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Vestrahorn Mountain is one of the most photographed locations in Iceland.
Imagine this stunning landscape: the "Batman mountain" with steep slopes reaching a flat lagoon, a black sand beach and small black dunes.
What is Vestrahorn?
Vestrahorn, sometimes called Vesturhorn, is a dramatic spot where vertiginous cliffs meet a flat black sand beach.
Because of its shape from some angles, it is sometimes called Batman Mountain.
plus, a lagoon forms at on the black sand. When there is no wind, you can enjoy magnificent reflections!
It is a magnificent sight, one of the highlights of South Iceland.
Geology of Vestrahorn mountain
Vestrahorn is a 454m (1490ft) high mountain.
It is surrounded by Eystrahorn and Brunnhorn (the 3 little summits stretching into the sea). All of them together are often what is referred to as Vestrahorn, even if technically it is just one summit.
All of them are made of gabbro and granophyre rocks (unstratified). This is quite a contrast with the rest of the island that is mostly basalt and lava rocks. Geologists estimate it to be between 8 and 11 million years old.
Because of its shape and structure, it is extremely difficult to climb.
History of the Stokksnes peninsula
The area was one of the first settlements in Iceland by the people of Ireland and Norway
In the 800, the Vikings settled here
Since the second world war it is a military base and Nato radar station. If you walk to the end of the road you will see the fences.
Best time of the day
When looking at Vestrahorn from the Stokksnes beach, you are facing North.
Therefore it is not ideal for sunrise and sunset. However, you can always have better lighting at those hours...
If you can choose I also recommend visiting between mid to low tide, when the tide is receding.
Vestrahorn and the Northern lights
Vestrahorn is a great locations to capture the Auroras.
Again you are facing North. But for the Northern lights, it is perfect!
There is no light pollution in the area. But be careful when you try to get there, as there is no light...
You just need no cloud over and high activity - Check out the aurora forecast at Vedur.is
Best months
Vestrahorn is magnificent all year long with or without snow.
Viking café and Viking Village Film Set
When arriving at Vestrahorn. There is a café.
This statue is placed in higher ground, guarding the beach and the mountain.
A short walk away from the café is the Viking village film set that can be visited (the admission fee covers both the beach area and the village).
It was created in 2009/2010 for Icelandic film director Baltasar Kormakúr. But the movie was never shot.
But it gives you an idea of what the buildings looked like at that time, as they have been built with attention to details.
Stokksnes beach - Black sand beach + Lagoon + dunes
The Stokksnes black sand beach
The beach just in front of Vestrahorn is made of black sand. And it gets crashing waves from the Atlantic Ocean.
Why is the sand black?
With the volcanic activity in Iceland, the black sand and pebbles are tiny fragments from the basalt lava that covers the area. Discover other options on my article about black sand beaches in Iceland.
okksnes Lagoon (tidal flat)
But the most famous pictures of Vestrahorn are the ones with crazy reflections, and it can look like you are walking on water.
You need a receding tide and no wind.
Like Kirkjufell, Vestrahorn is well photographed (although not as much as it is very isolated in comparison). I really recommend googling pictures of it and you will see that some are incredible with reflections and partial snow.
Vestrahorn and black sand dunes
At this end of the Stokksnes beach there are small dunes formed by the black sand. It makes for a great foreground.
They are not big but are covered with some dense grass is some places. Just be careful not to walk on the grass and disturb the place, otherwise it will not be able to stand against erosion.
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