Dyrhólaey - The Arch with the Hole

When you are surfing the south coast of Iceland there are so many places to explore and I know you can't see it all but if you have time I recommend taking the turn to Dyrhólaey.

Dyrhólaey is about 174 km from Reykjavík city or about 2 1/2 hour drive, not so far away from the beautiful little village Vík (the southern most village in Iceland). Dyrhólaey is a small peninsula or promontory but is a former island. The whole area is really interesting and I recommend you spend some time there. I personally could stay there for hours. Simply love this place.
 
When driving on the main road #1 or ring road direction east you take a turn to the right to road 218.  Drive that road to an end but please note you have two options i.e. either drive it all the way or make a right turn up the hill. That is because Dyrhólaey is divided into two parts i.e. the higher and lower part.

When turning right you are able to drive all the way to top which I highly recommend. When coming down again I also recommend you finish road 218 because on the lower part there is a great view and a beautiful beach to explore.

Please also note that during spring/summer time or nesting season Dyrhólaey has limited access. You should check before you leave because it could be different between season. It could be closed somewhere between 1st and 12 of May and then limited access until middle of June. During the nesting season the lower part is open to car traffic but the higher part is then only open to travellers on foot during daytime (09-18).  

The birdlife during summer time is prosperous and there you should be able to see and discover beautiful puffins to name some species. Note to self though that the arctic tern nests there and can be very aggressive while protecting their nests. 

Once you are on top in the higher area of Dyrhólaey you will have a breathtaking view to all directions. To the north you see Mýrdalsjökull glacier, to the east you will see the beautiful black lava seastacks Reynisdrangar and to the west you can view the endless black coastline and then in front of the peninsula there is a huge black arch of lava reaching out into the sea which the peninsula takes its name from.  Dyrhólaey literally means "the hill island with the door hole".  It's 120 m high and you are able to walk the arch or the bridge if you are not afraid of heights. Up there you can also find a spectacular and big "castle shaped" lighthouse.  

In the lower area (which is one of my favourite spots) you can view an extremely cool rock called Arnardrangur "Eagle rock". The rock draws its name from eagles nesting in the rock but they haven't nested there since 1850. 

It's very picturesque with Reynisdrangar and Reynisfjara in the background. When the tide is low you can walk along the black beach to the south and discover little caves and rock formations which is truly beautiful.

Hope you found my information about Dyrhólaey useful and I hope you will be able to go there if you haven't already. Please send me a line if you want to know more about Dyrhólaey.

See also: 

Renting a car to drive there

A night's stay in the lighthouse of Dyrhólaey

Best Attractions by the Ring Road of Iceland

South Coast Tours