South Coast · Iceland
Dyrhólaey
A 120 m headland nature reserve west of Vík with a sea horizon on three sides and Mýrdalsjökull inland; the upper road is steep and parts of the reserve close in the spring nesting season.
See tonight's live score and best time to go for Dyrhólaey in Aurora Atlas
Why it works for the aurora
- View
- South, east and west (open sea); glacier to the north.
- Darkness
- Dark sky, grade 1 on a scale from 0 (darkest) to 5. Little artificial light; a good place for faint aurora and the Milky Way.
- Aurora
- Near the edge of the auroral oval: aurora on most active nights, low in the northern sky on quiet ones.
Getting there
- Distance
- About 84 km by road from the middle of South Coast (estimate), roughly 1 h 37 by car.
- Parking
- Lower car park; upper car park by the lighthouse when the road is open.
- Coordinates
- 63.4048, -19.1071 · Open in OpenStreetMap
Before you go
Cliff edges and extreme wind: stay back from the edge. Parts are closed in the nesting season (mid-May to late June).
Dress for standing still in the cold, bring a head torch with a red light, and park only where parking is allowed. A forecast is guidance, not a promise: check the road and weather warnings for Iceland before a night drive. See our winter safety note.
Spot information from south.is.