Dyrhólaey stands spectacularly as the southern most point of mainland Iceland. It is a small peninsula which rises to a height of 120 metres and it was formally an island. It has been a natural reserve since 1978. One of the most dramatic features at Dyrhólaey is a natural archway. Dyrhólaey literally means “the hill island with the door hole”, which makes reference to the arch. In 1993 a daredevil pilot successfully flew a plane through the archway. The plane was carrying one other passenger and both men had been trying to achieve this stunt for many years! They ended up flying through three times that day… the daredevils were just showing off!
The tall black cliffs of Dyrhólaey have featured in several films and TV programmes, most notably they were used to represent Eastwatch-by the sea in season 7 of Game of Thrones.
To the north of Dyrhólaey you can see the creeping glacier known as the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. This huge glacier covers and caps one of the most powerful, explosive and notorious volcanoes in all of Iceland…Katla. An eruption from Katla is long overdue and according to scientists it is merely a matter of time before Katla erupts again! Towns like Vík, which lie in the danger zone, have plans in place so that in the event of an eruption, everyone meets at Vík’s church (Vikurkirkja)!
To the east you can see the beautiful black lava columns of the Reynisdrangar and the black sand beach of Reynisfjara. Reynisfjara was voted by National Geographic as one of the top 10 non-tropical beaches on the planet but if you plan to visit, watch out for the sneaker waves! As there is no land between Reynisfjara and Antarctica, the waves have thousands of miles to build up power. To the west you can see the picturesque black coastline which heads off into the horizon.
There has been a lighthouse atop Dyrhólaey since 1910. The first lighthouse was constructed of steel and made in Sweden. It was replaced with the lighthouse that we see today in 1927. The Dyrhólaey lighthouse has the most powerful light in Iceland. The lighthouse sends beams of light out every ten seconds which makes it highly visible from the land, air and sea.
Dyrhólaey is a haven for birdlife, the most famous of which being the Atlantic puffin! Iceland’s favourite bird can be found nesting in the cliffs from May – September.
Atlantic puffins spend most of their time out at sea and they only come to land during the summer months to mate and raise their young (pufflings). These adorable birds have one partner for life and they have a very cute Icelandic name… Lundi!
During our honeymoon in July 2022 we stood for hours in the pouring rain watching puffins flying out to sea and returning with beaks full of fish for their hungry young. It truly was a magical experience to watch puffins whizzing through the air all around us and to see them interacting with each other on the cliffs too.
The two best places to see puffins at Dyrhólaey are just past the lighthouse and on the cliffs near the lower Reynisfjara Viewpoint.
When considering where to place my virtual, I couldn’t think of anywhere more deserving than Dyrhólaey. It is a naturally beautiful place with stunning views on all sides and it’s a haven for wildlife too.
Requirements to Log this Cache:
To claim a find on this virtual please:
1. Upload a picture of yourself or your GPSr, as well as something to show the date of your visit (for example a piece of paper, your phone screen, a diary or get creative!)
2. The photo must include EITHER the lighthouse OR the archway in the background (please see example photos below).
Maybe you will upload a picture of both! I would also love to see any puffin photos that you manage to take whilst visiting Dyrhólaey.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.