Arnarstapi

Light Pollution

Low light pollution — excellent dark-sky location

Getting There

A · Drive-up — park and you are there

Safety

Coastal village under Stapafell on Route 574, with basalt columns and a cliff path towards Hellnar. The cliff edges are undercut and unfenced — stay on the marked path and well back from the rim after dark.

Parking

Paid car park in the village. The harbour and the low ground west of it give an open sea horizon.

Nearby Viewing Spots

Guided Northern Lights Tours near Arnarstapi

Arnarstapi is about 106 km from Reykjavík, which is the outer edge of what a single evening allows. The longer tours reach this far; the standard three-hour departures do not. Tours never commit to a named destination in any case — the guide chooses it on the night from where the cloud actually is.

All 28 northern lights tours from Reykjavík — compared on group size, hotel pickup and what happens if the aurora does not show.

Small-group tours — A minibus can re-route to a break in the cloud that a full-size coach cannot reach — the difference that matters most on a marginal night.

Where to Stay Near Arnarstapi

Staying within a short drive means you can wait out the cloud and step outside when the forecast turns, rather than committing to a two-hour drive on a maybe.

Find places to stay near Arnarstapi

We earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which spots we recommend or how they are scored.

Plan Your Visit

Check current conditions on our Tonight page before heading out. Cloud cover and geomagnetic activity can change rapidly — the app updates scores every 5 minutes so you always have the latest data.

Learn more about the best time to see the northern lights and how to read aurora forecasts.