Hraunhafnartangi
Hraunhafnartangi
If you like nature-filled tundra, visit Hraunhafnartangi, near the tip of Melrakkaslétta peninsula. In the breeding season, birds throng the air and nest among the many small ponds. Sited just off road 870, a mere 3km south the Arctic Circle, Hraunhafnartangi and nearby Rifstangi compete for the title of Iceland’s most northerly point.
The square-sided lighthouse is worth visiting. To get there, park by the road and take the path that follows the bay’s shoreline. According to folklore, the cairn beside the lighthouse is the final resting place of warrior Þorgeir Hávarsson, whom the lighthouse is named after. To defend this area, Þorgeir slew fourteen men, sending them swords in hand to Valhalla (the Great Hall of the Slain).