Vestrahorn Elopement & Wedding

Where

Stokksnes, 20 minutes from Höfn – about 6 hours from Reykjavík

Best for

Elopements and small weddings as part of a south-east road trip

When

All year; sunrise and sunset light, northern lights in the dark months

Good to know

Private land with an entrance fee, paid at the Viking Café

Stokksnes and Vestrahorn

The road to Stokksnes leaves the Ring Road just east of Höfn and ends at the Viking Café, where you pay a small entrance fee per person – the land is private, and the fee covers the beach, the paths and the old Viking village film set. From there, dunes covered in tufts of grass lead down to a long black beach with Vestrahorn towering above it. There is also an active radar station on the peninsula, which matters if you want drone shots, as we keep well clear of it.

The best light is at sunrise and sunset, and the reflections are best around low tide, when a thin layer of water lies on the sand. For a ceremony with guests or any kind of setup, ask the landowner first through the café; your planner can do this for you.

A wedding at Vestrahorn

Anna and John brought about twenty guests to Stokksnes in late September. They exchanged vows under an arch on the dunes with fire pits burning around them, the guests wrapped in blankets, and afterwards everyone gathered for a s’mores picnic by the fire. And that night, the northern lights came out.

Autumn is a wonderful time here: the light is low and golden for much of the day, the summer crowds are gone, and from late September the nights are dark enough for the aurora again.

Múlagljúfur canyon

About an hour west of Höfn, near the Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon, Múlagljúfur is a narrow canyon of green, moss-covered walls with waterfalls dropping into it. There is no sign at the turn-off and no facilities – just a gravel track and a path along the rim. The hike to the main viewpoint is about four kilometres there and back, and to the top of the canyon closer to six, two to three hours in all, with steep drops along the way. It is not a place for winter, but from late spring to autumn it is one of the most beautiful short hikes in the south-east.

Planning a south-east trip

• Distance: Höfn is around six hours from Reykjavík, so the south-east is best as part of a road trip of two or three days – or you can fly to Höfn, which has a small airport with domestic flights.
• Combine: Vestrahorn, Múlagljúfur, Fjallsárlón, Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach are all within about an hour of each other. In winter you can add an ice cave tour.
• Stay: Höfn has several hotels and good restaurants; there are also country hotels between Höfn and Jökulsárlón. Anna and John celebrated with a late lunch at Hótel Jökulsárlón.
• Weather: Stokksnes is exposed and often windy. Fire pits, blankets and hot drinks make a huge difference for guests.

See also my guides to Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach and to ice cave and glacier weddings.