Iceland

Article Icelandic waterfalls

Including Europe's largest waterfall

Pedro Gula
Wrote 46 articles and follows him / her 5 travelers
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Icelandic waterfalls
Inserted: 09.04.2017
© gigaplaces.com
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Iceland is called the „landscape of ice and fire“. But also „the land of thousands of waterfalls“. And rightly so. There are so many of them here that they are practically impossible to count. And it is probably impossible to determine which is the most beautiful.

Gullfoss - Golden Waterfall

Gullfoss falls in a double cataract in the canyon of the river Hvítá. The first cataract is completely exposed here and rolls ten meters forward, then the river bends sharply at an angle of 90 degrees and falls another 20 meters into the shadow of the gorge. In the afternoon, when the rays of the setting sun fall on the water streams, the waterfall is the most beautiful. The waterfall is part of a reserve created by Sigrídur Tómasdóttir, the daughter of a landowner who fought against the creation of a hydroelectric power plant in the 1920s. Permission to build was granted, but Sigrídur was able to stir up public opinion when people opposed the project and construction did not begin.

Gullfoss - Golden Waterfall
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Gullfoss - Golden Waterfall

The second, lower cataract.

Gullfoss - Golden Waterfall
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Hjálparfoss

Hjálparfoss is an interesting waterfall on the river Fossá. A pair of short foamy waterfalls lies about 100 m south of the main road. The masses fall into a circular lake and splash in all directions, with great care there is a nice place for swimming.

Hjálparfoss
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Hjálparfoss

Hjálparfoss at one o'clock in the morning.

Hjálparfoss
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Seljalandfoss

At the western edge of Eyjafjöll, road 249 deviates north from the motorway and continues on to Ϸórsmörk. A few meters away is Seljalandsfoss, translated Waterfall of the Sold Land, a narrow but powerful waterfall falling directly down the slope into a shallow lake. Directly behind the water curtain of the waterfall are the paths where the sound of falling water is most impressive.

Seljalandfoss
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Seljalandfoss

Water veil.

Seljalandfoss
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Seljalandfoss

Behind the waterfall.

Seljalandfoss
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Seljalandfoss

Behind the waterfall.

Seljalandfoss
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Gljúfrafoss

From Seljalandfoss waterfall, the trail continues to two smaller waterfalls and finally to Gljúfrafoss waterfall, which is almost completely enclosed by a cliff.

Gljúfrafoss
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Gljúfrafoss

Waterfall in the rocks.

Gljúfrafoss
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Gljúfrafoss

Waterfall in the rocks.

Gljúfrafoss
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Skógafoss

Skógafoss Waterfall (translated as Forest Waterfall), which reaches a majestic height of 62 m, rightfully belongs to its fame. It looks absolutely great from a distance and loses nothing of its majesty even when viewed up close. It rushes down directly from the plateau and sprays of water fall into the pond below it in rainbow colors and the surroundings disappear in a white haze. If maximum water falls through a waterfall, it is impossible to get closer than 50 meters due to a strong air current caused by falling water. A metal staircase leads to the top, behind which a muddy path climbs upstream to a smaller but even steeper cataract. Along the way, there is an amazing view of the coast and through the moss-covered moorland to a distant glacial mantle. From here, the route leads to Ϸórsmörk.

Skógafoss
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Skógarfoss

Here the water rushes from a height of 62 m.

Skógarfoss
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Waterfalls on the river Skóga

From the Skógarfoss waterfall, further upstream of the Skóga river, there are a large number of smaller or larger waterfalls. We counted 22 of them.

Waterfalls on the river Skóga
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Waterfalls on the river Skóga

Route along the river Skóga to Ϸórsmörk.

Waterfalls on the river Skóga
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Waterfalls on the river Skóga

Route along the river Skóga to Ϸórsmörk.

Waterfalls on the river Skóga
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Waterfalls on the river Skóga

Route along the river Skóga to Ϸórsmörk.

Waterfalls on the river Skóga
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Waterfalls on the river Skóga

Route along the river Skóga to Ϸórsmörk.

Waterfalls on the river Skóga
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Waterfalls on the river Skóga

Route along the river Skóga to Ϸórsmörk.

Waterfalls on the river Skóga
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Waterfalls on the river Skóga

Route along the river Skóga to Ϸórsmörk.

Waterfalls on the river Skóga
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Waterfalls on the river Skóga

Route along the river Skóga to Ϸórsmörk.

Waterfalls on the river Skóga
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Waterfalls on the river Skóga

Route along the river Skóga to Ϸórsmörk.

Waterfalls on the river Skóga
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Waterfalls on the river Skóga

Route along the river Skóga to Ϸórsmörk.

Waterfalls on the river Skóga
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Stjórnafoss

This waterfall lies just behind the settlement with the complicated name Kirkjubæjarklau­stur.

Stjórnafoss
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Foss á Síðu

Foss á Síðu is a strip of narrow cliffs with a nice waterfall, in front of which rounded hills rise above meadows and lava fields. Here you can see how the cliffs of the glacier were pushed down under the weight of the ice already melting today.

Foss á Síðu
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Svartifoss

Svartifoss – Black waterfall, in NP Skaftafell.

Svartifoss
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Svartifoss

Svartifoss – The Black Waterfall, named after the dark hexagonal columns over which water flows, was the inspiration for the architectural project of the Harpa National Theater in Reykjavík.

Svartifoss
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Öxifoss

On the way from the eastern fjords.

Öxifoss
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Dettifoss

Dettifoss Waterfall and Jökulsárgljúfur National Park is an isolated part of the vast Vatnajökull National Park. Here, the wild flow of the Jökulsá á Fjöllum River (which is the second longest river in Iceland with a length of 206 km and springs below Vatnajökull) flows over an irregular basalt bottom before falling into a 45m deep gorge with such force that it sends water splinters to the sky into height of several hundred meters.

Dettifoss
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Dettifoss

The 100m wide and 45m high Dettifoss waterfall is considered to be the largest in Europe, with a water flow between 200 and 500 m3 per second (the flow is greatest due to melting glaciers in summer). The best view of the waterfall is from the east bank of the river.

Dettifoss
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Dettifoss

The power of the largest waterfall in Europe.

Dettifoss
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Selfoss

Behind Dettifoss a kilometer upstream is another Selfoss waterfall with long but only 10m high cascades

Selfoss
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Selfoss

Selfoss waterfall funnel.

Selfoss
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Goðafoss

At the small settlement of Fossholl, the icy blue river Skálfandárfljöt, rising in the south near Vatnajökull, flows through basalt canyons in the shape of a horseshoe in a pair of cataracts. The larger of these is Goðafoss, God's waterfall, which is where Ϸorgeir (the law enforcer at historic AlϷing, where in 1000 he decided that Christianity should be Iceland's official religion) destroyed pagan statues and threw them into the waterfalls.

Goðafoss
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Goðafoss

This waterfall is truly „God's“.

Goðafoss
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Dynjandi

The most impressive waterfall in the Western Fjords is where the road No. 60 turns around the northeastern part of the Arnafjörður Fjord.

Dynjandi
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Dynjandi

Dynjandi (Thundering Waterfall), rolling over a 100-meter-high rock cliff into the waters of a fjord in Dynjandisvogur Bay, forming a triple cascade about 30 meters wide at its apex and 60 meters wide at its lower end. Below the main you can see five smaller cascades draining the water of the river Dynjandisá into the sea.

Dynjandi
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Dynjandi

Thundering waterfall.

Dynjandi
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Kirkjufellsfoss

Waterfall below Kirkjufell.

Kirkjufellsfoss
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Kirkjufellsfoss

Waterfall below Kirkjufell.

Kirkjufellsfoss
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com

Hraunfossar

Hraunfossar and Barnafoss are two waterfalls belonging to the most famous natural wonders of Iceland. Both are formed on the river Hvítá. Hraunfossar (Lava Waterfall) offers a little better experience. It is not a roaring influx of foamy white water, but gentle cascades of clear turquoise water, coming from beneath a layer of moss overgrown with moss and falling down rows of stone cascades into the river.

Hraunfossar
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Hraunfossar

Hraunfossar and Barnafoss

Hraunfossar
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Barnafoss

From Hraunfossar, the trail leads upstream to Barnafoss (Children's Wa­terfall), named after two children. They found death here as they crossed a stone narrow arch arching over the river. Today, the waterfall spans a pedestrian bridge, which offers a great view of the gorge opening down.

Barnafoss
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com
Glymur
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Glymur

Glymur is the highest waterfall in Iceland. Its waters rush from a height of almost 200 meters from a swampy base on the western side of Lake Hvalvatn. A more challenging path to the waterfall leads up through the Botnsdalur valley at the end of Hvalfjörður. The whole route to the waterfall is about an hour long.

Glymur
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Glymur

Glymur with a height of 200 m is the highest waterfall in Iceland.

Glymur

Icelandic legend says that the mythical creature, half human, half whale, which once haunted the locals from its lair in the dark waters of Hvalfjörður, once falsely lured, left the waters of the fjord and headed upstream to the waterfall and finally found its end in the waters of the lake Hvalvatn. It is a strange and hitherto inexplicable fact that whale bones were actually discovered in the lake.

Glymur
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Öxarárfoss

In the NP Ϸingvellir, the glittering cascades of the Öxará River fall over the edge of the Almannagjá canyon, creating a 20 m high Öxarárfoss waterfall rolling down the gorge.

Öxarárfoss
Author: Pedro Gula © gigaplaces.com
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Dagmar Titzová
08.02.2019 23:32
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