Nature
Hraunhafnartangi Lighthouse
Hraunhafnartangaviti
Region: North IcelandCoordinates: 66.5360° N, 16.0253° W
Hraunhafnartangi is a low, exposed spit on the Melrakkaslétta peninsula in northeast Iceland, marked by a square red-capped concrete lighthouse standing about 19 m tall. It lies only around 800 m south of the Arctic Circle, roughly 10 km northwest of Raufarhöfn, with wide views over the Arctic Ocean.
Plan the stop
- Who it suits
- All ages
- All ages; a flat, exposed coastal walk to the point, best with wind protection and sturdy footwear.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair · None
- The point is reached over rough, exposed coastal ground with no built path.
- Limited mobility · Limited
- A flat but uneven walk over gravel and grass to the lighthouse.
- Sensory · Partial
- A very open, often windy coastal site with sea sounds and wide horizons.
- Cognitive · Full
- An open natural point; the lighthouse is an obvious landmark to walk toward.
Why it matters
Long believed to be the northernmost point of the Icelandic mainland, Hraunhafnartangi was found in 2016 to be the second northernmost, narrowly behind the nearby Rifstangi spit. The lighthouse, moved here from Rifstangi in 1945, is the northernmost in Iceland, and a mound near the point is traditionally said to be the grave of the saga figure Þorgeir Hávarsson.