For anyone road-tripping in Iceland, visiting some of the country’s iconic waterfalls is a must. On May 23rd, the second day of our road trip, we decided to tackle some of these waterfalls in southern and central Iceland. Our route wasn’t the typical tour route, which also allowed us to visit some lesser-known falls.
Þórufoss
As I mentioned during my Day 1 post, we had several points of interest marked on a google map for us to explore. There was an excess of sites to check out, and I knew we wouldn’t be able to tackle all of them. I was not prepared for was the number of incredible places we visited as we were just driving site to site.
Þórufoss was the first unplanned stop. “Foss” means “waterfall” in Icelandic, and this was our first foss of the trip. It was not one of the biggest waterfalls but still an incredible sight. It’s located on the river Laxá í Kjós, which has a healthy population of Atlantic salmon. If it looks familiar to you, maybe you’re a Game of Thrones fan. Þórufoss was shot as the Children of the Forest’s home.
What made this remarkable to us was that this pristine river and waterfall were around 10 minutes from our cottage. We hopped out of the car and hiked a short trail to a ridge that overlooked the waterfall. It felt like we had discovered something new, only because it was a waterfall the majority of tourists would never see.
Öxarárfoss
After the unplanned stop, we continued onto our first official stop, Öxarárfoss. This waterfall is nestled in the Almannagjá ravine, which is located in Þingvellir National Park. In the park, you can find the world’s oldest surviving parliament. So the area holds an immense historical significance.
Öxarárfoss isn’t very tall, reaching only around 20ft in height. The fall is formed from the Öxará river, but what’s interesting is that it may not be a natural waterfall. Scientists and geologists have discovered evidence of a riverbed west of the current location of the river. The river may have been intentionally diverted hundreds of years ago. Öxarárfoss now flows into Þingvallavatn, Iceland’s largest natural lake. You can dive here to swim between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates! While we didn’t do that, the lake did serve as a guiding landmark that we would use on our routes to come.
As for our visit to Öxarárfoss, we started on the backend of the Öxarárfoss trail through the Almannagjá ravine. The Öxarárfoss trail was well maintained through the jagged volcanic rocks. It’s an easy hike and a refreshing reminder of Iceland’s volcanic history.
Selfoss
For our lunch break, we decided to stop in Selfoss. Remember when I said foss means waterfall? Well, it doesn’t apply here. Selfoss is just the name of a small town with a population of only 7,616. To make things more confusing, there is an actual waterfall called “Selfoss.” However, it is nowhere close to this town and has no connection to it. The town is south from Þingvellir and only about 30 minutes east of Reykjavik. Hwy 1 also runs through the town, which means all the tour buses do as well– but it’s usually not a place they stop at other than a pitstop.
While the town may not have a waterfall, the Ölfusá river does run through it. This is the same river that forms Gulfoss, which you will read about on Day 3. You can find several trails around the riverside and even a nine-hole golf course.
By the time we had arrived in Selfoss, it had already been a long and eventful day, and we were hungry. Like any good Americans, we decided to stop and eat hotdogs at Plymur Viginn. Oddly enough, Iceland is known for their hotdogs, and I found out why— they’re fantastic! Most of the food in Iceland is fresh and healthy, and here I was chowing down on a hotdog with a crumbled up Cool Ranch Dorito sauce. It sounds weird, but it was delicious!
Urriðafoss
Our next stop was Urriðafoss, which is more of a collection of rapids on the Þjórsá river rather than a single waterfall. Its width and volume earn it the waterfall title. In fact, by volume, it’s Iceland’s largest waterfall! The Þjórsá river is Iceland’s longest river and therefore collects a lot of water to help create Urriðafoss’s size.
Urriðafoss is not far off the road of Hwy 1. However, you can’t see it from the road. It’s entirely hidden within farmland on a relatively normal-looking river, and it was just proof of how Iceland’s terrain can quickly turn violent and harsh.
Since this was directly off Hwy 1, it is a natural tourist stop. Fortunately for us, we didn’t see many other tourists here—but this was probably due to the heavy rain. We came well prepared for Iceland’s wet climate as should anyone who visits this country.
Gluggafoss / Merkjárfoss
We continued down Hwy 1 toward Seljalandsfoss and Skógáfoss, but we had planned to see one more waterfall before those two. It’s a lesser-known fall that shares two names. Water flows from the Merkjá River, creating an upper and lower part of the waterfall. The top section is known as Gluggafoss, and together as a whole, it’s known as Merkjárfoss. Both names are correct.
Gluggafoss is a slender and tall waterfall that has channeled its way through bedrock to form tunnels and narrow ravines. It’s a beautiful waterfall to explore and a unique geological feature. Similar to Þórufoss, this waterfall remains hidden to most tourists. During our visit, we had the waterfall entirely to ourselves. I like to travel and explore places others may never see, and Gluggafoss was one of those sites.
As mentioned, the fall has two parts with a small trail located on its left-hand side. The trail will lead you right up to the pool Gluggafoss forms. When walking up the trail, a split in the path will take you behind the fall for a thrilling sight!
Instead of traveling back the same road we took to get there, we decided on taking a shortcut back to Hwy 1. This shortcut bumped up the difficulty. However, due to its uneven gravel, the alternative route mandated that we cruise below 10mph to get back to the highway.
Seljalandsfoss
After the long drive on our bumpy route, we finally arrived on the highway and shortly after that, Seljalandsfoss. This waterfall is one of those iconic waterfalls I mentioned earlier and for a good reason. The majestic 200ft+ waterfall looks like the spot where a leprechaun’s gold is found.
Originating from the Eyjafjallajökull glacier, the water comes down Seljalandsá river and pours over a sheer cliffside. You will find a walking trail that leads behind the waterfall. The walk is easy, but bring a rain jacket! Everything, including the air, is wet around the fall. Due to slippery and dangerous conditions, it is closed during winter.
We took the path behind the fall and tried our best to get some photos. Richard tried to keep the camera dry while snapping photos from under his poncho. This was also the moment I realized the top portion of my hiking pants lost all its waterproofing due to the soak in the Blue Lagoon. You can read about that on the Day 1.5 post.
Gljúfrafoss / Gljúfrabúi
The path going behind Seljalandsfoss leads you in a full circle back to the parking lot. However, before you get to the parking lot, you will notice a split in the path. The cool thing is, this side path takes you to a second hidden waterfall, Gljúfrafoss. This one also has a second name, Gljúfrabúi.
I wouldn’t say Gljúfrafoss is a secret, but it is somewhat hidden and a little harder to access. That path does take a couple minutes to complete but only leads you to a small shallow stream coming out of a crack in the cliffside. Inside the tunnel, the stream carved out is where Gljúfrafoss lies—and the only access is the stream itself. You can barely see the tiny piece of the waterfall from the outside, but to get the full view, you’ll need to travel up through the stream. So waterproof boots are a must, which keeps many visitors at bay.
We waded through the water and through the narrow entrance to the hidden waterfall’s cave. The cave itself isn’t deep and has an entirely open canopy where the waterfall gently poured around it.
Skógáfoss
The next waterfall down the road was Skógáfoss, and it’s as Viking as it comes. It’s only natural for it to be featured in the History Channel’s show, Vikings. I remember watching that episode and getting excited that I had been there and stood at that exact location.
Beyond all the history and legends surrounding Skógáfoss, it is also one of Iceland’s largest waterfalls in both height and width. Skógáfoss has a pebble shoreline that allows you to walk up to the majestic fall. The flatlands and easy highway access also make this a regular stop for tourists of all ages.
There is a steep staircase on the side of fall that leads you to the very top of the Skógáfoss. The waterfall is 197ft, so be prepared to climb up higher than that on a wet and slippery staircase. There aren’t a lot of tourists that climb up, even though you’re greeted by a spectacular view of the fall. Not only was there the waterfall to see, but there was also a yellow moss-covered valley that the Skógá River is carved its way through.
At the top of the staircase, there is a gate with a trail on the other side. This is a 3-mile hike that includes smaller falls and views on the Skógá River. We didn’t complete this trail, but we did venture down it a little way to get a better view of the mighty river.
Return to Base
Though the sun had not set, the evening had come, and restaurants and stores were closing. We were pretty hungry at this point, which was a common theme during our trip. Our only choice was a restaurant at Skogafoss. Nothing smelled more like a tourist trap, and we were right. The food was okay. I wrote in my journal that it “wasn’t worth describing.” There is a town close by called Vik, which offers more local food choices, but due to the time, we were not able to venture there. It was time to head back to the cottage.
It took us a couple of hours to get there, and we arrived around midnight. Even though it was the middle of the night, sunlight was peering through the windows. Iceland homes are prepared for this with some blackout curtains—we slept well after our day at the falls.
