Hraunfossar

Most waterfalls come from a river going over an edge. Hraunfossar comes out of the side of a lava field. For the best part of a kilometre, hundreds of little streams pour out from under the moss and lava and tumble into the Hvítá river. It looks like the ground is leaking.

Hraunfossar, the Lava Falls, is in Borgarfjörður in West Iceland, near Húsafell and Reykholt. The water runs underground through the Hallmundarhraun lava field, a lava flow from volcanoes under the Langjökull glacier, and when it reaches a less porous rock layer at the river's edge it spills out along a stretch of about 900 metres. The streams are clear. The Hvítá below them is milky glacial blue. Standing on the viewing platforms you see both at once, which is the whole point.

Tours that visit Hraunfossar

Into the Glacier - From Reykjavík

10 hours · From Reykjavík

From 38.990 ISK

Into The Glacier - With Snowmobiling From Reykjavík

10 hours · From Reykjavík

From 48.900 ISK

Into the Glacier & Silver Circle

10 hours · From Reykjavík

From 38.990 ISK

Silver Circle & Húsafell Canyon Baths

10 hours · From Reykjavík

From 27.990 ISK

The Silver Circle: Private Borgarfjörður Day Tour with Optional Hot Springs, Snowmobiling, Ice Cave, ATV or Lava Tunnel

10 hours · From Reykjavík

4.4(284)

From 204.997 ISK

Silver Circle & Viðgelmir Lava Cave

10 hours · From Reykjavík

From 25.990 ISK

Barnafoss: the Children's Falls

A few minutes' walk upstream, the same river does the opposite. At Barnafoss, the Hvítá squeezes into a narrow gorge and churns through it with real force, under a natural stone arch. The name means "Children's Falls", and there's a story to go with it. Two children from a nearby farm, the legend goes, took a shortcut over a stone bridge above the falls, fell and drowned. Their grieving mother had the bridge destroyed so nothing like it could happen again. The arch you see today is a natural formation, not the bridge from the story.

A footbridge crosses the gorge, and it's one of the better views in the area. Stay behind the railings. The water at Barnafoss is fast and cold, and nobody gets out.

How to get to Hraunfossar from Reykjavík

Hraunfossar is about 1.5 to 2 hours from Reykjavík, via the Ring Road north through the Hvalfjörður tunnel, then inland on Route 50 and Route 518. There's a car park shared by both falls, with toilets. An hour is plenty for both, including the short walk between them.

In winter, the paths and viewing platforms can be icy, so wear proper boots. The falls don't freeze solid, and snow on the lava makes the white streams stand out even more.

Pro tip: walk along the whole row of viewpoints, not just the first platform by the car park. The further ones look straight across the falls and get far fewer people. Then visit Barnafoss last, so you finish on the loud bit.

Best time to visit Hraunfossar

Hraunfossar is good in any season, but autumn is when it shines. In September the birch and willow along the lava turn yellow and red, and the white streams run through the colour. Summer brings long light and green moss. In winter the days are short, so time your visit for the middle of the day.

What's nearby: the Silver Circle

Hraunfossar is part of the loop locals call the Silver Circle. Deildartunguhver, Europe's highest-flow hot spring, is about 20 minutes away. Reykholt, home of the medieval writer Snorri Sturluson, is on the way. Húsafell is a few minutes up the road, and it's the starting point for the ice tunnel in Langjökull and the Víðgelmir lava cave. Tours that include Hraunfossar and Barnafoss are below, from Into the Glacier trips to private Silver Circle days.