— George Santayana
Hraunfossar is a series of waterfalls formed by rivulets streaming over a distance of about 900 metres out of the Hallmundarhraun, a lava field which flowed from an eruption of one of the volcanoes lying under the glacier Langjökull. The waterfalls pour into the Hvítá river from ledges of less porous rock in the lava…
The following story accounts for the name of Barnafoss (Children’s Waterfall) and for the disappearance of the stone arch that used to bridge the waterfall. One Christmas day the household at Hraunsás went to attend mass, with the exception of two children who were to stay at home. When the people returned, the children has..
The name Dettifoss could be loosely translated as ‘The Collapsing Waterfall’. The Dettifoss waterfall is with the greatest volume of any waterfall in Europe, 500 cubic metres of water per second plunges over the edge. Dettifoss is 45 m high and 100m wide. The water comes from the nearby Vatnajökull glacier, whose sediment-rich runoff colors the..
Selfoss is a waterfall on the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum in the north of Iceland. The river drops over a number of waterfalls over about 30 km before flowing into Öxarfjörður, a bay of the Arctic Sea. The river originates as melt water from the glacier Vatnajökull and therefore the water flow varies depending on..
Goðafoss waterfall in the glacial river in Skjálfandafljót is one of the great waterfalls in Iceland and the largest one in Skjálfandafljót river. The water falls from a height of 12 meters over a width of 30 meters. Other waterfalls in Skjálfandafljót river are Ullarfoss, Barnafoss and Aldeyjarfoss. The small waterfall by the bridge is..
Gullfoss is a unique natural phenomenon that triggers varying impressions in people. Its conservation, and thereby its existence in its present form, has a unique history. Gullfoss and the surrounding area were made a nature reserve in 1979 to give people the best possible opportunity to enjoy this unique natural scene. The area’s ecosystem is..
Skógafoss is a waterfall situated on the Skógá River in the south of Iceland at the cliffs of the former coastline. After the coastline had receded seaward (it is now at a distance of about 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) from Skógar), the former sea cliffs remained, parallel to the coast over hundreds of kilometres, creating..
Seljalandsfoss is one of the best known waterfalls in Iceland. It is 65 meters high according to the National Land Survey of Iceland and it is breathtakingly beautiful. It is part of the Seljalands River that has its origin in the volcano glacier Eyjafjallajökull. Visitors can walk behind the falls into a small cave. ..