South Coast · Iceland
Reynisfjara
Black-sand beach west of Vík with basalt columns and the Reynisdrangar sea stacks. For the aurora, stay up at the car park and the paths above the beach: the open farmland to the north gives the sky, and Reynisfjall mountain hides the lights of Vík.
See tonight's live score and best time to go for Reynisfjara in Aurora Atlas
Why it works for the aurora
- View
- North over the flat Reynishverfi farmland toward the Mýrdalsjökull foothills; Reynisfjall blocks the east and the sea is to the south..
- 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 81 km by road from the middle of South Coast (estimate), roughly 1 h 33 by car.
- Parking
- Paid car park at the end of Road 215.
- Coordinates
- 63.4043, -19.0452 · Open in OpenStreetMap
Before you go
Sneaker waves here have killed visitors, and at night you cannot see them coming. Stay by the car park and the warning-light sign; never walk down to the waterline in the dark.
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 ferdamalastofa.is.