy 2WD may do in summer
- Season
- Accessible June to August, when the road is open and the weather steadier
- At low tide
- The shoreline expands into shallow pools and reflective flats
- Seals
- Frequently seen along the shore
The reflective flats at low tide are the picture — ten kilometres of wet shell sand mirroring the sky is a different subject from the same beach at high water, so the tide decides the shoot more than the light does. Pairing with Látrabjarg just east makes one drive serve two locations, which matters on roads this slow.
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (65.475, -23.992). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- 22.6 h of daylight in June and the sun barely sets, dipping only 1.2° below the horizon — effectively continuous golden light through the small hours.
- Winter
- December: only 3.4 h of daylight (11:50–15:12), but the sun never climbs above 1.2° — 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
Rauðisandur Beach is a landscape in Westfjords & Remote, Iceland, approximately 397 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Landscape map.
The recommended season for Rauðisandur Beach is Summer. 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 access. A standard rental car works in most seasons; check road status in winter before committing. The downloadable GPS map puts the waypoint on your phone; your own app routes you to it from wherever you are.
Rauðisandur Beach is best visited during Summer. Outside that window, expect limited access, weather closures, or significantly different photographic conditions.