Should You Stay Overnight in Flókalundur?
Connecting Routes 60 and 62, Hellulaug and the Southern Westfjords

ICENAVI · FLÓKALUNDUR MAPTwo roads, a ferry terminal and a junction where you can soak

FlókalundurRoutes 60 and 62 junction HellulaugNatural seaside pool, 300 metres away BrjánslækurBaldur ferry terminal PatreksfjörðurSouthbound on Route 62 DynjandiNorthbound on Route 60

Junction: Route 60 leads towards Dynjandi; Route 62 leads towards Patreksfjörður. Ferry: Brjánslækur is around 2.5 kilometres from the protected area. Short stop: Hellulaug is about 300 metres away and can be reached on foot.

A room here gives you breathing space between routes

Hotel Flókalundur has only 27 single or double rooms and one suite, all with private bathrooms; the restaurant, fuel service and campsite share the same junction. With so few rooms, relying on last-minute availability is risky, but the hotel works well as a buffer on a transfer day. After leaving the ferry at Brjánslækur, you do not have to press on immediately to Patreksfjörður. The next morning, with better light, you can choose either Route 60 towards Dynjandi or Route 62 along the southern coast.

The ferry page gives an example adult one-way fare from ISK 7,700, approximately HK$450/NT$1,950, while room prices vary by date and category. If Hellulaug is merely a one-hour rest stop, paying for the hotel may not make sense. If your route includes Rauðasandur, Látrabjarg or an early ferry, staying at the junction avoids an extra round trip and is the more practical choice on a long itinerary.

Service seasons vary; confirm dates with the accommodation

Three natural sights, each requiring a different pace

Hellulaug is about 300 metres away, making it easy to change after leaving the ferry, take a soak and return to the car to organise your luggage. Vatnsfjörður protected area calls for a suitable parking spot and enough time to appreciate its birch woodland, bay and wetlands. Set aside time for it: a hurried glance after the pool misses the substance of the reserve. Surtarbrandsgil, also known as Lignite Canyon, requires even more planning because entry is with a ranger. Its summer exhibition room is open approximately from 10 June to 10 August, and guided departures have previously run at 13:00 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The ferry needs to arrive before the guided session if you want to see the plant-fossil strata.

Because each place has a different time window, choosing only one is the sensible approach for a short stop. After an afternoon ferry, time at Hellulaug makes more sense than rushing to reach the canyon. Add Surtarbrandsgil as a full-afternoon visit only if you arrive on an early ferry and will remain in the south the following day. For families with children or older travellers, an overnight stay at the junction also makes it easier to separate toilet stops, meals and rest.

If your next stop is in the southern Westfjords, Patreksfjörður works as a supply stop and a base for Rauðasandur and Látrabjarg. If you are heading north towards Dynjandi and Þingeyri, see the route split covered in our Arnarfjörður guide. Staying in Stykkishólmur on the night before the ferry avoids a morning dash from the other end of the peninsula. To compare your post-ferry plan with the immediate surroundings of Brjánslækur, read the two destination pages together. For the number of days and overnight stops needed across the wider region, continue to our five-day Westfjords road trip.

When deciding whether to stay, write the first drive of the next morning beside the booking. If you are heading towards Dynjandi, sleeping at the junction fixes the departure direction early; if the goal is Patreksfjörður, compare the total time of continuing south with stopping for the night. Hellulaug may be free, but dinner, supplies, check-in and the next morning’s check-out still use real time.

If the route is still flexible, decide from the next morning’s direction before booking the room. That is more robust than booking first and then forcing the surrounding stops to justify it.

Flókalundur earns its place when the next road has a clear job. It can break the approach to the southern Westfjords, protect a ferry connection or give you a practical night before Route 60 turns more remote.

Hellulaug is an easy addition only when the bathing window fits the drive. Check access, daylight and the condition of the approach instead of assuming a geothermal stop will be available at any hour.

The junction matters more than the size of the settlement. Route 60 and Route 62 point in different directions, so the right accommodation depends on whether you are heading for the ferry, Patreksfjörður or the eastern exit.

A late arrival reduces the value of a scenic detour. If the road has already taken the usable afternoon, keep the stop to fuel, food, a short soak and sleep.

Ferry travellers should put the sailing time beside the hotel check-in window. A room that looks close can still be the wrong choice if the next morning requires an early move to Brjánslækur.

Road conditions deserve a fresh check before committing to the outer Westfjords. A flexible night at the junction is more useful than a non-refundable plan on the wrong side of a closure.

Use Flókalundur as a buffer when it reduces pressure on the following day. If it only adds another name between two better bases, keep driving or choose the base that serves your fixed activity.