Njardvik Cliffs is a coastal viewpoint in East Iceland, on the road near Borgarfjörður eystri. The mountainside breaks into loose screes that run down to the sea, and the road is cut across them. Cars pull in at the roadside, and the view over the fjord opens from the car park. The stop is known for the birds on the cliffs, for a mountain waterfall beside the road, and for the folklore attached to this stretch of coast.
Njardvik Cliffs
Local name: Njarðvíkurskriður
A wooden cross stands by the road here, inscribed in Latin with the year 1306 and an instruction to passing travellers to bow before the image of Christ.
- Entrance
- Free
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible parking and entrance.
- Parking
- Car park at the roadside, with wheelchair-accessible parking.
- Difficulty
- Easy — roadside stop, short walk to the cross
- Transport
- Self-drive — on Route 94 into Borgarfjörður eystri
- Hours
- Open 24 hours.
- Address
- 721 Njarðvík
What makes it special
Everything worth seeing here is at the roadside. Birds sit on the cliff faces above, and the cliffs are the first thing to look at when you get out. A mountain waterfall comes down beside the road, cold and clean enough to fill a bottle from. Below the road the screes fall away towards the fjord, and the coastline opens up along the water. Folklore puts a creature called Naddi in these screes, said to have attacked travellers who crossed them on foot. The crossing had a bad name long before there was a road here.
Good to know
- Drinking water: a mountain waterfall runs down beside the road, and the water is fresh enough to fill a bottle from.
- Birds: they sit on the cliff faces above the road, so binoculars earn their place in the car.
- No services: no toilets and nothing to buy. The stop is a pull-off by the road, with no shelter from the weather.
- Underfoot: the slopes here are broken scree, not firm ground. Keep to the level ground by the car park.
Getting there
Njardvik Cliffs lies directly on the road, and visitors arrive by car. There is a car park at the site, and both the parking and the entrance are wheelchair-accessible, so the view is reached without a climb. Nothing here asks more of you than pulling over and getting out.
Sun & daylight
Nearby Places
Similar Places
Njardvik Cliffs on the map
This is an active scree slope with a long history of rockfall, mudslides and avalanches — keep to the roadside stop, don't climb the loose slope, and take the narrow road slowly, especially in wet or winter conditions.
Get directions
Your whole travel map in one place
Get inspired by new places around the world and find the ones worth the journey
Frequently asked questions
Can you drink the water at Njardvik Cliffs?
A mountain waterfall comes down beside the road, and the water is fresh enough to fill a bottle from.Is Njardvik Cliffs wheelchair-accessible?
Yes. The parking and the entrance are both wheelchair-accessible, and the view is at road level.Is there a hike here?
It is a roadside viewpoint rather than a walking route. People stop, stretch their legs, look at the cliffs and drive on.What is there to see?
Birds on the cliff faces above the road, a waterfall coming down beside it, and the screes falling away to the fjord.