Hvítserkur

Northwest

Hvítserkur is a 15-metre basalt pillar in Húnafjörður bay on the east side of the Vatnsnes peninsula, its silhouette compared to a drinking dragon or elephant depending on the angle. The name means "white shirt" — a reference to the bird guano covering its dark flanks, where fulmars and gulls nest. The rock is thought to be an ancient magma dike left standing after softer surrounding rock eroded away. Concrete reinforcements at the base slow the erosion. The viewpoint sits above a short, steep path to a black sand beach. At low tide you can walk close to the base; at high tide the water rises around the stack and the scene changes considerably. The beach offers better angles than the clifftop, especially near sunset. The drive along Vatnsnes is gravel but manageable without a 4x4, and the peninsula has reliable seal-watching spots at Illugastaðir and Ósar. Hvítserkur is roughly 30 km off the Ring Road — far enough to keep crowds lighter than Ring Road stops, though summer afternoons have grown busier. Allow about 30 minutes, longer if you time a low-tide beach visit.

Book & Explore

The links below are affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — it helps keep this guide free. See our about page for how we keep recommendations independent.