July 31, 2015
Icelandic Waterfallism.
Iceland‘s a very wet country in the cool time of year, and very snowy in winter. (There isn’t a warm season here to speak of – unless you submerge yourself in hot springs for three months.) So, in terms of H2O here – there’s plenty. And since there are a great many volcanoes in the country too, the conditions are perfect for a blossoming of the population of Iceland’s waterfalls – of which there are also plenty. Here’s a list of the five main ones we visited in the south and southwest parts of the country, all of which are wholly worthy of checking out in person.
Waterfall No. 1: Gullfoss. Here. And here:
Gullfoss – one of the most popular waterfall attractions in Iceland
Hvítá river flows down into a wide curved three-step 'staircase' and then abruptly plunges in two stages (11m and 21m) into a crevice 32m (105ft) deep
There was an attempt to use Gullfoss to generate electricity, but it failed thanks to the locals' protesting
As one first approaches the falls, the crevice is obscured from view so that it appears that a mighty river simply vanishes into the earth
Sigríður Tómasdóttir saved Gullfoss from turning into a hydro station by threatening to throw herself into the waterfall
Gullfoss' crevice is about 20m (66 ft) wide, and 2.5km in length
The average amount of water running over this waterfall is 140 m³/s in the summertime and 80 m³/s in the wintertime. The highest flood measured was 2000 m³/s
'Gullfoss' means 'Golden Falls' in Icelandic
Gullfoss' total height is 32m
Together with Þingvellir and the geysers of Haukadalur, Gullfoss forms the Golden Circle, a popular day tour for tourists in Iceland
Yes, it's very slippery all over the place
Waterfalls Nos. 2 & 3: Seljalandsfoss and Gljufrafoss (and a couple more small waterfalls nearby). These are a little further from Gullfoss along the southern coast (heading west). What’s cool about waterfall No. 2 is that you can go behind the stream of water via a cavern behind it, which, incidentally, was clearly dug out by the local elves eons ago :). Waterfall No. 3 descends into a deep crevice. Not seen that before. Both waterfalls need to be viewed from down below as well as up on top. The (ultra neat and tidy) path up is a real steep climb, and along the way you need to navigate yourself across a stream. No matter – it’s worth it.
Seljalandsfoss comes off the river Seljalandsá; it drops 60 meters (200ft) over the cliffs of the former coastline
Now you see why they called it Gljúfrafoss (literally 'the one who lives in the canyon')
You can use a winding trail nearby and a wooden staircase to climb roughly halfway up and view the falls from another perspective
https://instagram.com/p/4orRPXuiRg/
Waterfall No. 4: Skógafoss. Still a little further along the Ring Road, 8km after the Eyjafjallajökull Visitor Centre. A grandiose sight to behold!
Due to the amount of spray the waterfall constantly produces, a single or double rainbow is normally visible on sunny days
Yes, it's gets very crowdy at Skógafoss even during rainy days
Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland with a width of 25 metres (82 feet) and a drop of 60m (200ft)
According to legend, the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, buried treasure in a cave behind the waterfall
Skógafoss is also a good starting point for a picturesque two-day trek up North to the Þórsmörk valley
Skógafoss was a location for the shooting of the Marvel Studios film 'Thor: The Dark World', as well as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
And if you get up to the top you get rewarded for your trouble with a whole cascade of wee waterfalls and a charming canyon. In fact, around here it’s possible to get a few days trekking in: they say the paths and sights are perfect for walks – between two volcanoes and two glaciers.
A trekking trail leads up to the Fimmvörðuháls pass between the glaciers Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. It goes down to the Þórsmörk valley on the other side and continues as the famous Laugavegur to Landmannalaugar
Waterfall No. 5: Svartifoss. Still further along the coast to the east. Not all that large, but a most unusual looking waterfall! ‘Officially’ (according to info from the visitor center) it takes a good hour and a half to get there and back on foot. But there’s a secret: you can drive up the road most of the way, at the end of which there’s a nano-parking lot for 10 cars; from there it’s a mere 15 minutes to get to the waterfall, and none of the ‘wow!’ sights get missed!
Svartifoss waterfall is surrounded by dark lava columns known as Bénard cells
Svartifoss means 'Black Fall' in Icelandic
Similar formations can be found throughout Iceland, including a small cave on the beach of Reynisdrangar
My favorite set of Bénard cells is located on the Kuril island of Kunashir
New hexagonal column sections break off faster than the falling water wears down the edges
Svartifoss is located in Skaftafell National Park, which is also famous for its hiking routes
Turns out there are more than 20 wonderful waterfalls in Iceland; alas we got to see less than a quarter of them. Still, surely that’s plenty, no? Checking out 20+ waterfalls – wouldn’t that be overkill? You’d have to be a maniac to want to see 20+. You’d probably collapse from overexertion too…
Amazing virtual trip to Icelandic waterfalls by @e_kasperskyTweet
All the pics are here.
