Epic Travel → Europe → Iceland → Southwest Iceland → Reykjanes Lighthouse

Location: Reykjanes Peninsula, Southwest Iceland

Time Required: 10 – 30 minutes

Red Tape/Notes: You can’t tour the lighthouse (that I know of), but you can walk around the base and admire the views

What’s Nearby?: Valahnúkamöl, Gunnuhver, Kleifarvatn, Seltún, Grænavatn, Krýsuvíkurberg, Blue Lagoon, Reykjanes Nature Preserve

The original lighthouse was at nearby Valahnúkur (the cliffs next to Valahnúkamöl), but by 1905 it was at risk of falling into the sea due to earthquakes and high surf. So they demolished it and built the one you can see now on nearby Bæjarfell hill, which was completed in 1929. The lighthouse was manned by a keeper and an assistant until 1999; they probably had mixed feelings about losing their jobs to automation, since storms in the area were regularly so bad they would be trapped in the lighthouse for days on end. I imagine they didn’t miss that aspect of the job. As far as I know, there are no tours of the lighthouse, but you can pull off the road and walk up the hill to its base – it’s only about 100 metres to get up there. If you had the time, you could also hike over from Gunnuhver, which is a 1 km away, or hike up from Valahnúkamöl, 700 meters away.

Epic Travel → Europe → Iceland → Southwest Iceland → Reykjanes Lighthouse