Stafsnes
Stafsnes is a landscape in South Coast, Iceland — about 152 km from Reykjavik and reached by a ferry crossing followed by a short hike from the harbor. 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
A scenic spot in Heimaey island in the southern part of Iceland. The ferry is available from Landeyjahöfn.
As a photography stop, Stafsnes is a landscape in South Coast, roughly 152 km from Reykjavik, reached by a ferry crossing followed by a short hike from the harbor. Plan the shoot during the summer window, when light, road status, and crowd levels line up for photography. 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.
Stafsnes sits inside the landscape GPS map for Iceland, 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.
The most populous fishing outfit on Reykjanes through the 17th and 18th centuries, worked by royal fishing outfits from the mid-16th century until 1769. The 8 m concrete Stafnesviti, painted yellow, was built in 1925 between Sandgerði and Hafnir.
- Royal fishing
- Royal fishing outfits operated from about the middle of the 16th century until they were abolished in 1769
- Scale
- Through the 17th and 18th centuries the most populous fishing outfit on the Reykjanes peninsula
- Lighthouse
- Stafnesviti, built 1925 — concrete, 8 m, painted yellow, between Sandgerði and Hafnir
- The wreck
- In 1928 the trawler President Jón ran aground here; 15 of the crew drowned and 10 were rescued. Wrecks like it led to the founding of the Life Saving Association of Iceland
- Not this place
- The 1881 grounding of the American ship Jamestown is often attached to Stafnes in summaries. The cited page does not mention it; that wreck was at Hafnir
A yellow 8 m tower is small enough that the coast has to do the work, and this coast earned a national lifeboat service. Shooting it as a lone marker on an empty shore misses what the source is actually about — the subject is the water it stands against.
SourcesStafnes — Visit Reykjanes
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (63.444, -20.311). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- June: sun up 03:06–23:37 (20.5 h). Evening golden hour 21:52–23:37, light coming from the NNW.
- Winter
- December: only 4.6 h of daylight (10:59–15:34), but the sun never climbs above 3.3° — the entire day is golden hour. Sunrise bears SSE, sunset SSW.
- Aurora
- Aurora-grade darkness Sep–Mar, peaking at 12.8 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
Stafsnes is a landscape in South Coast, Iceland, approximately 152 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Landscape map.
The recommended season for Stafsnes 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.
Ferry/Hike access. The crossing decides the day: check the boat schedule and the forecast before committing, since a cancelled sailing cannot be worked around. Expect a walk from the landing, so bring weather-appropriate footwear. The downloadable GPS map puts the waypoint on your phone; your own app routes you to it from wherever you are.
Stafsnes is best visited during Summer. Outside that window, expect limited access, weather closures, or significantly different photographic conditions.