ICELAND: Visiting a Viking Village

This Viking Village was created for a film, which was never made. You can find it near Vestrahorn - or Batman Mountain - in Hofn (East Iceland). You can access this village after paying a small fee at the Viking Cafe, which also grants you access to the nearby black sand beach. 

This village was clearly created with attention to detail, and at our visit (2016) was still in excellent shape! It almost looks lost in time. Its an interesting stop along the way and worth the walk if these types of sites interest you at all. It's small, but you are free to explore it as you wish. As far as we are aware, it still sits there waiting to be utilized for a different film. 

This is part of a series of posts about our trip to Iceland.

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ICELAND: Batman Mountain (Vestrahorn)

Vestrahorn, aka Batman Mountain, is an iconic feature in east Iceland near the Hvalnes peninsula. Vestrahorn is named for it's sharp, high peaks, which form horn-like shapes - the word translates to mean Western Horn. This monumental mountain is located on a stunning black sand beach (Stokksnes), which includes many dunes. While the dunes make for a great spot to view the mountain or take a photo, use caution when walking near them as the grass protects the beach from erosion. For many reasons, this has become one of Iceland's most popular mountains. 

There is a small fee to pay in order to access the beach, and a small dirt road that leads you there. The nearest stop is a small cafe, called the Viking Cafe. We stopped there for coffee and info before heading down to the mountain. Nearby there is also a Viking Village, of which access is included in the small fee. 

The black sand beaches when wet can form a mirror effect on calm days, which makes for stunning photos! I would advise bringing a wide angle lens for capturing the full landscape. Otherwise, smart phones with capable cameras do an incredible job when shooting in panoramic modes. We set up my small JOBY tripod for some remote shots of us on the beach. There are about a dozen out-takes of us attempting to create an iconic "jumping" shot!

Another stunning feature of this mountain is how clouds seem to hover around the peaks.

The beach is littered with shells and pebbles which almost look like gemstones in the sunlight. They make for some really beautiful natural patterns along the ground.

This is part of a series of posts about our trip to Iceland.

Thinking of booking a trip? Try airbnb for local digs at a lower cost.
Like this post? Follow for more!

BLOGLOVIN | YOUTUBE | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | ETSY *This post contains affiliate links