East Iceland · Iceland

Stokksnes / Vestrahorn

Black-sand spit east of Höfn below the Vestrahorn peaks, where tidal pools can mirror the aurora at low tide; the land is private and a fee is paid at the Viking Café.

See tonight's live score and best time to go for Stokksnes / Vestrahorn in Aurora Atlas

Snowy Dunes at Vestrahorn - Iceland
“Snowy Dunes at Vestrahorn - Iceland” by Eric Kilby, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).

Why it works for the aurora

View
North (Vestrahorn) and open sea south.
Darkness
Very dark sky, grade 0 on a scale from 0 (darkest) to 5. No towns or road lights nearby; the faintest aurora shows.
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 146 km by road from the middle of East Iceland (estimate), roughly 2 h 47 by car.
Parking
Car park at the Viking Café (fee).
Coordinates
64.2470, -14.9650 · Open in OpenStreetMap

Before you go

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 east.is.