Black beaches are a beautiful phenomenon but they aren’t all made of sand. The beach by Reykjanes Lighthouse offers rough but stunning nature. A place where you truly feel the energy from the ocean in a beautiful setting. A shore line with no sand, just amazing pure black lava cliffs and rocks. A must stop when travelling around Reykjanes Peninsula.
Reykjanes Peninsula is an overlooked gem
I never get tired of telling people that Reykjanes Peninsula is an overlooked gem. Which is kind of funny, as the vast majority of all visitors that come to Iceland, do actually drive through the area. They arrive and leave the country via Keflavík Airport which is located on Reykjanes Peninsula. Many of them also visit the Blue Lagoon which also is located on the peninsula. So they do stop by. But that’s it. They just drive through and miss all the other good stuff.
Reykjanes Peninsula’s nature is very rough. You’ll find very little greenery in this area. Sometimes it even feels more like you’re on the moon rather than planet earth. Lava dominates the landscape. Totally black in some places and covered with thick moss in others.
This doesn’t mean the nature on Reykjanes Peninsula isn’t beautiful. Because it really is. It’s rough, yes, but in a magnificent way. To name a few, there are the beautifully coloured mountain sides in Seltún Geothermal Area. Lake Kleifarvatn surrounded by stunning rock formations and mountains. Endless lava fields covered with thick moss. Powerful geothermal energy at Gunnuhver and gorgeous black lava beaches like the one by Reykjanes Lighthouse and Brimketill. All places worth visiting for sure.
Lava Sculptures on a Beautiful Beach
I love these kinds of beaches like the one by Reykjanes Lighthouse. There is something about the combination of the powerful ocean and the magnificent black lava cliffs and rocks. A shore line with no sand, only spectacular pure black lava.
Small but beautiful sea stacks stand on the shore line and really add to the view. Given the ocean is calm, you can climb down and see them up close. At low tide that is. Some colourful seaweeds also come to light on the rocks closest to the sea at low tide. Another beautiful detail that adds to the stunning overall picture at this beach.
In addition there is a small cave down by the sea stacks which you can access at low tide. Just bear in mind it’s always a bit of a risk to enter a cave like this. There is always some danger of a rockfall.
Reykjanes Lighthouse damaged in an earthquake
Last spring, I was at this beach. I was sitting on the edge of the cliff above the sea stacks and admiring the view. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous sitting there so close to the edge. Usually I wouldn’t have given it a second thought but I think I had a pretty good reason to be nervous.
In the months before I was there, there had been unusually many strong earthquakes in the area. And the thought of an earthquake to occur exactly when I sat on the edge was not especially desirable!
Reykjanes Peninsula is located on the Mid Atlantic Ridge. That means the earth there is slowly tearing apart and earthquakes therefore quite common.
One of those earthquakes destroyed the first Reykjanes Lighthouse. The first ever lighthouse built in Iceland. It was located on a cliff called Valahnúkur which is the highest point above the sea stacks. This was in the late 1800s. A new lighthouse was then built in the current location.
Add a little hike to your visit to Reykjanes Lighthouse
In a mood for a little more exploring? Then you can do a short hike and explore some more in the area. You can for an example take a walk to the south of Reykjanes Lighthouse.
On the other side of the cliffs, you’ll see a high boulder ridge composed of rounded stones. This ridge has been created by powerful storms, high waves and surf. Pretty cool and totally different from the shore line on the other side of the cliffs.
After checking out the ridge, you walk away from the sea to find the trail that leads you to another lighthouse and some more lava cliffs. Start with following some trail markers. Then you end up on an old road which you follow the rest of the way. You can see this trail on the map here above. The start and end points are marked with red arrows.
You can see the whole map of Reykjanes Peninsula here
The other lighthouse is orange (so sorry I forgot to take a picture of it!) and the cliffs there are also gorgeous. Especially if you go there at low tide. Then you’ll see red, yellow and green colours in the black cliffs down by the sea. Both in the cliffs/rocks themselves and the colourful seaweeds that are laying all around.
Here you’ll also find a beautiful stone arch in the sea. I’m not sure how visible it is at high tide. But at low tide it looks really cool like you can see on the picture here down below.
When you’ve explored the area, you walk the same way back to your car by Reykjanes Lighthouse.
A Must Stop when Driving around Reykjanes Peninsula
This walk or little hike isn’t a must when visiting Reykjanes Lighthouse beach. Even so, I thought it was a nice addition to my visit. Especially as the weather was calm. Loved the colourful cliffs and seaweeds.
If you don’t feel like taking a longer walk, a walk just around the area closest to the lighthouse is a great stop on your drive around Reykjanes Peninsula.
Enjoy the ocean view from different locations. From the edge by the parking lot, from the cliff above the sea stacks, from the shore line or the boulder ridge on the other side of the cliffs. Take some photos and just feel and enjoy the energy from the ocean. What’s not to love?
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Until next time!
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