Iceland: Arnarstapi Bird Cliffs and Dramatic Lava
September 27, 2016 8 Comments
Mountainous Landscape
Pebbly Beach with Whale Bone and Driftwood
Arnarstapi Bird Cliffs on Old Volcano
Kittiwakes with Newly Hatched Chick
Cliff Walk over Lava Cave
Columnar Lava at Ocean’s Edge
Seaweed Covered Rocks at Low Tide
Guardian Spirit of Mount Snaefell
Mount Stapefell (“Home of Elves”)
Beautiful Home by Harbor with Snaefellsjokull Glacier in Background
Arnarstapi Harbor
Birds Nesting on Rock Offshore
Cafe with Turf Roof
Path through Lava to Djupalonssandur Beach
Siberian Driftwood Log on Beach
Heavy Lifting Stones to Determine Strength
Lifting Stones Descriptive Sign
“Elf Church” Rock Formation Nearby
Longrangar Lighthouse on Coast
The Snaefellsnes Peninsula northwest of Reykjavik is one of our favorite places in Iceland. The landscape is spectacular! Gorgeous mountains and glaciers sit next to beaches where we saw driftwood, polished stones, and even old whale bones washed ashore. In June the Arnarstapi bird cliffs have an amazing amount of nesting activity and cacophony of sound (turn up the volume and listen to video below). Lava flows in some places there are condensed into dramatic pillars and columns. Nearby stands a statue of stone that commemorates the Guardian Spirit of Mount Snaefell. The town sits at the base of Mount Stapefell (known as the “Home of Elves”, composed of pillow lava and green olivine) and in the shadow of Snaefellsjokull Glacier. The Arnarstapi harbor is particularly scenic, and the town café serves the best hot chocolate!
A bit further west is Djupalonssandur Beach, which is famous for its protected black pebbles and remains of a British trawler shipwrecked there in 1948. Iceland has very few trees, so driftwood there floats all the way from Siberia! Four large stones on the beach were used in the past to test the strength of fishermen. If you couldn’t pick up the largest stone, you weren’t allowed on the boat! Just picking up the smallest stone is quite an effort for the average person. Nearby are Longrangar Lighthouse and a lava rock formation known as the “Elf Church”.
About Pam
Nice!
Thanks! It was amazing! And daylight nearly 24 hours per day in June.
Love the one of the white house against the glacier backdrop. All gorgeous photos! Did you qualify to be an oarsman?
That house was one of our favorites too. It was like a fantasy scene. I wish!
These were stunning, Pam!
Thank you! One of our absolute favorite places! We went there two days in a row.
Where can I photograph razorbills up close?
Látrabjarg in the Westfjords is the biggest bird colony in Iceland and the biggest Razorbill colony in the world.