Reykjanes · Easy · There and back

Hafnaberg sea cliffs

An almost level walk across the lava heath from road 425 to the sheer sea cliffs of Hafnaberg, where seabirds nest in summer, and back.

Distance
5.4 km (3.4 mi)
Ascent
38 m
Time
About 1 h 30 min
High point
40 m
Grade
Easy

Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.

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Hafnaberg sea cliffs
Steinninn · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The walk

From the small car park on road 425, about 4 km south of Hafnir, follow the marked path west across the flat, sandy lava heath for about 2.5 km to the top of the cliffs. Turn right along the edge for a couple of hundred metres to the viewpoint over the bird ledges, then return the same way. Fulmars and kittiwakes nest here in spring and summer; by October most have gone out to sea.

It is 5.4 km there and back with 38 m of ascent; allow about 1½ hours. The grade is Easy: a level path over open heath.

The cliff edges are unstable and undercut, with no fence: keep well back, above all in wind. The heath is open, with no shelter. Hafnaberg is one of the sites of the Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark. Nothing on this walk is closed, but the Met Office expects a new eruption on the Sundhnúkur crater row, 14 to 16 km to the east, and roads on the peninsula can be shut at short notice: check safetravel.is on the day.

The car park is free. Road 425 is paved and reached from Reykjanesbraut by road 44 through Hafnir, without passing near Grindavík; in winter it is cleared only on set days. There is no bus.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.

Good to know

  • Hafnaberg is a long line of sheer lava sea cliffs south of the old fishing village of Hafnir, a site of the Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark
  • Fulmars and kittiwakes nest on the ledges in spring and summer; by October most have gone to sea
  • The path crosses open, sandy lava heath with views along the coast towards the Reykjanes tip
  • The car park is on road 425, about 4 km south of Hafnir

Getting there

Start: Hafnaberg car park on road 425. 63.88387, -22.69182

Directions to the start

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Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.