This is one of the must-stop locations when visiting this part of Iceland. Mt. Vestrahorn is one of the most photographed mountains in Iceland, and I have seen some fantastic photos of it.
Top photo: Mt. Vestrahorn
Mt. Vestrahorn
Iurie Belegurschi's photos of Mt. Vestrahorn are ever so beautiful, as is his whole collection of Iceland photos.
He has allowed me to use his photos for my travel blog, and I show his photos here in comparison with my amateur photos ;)
Mt. Vestrahorn is a 454-meter-tall gabbro mountain with granophyre, and at its foot, you will find a Viking village that was a movie set.
Iurie's photo of Vestrahorn
Mt. Vestrahorn isn't the only prominent mountain in this part of Iceland, as there are several other "horns", the best-known of which are Mt. Brunnhorn and Mt. Eystrahorn.
These three mountains are often referred to as the three horny mountains of Iceland.
But there are more mountains here with this name, e.g., Mt. Litlahorn and Mt. Kambhorn.
Mt. Brunnhorn, aka the Batman Mountain
Mt. Brunnhorn is also often referred to as the Batman mountain, as when you are driving on the other side, it looks like a huge Batman sign.
I never tire of taking photos of cars on the road that look like Batman is following them :)
Vestrahorn - Viking café
Vestrahorn Viking Café
We had been driving from Hengifoss waterfall, where we had stayed the previous night, and, as we had stopped at many, many locations along the way, it was getting late when I started looking for a room for the night.
On this trip around Iceland, we were winging it and let fate and the weather forecast decide where we would stay for the next night (not recommended in this area, though, as it is very popular).
Our large room had a sea view, and the bathroom had a mountain view
I found a room available at the Vestrahorn Viking Café, and as I had wanted for the longest time to stay in this location and explore it thoroughly, I jumped at the chance and booked the room.
We were in luck that someone had canceled their reservation, and even though the room was for four people and we were only two traveling together, I decided to splurge a bit.
Our room at the Vestrahorn Viking Café was lovely, spotlessly clean, with a beautiful view.
Our room at the Viking Café
Ómar Antonsson, the owner of Viking Café at Stokksnes, greeted us and offered us some coffee, and even though it was getting late, we had a long chat. The working days are long for the people in the tourist industry.
Ómar then showed us to our room and left us with: "Have fun, kids", which made me burst out in laughter as I was traveling with my father-in-law, just the 2 of us for 10 days around Iceland ;)
It was late and getting dark, so we didn't explore the surroundings that evening. I just ogled longingly out of the windows, waiting for the morning to arrive.
Ómar made waffles for us
The following day, Ómar was up early and offered us some waffles he was baking.
It was his birthday and 50th engagement anniversary, so he was making waffles for all the guests :)
I love family-run businesses where you can sit down and have a chat with the owner and get local knowledge.
Mt. Vestrahorn
Ómar and his family own this land, and you pay ISK 1,000 to visit the Viking movie set and the beach.
If you stay the night at the Viking Café, the entrance fee is included in the room price.
We had such a wonderful stay, and the following day we spent hours at the beach and in the Viking village, and took in the beautiful scenery.
Mt. Vestrahorn from another angle
There are many photo stops for Mt. Vestrahorn, some of which are marked on the map you get at the Viking café, so that you can take the best pictures of the mountain.
I stopped at many places to get photos of Mt. Vestrahorn from different angles.
It didn't make much of a difference on this day, and I couldn't get a decent photo; the light was not right, and the mountains looked somewhat flat in my photos.
Enjoying a walk on Kirkjusandur - the black beach
But we had a wonderful visit and took home some wonderful memories, and that is what matters.
Maybe one day I will get a decent photo of Mt. Vestrahorn.
The ever-so-popular music video Gerua for the Bollywood movie Dilwale was shot in many locations in Iceland, with some beautiful scenes shot here at Mt. Vestrahorn.
While watching it, you can see what a difference the light makes when taking photos here at Mt. Vestrahorn.
The lighthouse at Horn
After photographing Mt. Vestrahorn, we drove further down the road on the Stokksnes peninsula to spot seals, which are very popular here.
During WW2, the British army had a base here at Horn. You will also notice the radar station in a restricted area, now operated by the Icelandic Coast Guard.
The radar station was erected by the American army in 1955 and was in use until 1988.
The Viking village movie set
Exploring the Viking village
Next, we visited the Viking village. The Viking village is a movie set erected in 2009, but the movie was supposed to start shooting in 2010.
It never started, and the Viking village is now a tourist attraction.
Most of the material used for building the Viking village is driftwood from the beach.
The movie-set Viking longhouse
There are all kinds of structures here. Be careful, though, as they are not maintained, to my knowledge, and were a bit dilapidated when I visited back in 2020.
At the movie set, the biggest structure is a majestic replica of a Viking longhouse at the foot of Mt. Vestrahorn. The longhouse is 38 m long, and the ridge is some 7 meters tall.
It is a beautiful filming location for a movie, and finally, in 2021, a TV mini-series was shot here: the Witcher Blood Origin.
The Viking village longhouse
At the Viking village movie-set, you will see a heathen temple, a stable, a brewery, a smithy, a storage room for thralls, and some small cottages (ref. Vikingaþorpið hefur staðið autt í 9 ár).
Those of you who have read my travel blog know that I love Viking stuff and turf houses and have written many travel blogs about the Vikings.
At the Viking village
If you want to know more about Viking stuff in Iceland, I have made a list of Viking museums and Viking activities that I have joined: The Icelandic Vikings - a List of Viking Activities and Viking Museums in Iceland.
It is quite magical visiting the Viking village. The latest addition to Vestrahorn is a Viking ship that you can see on your way to the Viking village.
It is a replica of the late 9th-century Gokstad ship, Norway's most famous Viking ship. The name of the Vestrahorn Viking ship is Drakar.
The movie-set
The white stuff in my photo above covers the old farm Horn. When you walk behind the village, reality kicks in, and then you see the house itself.
Behind and beside the movie set, you will find the ruins of the old turf farm at Horn. It is now abandoned, but people have lived here since Iceland was settled.
This was a good place to live, with fishing in the sea and fjord, eider ducks and seals, and driftwood in abundance.
Parts of the movie set - the abandoned farm at Horn
But accidents have also happened here at sea, like in so many other locations in Iceland, and approximately 200 French sailors lost their lives here on the 3rd of March 1876 when 14 French sailboats perished in the fjord.
Fortunately, 50-60 of the French sailors were rescued.
The farmers at Horn were given a gold medallion for their part in rescuing and providing first aid to the French sailors (ref. Gönguleiðir RÚV).
The ruins of the old turf farm at Horn
The settler Hrollaugur Rögnvaldsson settled in this area of Iceland, but we don't know where exactly his homestead was located. Maybe we will find it one day, buried in the ground.
I have seen photos of the Viking village movie set with the caption "An ancient Viking village in Iceland", but that is not the case; it only dates back to 2009.
We don't have any old Viking villages here in Iceland, but we do have archaeological sites, where you can see the ruins of old Viking structures.
A beautifully carved door at the Viking village
And we have reconstructions such as Þjóðveldisbærinn Saga Age farm in Þjórsárdalur valley and Eiríksstaðir longhouse in West Iceland.
I have written another travel blog about Ancient Ruins and Burial Mounds I have visited on my Travels in Iceland.
We are finding more and more Viking ruins around Iceland, and I add the latest ones to my travel blog when I visit them, so that travel blog is always getting longer and longer.
This Viking greets you at the Viking Café
I wanted to stay another night here at the Viking Café, but they were fully booked, so we explored the village of Höfn and the surrounding area and drove up to the Hoffellsjökull glacier lagoon in glorious weather.
There are so many interesting sights here, and we visited several churches and drove along the levee leading to Skógey island to see a view-dial in Sandhraun in Hornafjörður fjord.
Bjarnaneskirkja church is unusually shaped
My father-in-law is the leading view-dial maker in Iceland, so we always stop by view-dials, of which there are more than 90 in Iceland. The one in Skógey was made by Ragnar Imsland in 1989.
I also stop by all the churches in Iceland, as I have told you in many of my travel blogs.
After a full day of exploring southeast Iceland, we drove back, visited Skútafoss waterfall, and stayed in a small cottage right between Mt. Vestrahorn and Mt. Eystrahorn, with a lovely view of both.
Skútafoss waterfall
We were so much in love with this area, and the weather was so beautiful that we didn't want to leave yet.
Please take your time when you explore this area and stay for a night or two. Also, be on the lookout for reindeer. I have spotted many reindeer in this area.
I have written another travel blog about Skútafoss - the Hidden Waterfall of the Cave in East Iceland, which I think is a must-stop while visiting this area.
A small turf sheep barn from Horn is at the foot of the majestic Mt. Vestrahorn
I have also written a long travel blog about other beautiful locations in East Iceland: East Iceland is dotted with beautiful little Villages and Hidden Secrets, which you might want to read before visiting Iceland.
Have a lovely time in Iceland :)
