Vattarnes Sea Cliffs
Vattarnes Sea Cliffs is a landscape in East Iceland, Iceland — about 672 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 Vattarnes fjord peninsula has a fabulous coastline in the Eastfjords of Iceland. The area is divided between Reyðarfjörður and Fáskrúðsfjörður.
As a photography stop, Vattarnes Sea Cliffs is a landscape in East Iceland, roughly 672 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 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.
Vattarnes Sea Cliffs is one waypoint of many — you can load the Iceland landscape photo map before you leave signal.
Notes on this location
Compiled from published sources rather than a visit. Sources are listed below.
A peninsula on the coast between Reyðarfjörður and Fáskrúðsfjörður, carrying a lighthouse since 1912 — the present one built in 1957. The road across it was once the official route between the two towns; a tunnel now carries that traffic.
- Lighthouse
- A lighthouse has stood at Vattarnes since 1912; the present Vattarnesviti was built in 1957
- Where
- The coastline between Reyðarfjörður and Fáskrúðsfjörður
- The road
- Previously part of the official route between the two towns, which now runs through a tunnel
- Skrúður
- An island in Fáskrúðsfjörður, surrounded by high cliffs and, per the source, accessible only to the bold
- Not in the source
- The cited page gives no cliff height and no distance to Skrúður — figures that circulate on listing sites are not from it
A road that lost its traffic to a tunnel is a particular kind of place to photograph: still paved, still maintained, and empty. The two structures — the 1957 lighthouse and the cliff-ringed island offshore — sit on a stretch most people now drive under rather than along.
SourcesVattarnes — Visit Austurland
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (64.924, -13.685). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- 21.8 h of daylight in June and the sun barely sets, dipping only 1.8° below the horizon — effectively continuous golden light through the small hours.
- Winter
- December: only 3.7 h of daylight (10:57–14:42), but the sun never climbs above 1.8° — 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
Vattarnes Sea Cliffs is a landscape in East Iceland, Iceland, approximately 672 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Landscape map.
The recommended season for Vattarnes Sea Cliffs 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 — Vattarnes Sea Cliffs can be visited year-round, though winter conditions may require a 4x4 or storm-tolerant plans.