Hafursey is an inselberg in South Iceland, north of the black outwash plain of Mýrdalssandur and south of Kötlujökull, a side glacier of Mýrdalsjökull. It is made of palagonite and was formed under a glacier during the Ice Age, in eruptions of the kind that built Surtsey. The mountain rises alone above the sands, inside the Katla glacier nature reserve, and it is reached on foot. People come for the isolation and for the views over the plain and the glacier.
Hafursey Mountain
Local name: Hafursey
The area around Hafursey was used as a filming location for the Star Wars film Rogue One (2016).
- Accessibility
- Not suitable for wheelchairs or limited mobility: the mountain is reached on foot only, with no road access.
- Parking
- Nearest car park about 3.4 km from the mountain.
- Difficulty
- On foot only. The climb to Skálafjall follows a track about 2.5 km west from the hut, then ascends through a cleft that continues Klofgil to the south-east.
- Transport
- No public transport: no bus stop within 5 km.
- Address
- Hafursey, 871
What makes it special
A single block of rock on a plain of black sand: Hafursey is 4.8 km long and 3 km wide, with the outwash of Mýrdalssandur to the south and the glacier tongue of Kötlujökull to the north. The mountain is roughly triangular and split in two by a gorge, Klofgil, which runs from south-east to north-west. The western half carries the summit, Skálafjall, at 582 m. The lower peak of Kistufell, 525 m, stands to the north.
The ground here is fertile and the grazing good. The farmers of Hjörleifshöfði, a farm now abandoned, brought their sheep up for the summer. Ólafur Arnalds has played a concert on the mountain.
Good to know
- No toilets and no water: nothing of the sort within 5 km of the mountain, so carry what you need.
- No information point: none within 5 km either. Work out the route before setting off.
- No road in: Hafursey stands inside the Katla glacier nature reserve and is reached on foot.
Getting there
There is no road to Hafursey. Drive as far as the nearest car park, then walk out across the black sand of Mýrdalssandur. In a straight line the mountain stands about 8 km from Route 1, and the route on the ground is longer than that. Everything from the car onwards is on foot.
Best time to visit
Better: the summer months.
Avoid: the rest of the year.
Hafursey is recommended for summer only. The visit is done entirely on foot, over open ground inside the Katla glacier nature reserve, and the way in crosses the outwash plain that carries meltwater from Kötlujökull.
Sun & daylight
Nearby Places
Similar Places
Hafursey Mountain on the map
The plain below the mountain, Mýrdalssandur, is the outwash route for jökulhlaups from Katla. Kötlujökull holds the largest volume of glacier ice and water in the system, and it releases that water across the sands.
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Frequently asked questions
Can you drive to Hafursey?
No. There is no road to the mountain. It lies inside the Katla glacier nature reserve and is reached on foot from the nearest car park.Why does the name of a mountain end in -ey, the Icelandic word for island?
Because Hafursey was one. After the Ice Age the mountain stood for a time as an island, and that shape is still recognisable today.Is Hafursey part of the Katla volcano?
Not directly. The mountain formed under an Ice Age glacier and feeds from its own source of magma rather than Katla's. Later jökulhlaups from Katla reshaped and eroded it.Where did travellers shelter here in the past?
The main route to south-east Iceland once crossed Mýrdalssandur at the foot of the mountain. Travellers used the Stúka cave on Hafursey, and a shelter was built at the foot at the beginning of the 20th century.