Lighthouses of East and South Iceland

Northern Austerland (Northeast Coast) Lighthouses

* Kolbeinstangi Date unknown (1940s?). Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); one long (2 s) flash every 10 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 19 m (62 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. The design of the building makes it appear at a distance to have one or more black vertical stripes on each face. Huelse's photo is at right, and the lighthouse is in the upper right corner of an aerial photo of the town and the sharp peninsula on which it is built. Clouds obscure Google's satellite view. This is the leading light for the town of Vopnafjörður, located about 2 km (1.2 mi) northeast of the town. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-064; VIT-209; Admiralty L4716; NGA 18912. Bjarnarey 1944. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 7 m (23 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted yellow, lantern red. A distant aerial photo is available (near the bottom of the page), and Google has a distant satellite view. Note: there is another, better-known Bjarnarey in the Vestmanneyjar off the south coast. Located on Bjarnarey (Bear Island), a small island just off the cape Kollumúli, marking the south side of the entrance to the bay of Vopnafjörður. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-030; VIT-214; Admiralty L4721; NGA 18916. Kögur 1951. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); one long (1.5 s) flash every 15 s. 8 m (26 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. Ingvar Hreinsson has a closeup photo, and Google has a distant satellite view. NGA's listing of the tower height as 59 ft is an error. Located on a cape about 5 km (3 mi) northwest of Bakkagerði. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-109; VIT-215; Admiralty L4722; NGA 18960.

Kolbeinstangi Light; photo copyright Klaus Huelse; used by permission

Glettinganes

1931. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); two long (2 s) white flashes every 30 s. 20 m (66 ft) square concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted yellow, lantern red. No photo available, but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a very prominent cape about 12 km (7.5 mi) east of Bakkagerði. Probably accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-040; VIT-220; Admiralty L4724; NGA 18964.

* Brimnes (3)

1938 (station established 1908). Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); two flashes every 10 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 7 m (23 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted yellow, lantern red. Huelse has a photo, and Google has a distant satellite view. The original, temporary light was replaced by a lantern house imported from Norway in 1914. From June through October, the Smyril Line cruise ship and ferry Norröna passes this lighthouse as it arrives in Seyðisfjörður on its weekly voyages from Denmark. Located on the north side of the entrance to Seyðisfjörður; accessible by 4WD from the town. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-031; VIT-221; Admiralty L4726; NGA 18968.

Dalatangi (1) 1895. Inactive since 1917. Approx. 5 m (17 ft) 1-story stucco-clad stone cottage with a small square lantern at one end. Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. Málfríður Guðmundsdóttir's photo of both Dalatangi lighthouses is at right, and Eygló Haraldsdóttir has a good closeup photo. This is the oldest surviving lighthouse in eastern Iceland. Located about 100 m (110 yd) from the modern lighthouse. Site open, tower closed. Dalatangi (3) Date unknown (station established 1895). Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); white flash every 5 s. 10 m (30 ft) lantern and gallery atop a 1-1/2 story concrete keeper's house. Building painted yellow, lantern red. Málfríður Guðmundsdóttir's photo of both Dalatangi lighthouses is at right, Huelse has a photo, another good photo is available, and Google has a distant satellite view. This is a staffed coast guard station with several additional buildings and communications towers. From June through October, the Smyril Line cruise ship and ferry Norröna passes this lighthouse as it arrives in Seyðisfjörður on its weekly voyages from Denmark. Located on the prominent cape between the Seyðisfjörður and Mjóifjörður. Accessible by road, but it's a long trek by 4WD to reach this site. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-032; VIT-223; Admiralty L4730; NGA 18980. Norðfjörður (Norðfjardar) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 39 m (128 ft); two flashes every 7 s, white or red depending on direction. 8 m (26 ft) square concrete tower with lantern and gallery. The tower is unpainted gray concrete; lantern painted white. Huelse has a photo, another photo is available, and Google has a very distant satellite view. Located on the east side of Neskaupstaður, at the north side of the entrance to the Norðfjörður; the lighthouse is at the extreme end of highway 92. Site status unknown. ARLHS ICE-069; VIT-225; Admiralty L4731; NGA 18988.

Dalatangi Lighthouses, June 2008 Creative Commons photo by Málfríður Guðmundsdóttir

Central Austerland (East Coast) Lighthouses
Seley

1956. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); three flashes every 25 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 14 m (46 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. Hlynur Ársælsson has a distant view, but the island is missing from Google's satellite view. This is Iceland's easternmost lighthouse. Located atop Seley, an island off the entrance to the Reyðarfjörður. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS ICE-022; VIT-227; Admiralty L4733; NGA 19004.

* Gríma 1961. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); white flash every 8 s. 3 m (10 ft) round lantern mounted an a square concrete base. Lantern painted red in Huelse's photo, but NGA now lists it as yellow. The light is too small to be seen in Google's distant satellite view. Located on a bluff on the south side of the Reyðarfjörður. A paved road passes close to the lighthouse, but the photo indicates it may not be readily accessible. Site status unknown. ARLHS ICE-022; VIT-229; Admiralty L4735; NGA 19000. * Vattarnes (2) 1957 (station established 1912). Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); two flashes every 15 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 12 m (39 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted yellow, lantern red. Huelse's photo is at right, Hlynur Ársælsson has a winter 2008 photo, another 2008 photo is available, and Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a prominent cape on the south side of the entrance to the Reyðarfjörður. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-053; VIT-228; Admiralty L4734; NGA 19008. * Hafnarnes (2) 1937 (station established 1912). Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); one long (1.5 s) flash every 20 s. 6.5 m (21 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted yellow, lantern red. Christina Bickel's photo is at right, Huelse has a closeup photo, Klaus Moßbeck has a photo (about 2/3 the way down the page), and Google has a satellite view. Stone ruins next to the present lighthouse are the remains of the 1912 lighthouse. Located on a prominent cape on the south side of the entrance to the Fáskrúðsfjörður. Accessible by road (highway 96). Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-045; VIT-232; Admiralty L4738; NGA 19016. * Landahóll 1953. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); flash every 4 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 8 m (26 ft) square concrete tower with lantern and gallery. The entire lighthouse is painted white, which is unusual for Iceland. Huelse has a photo, a 2009 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a prominent cape on the north side of the entrance to the Stöðvarfjörður, about 3 km (2 mi) east of the town of the same name. Accessible by road; there's also a distant view from the Kambanes lighthouse (next entry) on the other side of the fjord. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-066; VIT-235; Admiralty L4743; NGA 19020. * Kambanes 1922. Active; focal plane 35 m (115 ft); four flashes every 20 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 11 m (36 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted yellow, lantern red. Huelse has a closeup photo, a distant view is available, and Google has a fuzzy satellite view. Located on a promontory 5 km (3 mi) east of Breiðdalsvik. Accessible by road and a short hike down to the tower. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-059; VIT-236; Admiralty L4744; NGA 19024. * Selnes (Breiðdalsvik) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12.5 m (41 ft); flash every 8 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 9 m (30 ft) rectangular cylindrical concrete tower with gallery; the light is shown through a window at the top of the tower. The lighthouse is unpainted gray concrete. Huelse has a photo, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a sharp promontory at the east side of the entrance to the harbor of Breiðdalsvik. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-078; VIT-237; Admiralty L4746; NGA 19028.

Vattarnes Light; photo copyright Klaus Huelse; used by permission Hafnarnes Light, July 2010 Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Christian Bickel

* Streiti (Streitishvar) (2)

1984 (station established 1922). Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); three flashes every 20 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 12 m (39 ft) octagonal cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery. The eight faces of the tower are painted alternately black and white, creating vertical stripes; lantern and gallery painted white. Huelse has a good photo, Óskar Ragnarsson has a distant view, and Google has a distant satellite view. The original lighthouse at this station was demolished in 1958 and replaced by a light on the island of Hlöðu. The present lighthouse was built when the Hlöðu lighthouse was destroyed by a storm in 1984. Located just off highway 1 on a prominent cape about 8 km (5 mi) south of Breiðdalsvik. Accessible from the coastal highway. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-089; VIT-241; Admiralty L4749.2; NGA 19044.

Southern Austerland (Southeast Coast) Lighthouses
* Karlstaðatangi

1922. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); two white flashes every 10 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 8 m (26 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted yellow, lantern red. Huelse has a distant photo, and Google has a very distant satellite view. Located on the north side of the entrance to the Berufjörður, opposite Djúpivogur. Accessible from the coastal highway. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-060; VIT-242; Admiralty L4750; NGA 19052.

* Æðarsteinn

1922. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); flash every 5 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 6 m (20 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted yellow, lantern red. Huelse has a distant photo, and Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a rocky point on the west side of the harbor of Djúpivogur. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-115; VIT-243; Admiralty L4754; NGA 19056.

Ketilfles (Ketilbodafles)

1946. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); three flashes every 15 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 13 m (43 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. Ingvar Hreinsson has a closeup photo, and Google has a distant satellite view. Located on an island about 2 km (1.2 mi) offshore southeast of Djúpivogur and 2.5 km (1.5 mi) west northwest of Papey. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS ICE-061; VIT-249; Admiralty L4760; NGA 19076.

Papey

1922. Active; focal plane 57 m (187 ft); flash every 10 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 8 m (26 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted yellow, lantern red. A closeup photo and a 2009 photo are available, and Google has a distant satellite view. Located at the highest point of Papey, an island about 4 km (2.5 mi) offshore southeast of Djúpivogur. The island is named for the Irish monks (papar) who were living there when the Norse arrived in the ninth century. There have been no permanent inhabitants since 1966, but there are several summer homes on the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-017; VIT-250; Admiralty L4762; NGA 19048.

* Hvalnes 1955. Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); two white flashes every 20 s. 12 m (39 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted yellow, lantern red. A photo is at right, Huelse has a closeup photo, a 2008 closeup is available, and Google has a satellite view. A communications tower stands beside the light. This important lighthouse marks a prominent cape, the Austerhorn, one of two capes that mark the southeastern corner of Iceland. Accessible from the coastal highway IS-1. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-055; VIT-251; Admiralty L4764; NGA 19080. Stokksnes (2) 1946 (station established 1922). Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); three flashes every 30 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 19 m (62 ft) square concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. Huelse has a closeup photo, a distant view is available, and Google has a satellite view. A communications tower stands beside the light. This important lighthouse marks a prominent cape, the Vesterhorn, one of two capes that mark the southeastern corner of Iceland. Possibly accessible by 4WD. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-085; VIT-252; Admiralty L4766; NGA 19084. Hvanney (Höfn) 1922 (heightened in 1938). Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); flash every 5 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 8 m (26 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted yellow, lantern red. Huelse has a distant photo, and Google has a distant satellite view. Hvanney is a barrier island off the southeast coast of Iceland; the lagoon behind the barrier is called the Hornafjörður. Located at the east end of the island, marking the south side of the entrance to the lagoon about 1.5 km (1 mi) south of Höfn. Accessible only by boat, although there is a distant view from the town. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-056; VIT-253; Admiralty L4768; NGA 19088. Hellir 1954. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); three flashes every 15 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 6 m (20 ft) trapezoidal cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with blue trim. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on an island in the Hornafjörður, marking a segment of the channel leading to Höfn. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. VIT-254; Admiralty L4768.4; NGA 19096.

Hvalnes Light, August 2007 anonymous Creative Commons photo

Hrollaugseyjar

1954. Active; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); one long (1.5 s) white flash every 30 s. 16 m (52 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. Sigurbjörn Árnason has a very distant view of the island and lighthouse, but the island is missing from Google's satellite view. Hrollaugseyjar is one of a group of small, rocky islands about 5 km (3 mi) offshore and 25 km (15 mi) southwest of Höfn. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS ICE-010; VIT-262; Admiralty L4770; NGA 19100.

Southeastern Suðurland (Central South Coast) Lighthouses
Ingólfshöfði (2)

1948 (station established 1916). Active; focal plane 79 m (259 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 12.5 m (41 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted yellow, lantern painted red. A fine closeup photo is available, and Google has a distant satellite view. Located on an islet off a prominent cape about 20 km (13 mi) south of Fagurhólsmyri. This is a remote area and there may not be any land access. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-057; VIT-263; Admiralty L4772; NGA 19104.

Skaftárós (2) 1953 (station established 1911). Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); white flash every 3 s. 19.5 m (64 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse painted red. 1-1/2 story keeper's house. Sig Holm has a 2007 photo, and the light is barely visible in a distant Google satellite view. Located at the eastern entrance to the Skaftárós lagoon, in a remote area of the south coast about 70 km (45 mi) east of Vík. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-081; VIT-264; Admiralty L4774; NGA 19108. Skarðsfjara 1959. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); four white flashes, in a long-short-long-short pattern, every 30 s. 22 m (72 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse painted red. 1-story keeper's house. Gunnlauger Hólm Torfason has a 2009 photo, and Google has a distant satellite view. Located at a bend in the coastline about 30 km (20 mi) east of Myrar. This is a remote area and there may not be any land access. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-084; VIT-265; Admiralty L4775; NGA 19112. Alviðruhamrar 1929. Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); three white flashes, in a short-long-short pattern, every 20 s. 20.5 m (68 ft) square concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted yellow, lantern red. Ingvar Hreinsson has a photo showing renovations in progress in 2008, and Google has a distant satellite view. Another Hreinsson photo shows the isolation of this lighthouse. Located on the west side of the Küðafljot, a glacial melt river, about 15 km (9 mi) south of Myrar. This is a remote area and there may not be any public land access. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-027; VIT-266; Admiralty L4776; NGA 19116. * Dyrhólaey (2) 1927 (station established 1910). Active; focal plane 118 m (387 ft); white flash every 10 s. 13 m (43 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, rising from the center of a 1-story keeper's cottage. Lighthouse painted white with red trim, lantern painted red. A photo is at right, Matt Riggott has a 2007 closeup, Huelse has a photo, Tryggvi Gunnarsson has a good 2008 photo, and Google has a distant satellite view. This is the best known lighthouse of southern Iceland. Dyrhólaey ("door hole") is a steep promontory into which the sea has eroded a large arch. The area is a nature preserve and a very popular tourist destination, but it is closed during the bird nesting season in May and June. The lighthouse is on the mainland a short distance northwest of the arch. Accessible by road off the coastal highway about 10 km (6 mi) west of Vík. Site open (except May and June), tower closed. ARLHS ICE-034; VIT-267; Admiralty L4780; NGA 18040.

Dyrhólaey Light, October 2008 anonymous Wikimedia Creative Commons photo

Vestmannaeyjar Lighthouses
Note: The Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands) are a small archipelago a short distance off the south coast. Heimaey is the largest island and the only inhabited island. The permanent population is about 4000. Heimaey is accessible by air from Reykjavík or by a daily ferry from þorlákshöfn.

* Stórhöfði (Heimaey) (2) 1906. Active; focal plane 125 m (410 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 7 m (23 ft) lantern and gallery mounted on the seaward end of a 2-story keeper's house. The house is occupied by Iceland's last full-time light keeper, Oskar Jakob Sigurdsson, who inherited the assignment from his father in 1965. Lighthouse painted white with red trim, lantern painted red. Huelse's photo is at right, and Google has a satellite view. The 100th anniversary of the lighthouse was celebrated in November 2006. Located on the southern tip of Heimaey. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-086; VIT-268; Admiralty L4784; NGA 18044. * Urðir (Urdir, Vestmannaeyjar) (2) 1986 (station established 1925). Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); three flashes every 15 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 7 m (23 ft) lantern and gallery supported by two piles and a concrete stairway. Entire lighthouse painted white. Eydís Eyjólfsdóttir has a closeup photo, and Bruce McAdam has a distant view. The small tower is hard to spot in Google's distant satellite view. Located on the eastern point of Heimaey. Accessible by hiking down from a nearby road. Site open, and visitors can climb the stairs to the gallery. ARLHS ICE-093; VIT-270; Admiralty L4786; NGA 18048. * Heimaey Höfn Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); red flash every 2 s. 6 m (20 ft) skeletal tower mounted atop a 1-story concrete equipment shelter. Lighthouse painted yellow. A 2008 photo and a second photo are available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the east mole of Heimaey harbor. Site open, tower closed. VIT-273; Admiralty L4790; NGA 18060.

Stórhöfði Light; photo copyright Klaus Huelse; used by permission

Faxasker

1950. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white flash every 7 s. 6 m (20 ft) skeletal tower mounted atop a 1-story concrete equipment shelter. Lighthouse painted yellow. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. The light is probably a twin of the Heimaey Höfn light. Located on a small island in the Vestmannaeyjar, about 2 km (1.2 mi) north of Heimaey. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-036; VIT-269; Admiralty L4782; NGA 18068.

Western Suðurland (Southwest Coast) Lighthouses
* Knarrarós

1939. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); one very long (3 s) flash every 30 s. 22 m (72 ft) square cylindrical 2-stage concrete tower with lantern and gallery. The tower is unpainted concrete, but black panels between windows give the tower the appearance of a black vertical stripe on each face; lantern painted black. Huelse's photo appears at the top of this page, Thorir Sigurgeirsson has another photo, Arsaell Oskarsson has a 2008 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a point of land about 5 km (3 mi) east of Stokkseyri. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-012; VIT-279; Admiralty L4804; NGA 18116.

* þorlákshöfn (Thorlákshöfn, Hafnarvik)

1951. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); white flash every 3 s. 8 m (26 ft) 3-story square concrete tower with a lantern in the seaward side of the top floor. The lighthouse is unpainted white concrete. Huelse has a photo, Dominik Kraska has a 2008 photo, Sigurdur Jonsson has a closeup, and Google has a distant satellite view. This modern tower stands at the tip of the peninsula sheltering the harbor of þorlákshöfn (Thorlákshöfn). Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-106; VIT-294; Admiralty L4820; NGA 18132.

* Selvogur (2)

1931 (station established 1919). Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 15 m (49 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted orange, lantern and gallery red. Huelse has a photo, Brynja Hrafnkelsdóttir has a 2008 photo, and Google has a distant satellite view. The first lighthouse was a skeletal tower. The present lighthouse was renovated and repainted in 2008. Located at Selvogur, a village about 25 km (15 mi) west of Thorlákshöfn. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ICE-079; VIT-297; Admiralty L4824; NGA 18136.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

• Hlöðu (1958-1984), near Breiðdalsvik in Austerland.

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Northern Iceland | West: Western Iceland

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key

Posted October 17, 2006. Checked and revised April 25, 2011. Lighthouses: 37. Site copyright 2011 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.