No road — boat + hike. Reached by boat and on foot.
A lighthouse in Látravík bay in the roadless Hornstrandir Nature Reserve, reachable only by boat or on foot — and run today by Ferðafélag Íslands as a 40-bed wilderness hut.
Story & Legend
Látravík, the bay just east of Hornvík where the lighthouse stands, was settled in 1872 by the farmer Jóhann Halldórsson — considered Iceland's last land settler, as this was the final property measured out of unclaimed land — and abandoned again in 1909. The lighthouse came later: designed by engineer Benedikt Jónasson and cast in concrete in a single summer, with materials landed by boat and hauled the last ~300 metres by wheelbarrow and by hand. Lighthouse keepers lived here from 1930 to 1995; today Ferðafélag Íslands (the Iceland Touring Association) runs the keeper's house as a guesthouse and mountain hut.
Geology & Science
The lighthouse sits at just 21 m above sea level in Látravík, on the outer edge of the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve — 589 km² of the northern Westfjords protected since 1975, with magnificent bird cliffs and one of the most important arctic fox habitats in Europe. The most popular hike from the hut leads to Hornbjarg. There is considerable snow in the area year round, and the main paths across the reserve are marked only with cairns.
Safety
There are no roads anywhere in Hornstrandir — you arrive by boat or on foot, and you leave the same way. Leave a travel plan with safetravel.is and someone trustworthy, and update it if plans change. Sudden weather changes can be drastic even in summer; carry a GPS plus map and compass with offline maps downloaded, since visibility can drop so low you cannot see from one trail marker to the next. Only cross a river if you are completely sure you can do it safely. The emergency number is 112.
Photo Tip
The classic frame is the lighthouse standing alone between the slopes of Látravík and the open sea — climb a little way up the path behind the hut for an elevated angle that shows how far this building is from anything else. On the hike towards Hornbjarg, look back: the lighthouse becomes a tiny marker of scale against the coastline.
Insider tip
The lighthouse is a bookable Ferðafélag Íslands hut: seven rooms sleeping 40 in total, a proper kitchen with electric and gas stoves, running water, a shower, and even a charcoal grill outside — luxury by wilderness standards. It is only open from around mid-June to early August, with a warden on site in summer, so plan the boat schedule and the hut booking together.
Best Time to Visit
The short Hornstrandir season: the hut operates on average from mid-June to early August, which is also when scheduled boats run from Ísafjörður, Bolungarvík and Norðurfjörður.
What to Bring
Full wet-weather gear: waterproof clothes are essential in Hornstrandir and you must bring all food along — there are no shops or services. Hat, gloves, rain/windproof jacket and trousers, plus GPS, map and compass.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get to Hornbjargsviti?
Only by boat or on foot — there are no roads in the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve. You can take a boat directly to Látravík from Norðurfjörður, or a boat from Ísafjörður to Hornvík and hike from there. Scheduled summer departures run from Ísafjörður, Bolungarvík and Norðurfjörður.
Can you stay overnight at Hornbjargsviti?
Yes. Ferðafélag Íslands runs the lighthouse as a hut sleeping 40 people in seven rooms, with a kitchen, running water, toilet and shower, plus a camping ground outside with toilets and cooking facilities in an old sheep house. It is open on average from mid-June to early August.
