Summer of Midnight Sun - Chapter Six: DO go chasing waterfalls

 Whenever anyone visited during my time in Iceland, a '90s hit from TLC inevitably came up. Everyone made their own jokes about how Iceland was where you SHOULD go chasing waterfalls, but they were really onto something. With nearly 10,000 being fed from glaciers in the Highlands, they are an essential part of the Icelandic scenery 

    When looking for the famous waterfalls in the country, visitors are fortunate that many of the largest and most stunning waterfalls are just off of the "Ring Road", the only highway that takes a path around the island. While it takes at least a week-long journey, the route provides a nearly full experience of Icelandic nature. 

Seljandsfoss and Skógafoss are likely the most famous, located about 120km East of Reykjavík, providing easy access for day trips from the city for tourists. Both drop nearly 60 meters and provide powerful views in their own way. Seljandsfoss (Left) offers a rare opportunity to walk fully around the waterfall, with a space behind to experience the inside of a waterfall. Skógafoss (Right) sits about 20km further east and is the most powerful of the two and features a campground at the foot of the waterfall. I had an opportunity to stay here when Kate came to visit, and it was incredibly peaceful falling asleep to the live rushing water. 

Öxarárfoss is also located relatively close to Reykjavík, placed roughly 60km Northeast of the city. What the waterfall lacks in stature, is more than made up for with the beauty, history, and fame surrounding the site. It sits in Þhingvellir, a tectonic rift miles wide that creates a cracked earth feeling for miles around and is home to Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament dating all the way back to 932. It gets a bit of fame from Game of Thrones, which was shot all around Iceland, featured the waterfall in a handful of scenes.

Glymur was the tallest waterfall in Iceland until 2011, but still stands at an impressive 197 meters tall roughly 70km North of Reykjavík. Unlike the others on this list, getting to Glymur is not for the faint of heart. The round trip hike to the waterfall comes in at just under 7 miles, with a primitive log bridge, near vertical climbing, and an icy wade across at the top. Once near the waterfall, we were able to view it from multiple points along the route, making great spots to stop for lunch and laugh at the seabirds living in the mist.

With thousands more waterfalls being off of the beaten path of the Ring Road, I inevitably stopped at dozens around the country. In the East there are large, rapidly moving waterfalls created from Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in the country, while in the North there are waterfalls running through the fjords of the Westfjords and out into the Arctic sea. The southwest even offers its own unique take on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Gluggafoss was probably my favorite waterfall of the entire trip, as it wasn't too far off the main road and ran through the rock in places. I was able to hike the side, gaining access to the top which seemed to keep leading to one waterfall after another. In the end, there were four, and I was able to get inches from the edge to get a great photo of the water falling through the rock.

Bryjarfoss was another highlight for me, located on the Snæfellsnes peninsula in the Southwest of the country. This area is special to me as it sits a bit out of the way and can be considered a "mini-Iceland" with all of the major features of the country. This means that it doesn’t receive the tourism traffic that other areas do while providing all of the sights. It rises high above a bend in the road that leads into the Highlands, creating a wonderful view from the car, or a stunning view of the sea for those who take the short hike up. 

In brief, you cannot visit Iceland without seeing a waterfall or two. There are hundreds that would make highlights in most other countries, and even the smallest ones left me with a sense of wonder. Like this one below that I found exploring in Snæfellsnes with my best friend. Completely unmarked from the road and accessed through a field of horses (who were all looking to get attention). Experiences like these kept me feeling invigorated to keep exploring because I never knew what was around the next bend.