Rauðisandur beach (Red Sand beach)

Rauðisandur or Red Sand beach is a huge expanse of sand in the remote Westfjords region of Iceland. Unlike many of this volcanic island’s beaches Rauðisandur has what we might consider normal coloured sand - most beaches here have black sand. This is probably where the name comes from as the sand does have a reddish hue to it in certain lights. However, it is also possible it is a historical reference to one of the area’s early settlers, Ármóður the Red.

Anyway, back to the beach. Whilst not quite endless, at 10km (6 miles) it certainly feels that way when there is not a single other soul on the beach. Rauðisandur is not a beach for normal beach activities such as sun bathing, snorkelling and all that stuff. It is a place in which to be awe inspired by the immense scale of the breath-taking scenery. Huge cliffs, carved by the elements, rise up from the beach and the ever changing sands vary in colour from white to black with yellows and reds thrown in for good measure.

It is somewhat of an adventure to get to Rauðisandur and we’d recommend using someone else’s car as the roads are more like tracks. The drive is pretty hairy in places too with steep drops and not much in the way of barriers. Still, once you get here parking isn’t an issue!
A pleasant surprise is that there is a small cafe here, but not a lot else, which is exactly why people come here.