Discovering the Hidden Beauty of Northern Iceland
Iceland is famed in part for its spectacular waterfalls, many of which are easily accessible along the main ring road or the popular tourist routes, particularly in the south of the country. During our recent week in the north of Iceland we hoped to seek out some of the quieter, less well known places, many of which are a bit further off the well-beaten tourist track. A particular favourite, and what turned out to be one of the most beautifully scenic waterfalls we’ve ever experienced, was Aldeyjarfoss, a place made all the more special by the effort to get there…
Ice and snow surround the amazing basalt columns at Aldeyjarfoss
Setting off down the narrow, rough and snow-covered gravel road that leads south from Goðafoss (see my previous blog post), we had a sense of trepidation, not really sure how the road conditions would be as we ventured further from the relative safety of the ring road and towards the wild Icelandic interior.
After around forty minutes of careful driving along the Bárðardalur valley we arrived at a small farmstead, where the gravel track became a mountain F-road, suitable only for bigger 4x4s. Pleased that our little Vitara had made it this far, we decided not to push our luck, parked up and prepared to walk the rest of the way.
The farmstead at the beginning of the F-road.
I focus stacked this image to include the snow-covered grassy knolls in the foreground.
Immediately we were glad we hadn’t attempted to drive the mountain road, as huge chunks of ice lay washed up from the river across the road, and further on deep snow covered the steep and winding route. A few arctic-expedition equipped trucks passed us with their enormous tyres making light work of the conditions. These are the vehicles for this road!
Looking back down the F-road into the beautiful snowy landscape.
After around an hour and a quarter of walking through this beautiful scenery we finally reached our destination, and after sliding down a steep slope covered in deep snow, the initial sighting of Aldeyjarfoss simply took our breath away.
The aquamarine water plunges through a tight gap to the river 20 metres below.
A view down the river with the intricate and spectacular rock formations alongside.
Snow and ice from the spray of the falls pick out the detail of the basalt columns, formed by the rapid cooling of volcanic lava flows.
Alongside the main falls, a series of smaller, more delicate falls make their way down to the river below.
Aldeyjarfoss - an unforgettable spectacle of nature
After a packed lunch and admiring and photographing the waterfall and surrounding scenery from every possible angle our thoughts turned to the long walk back to the car. Luckily though, at this point a friendly trio of fellow Brits appeared, seemingly a little bemused as to how we’d travelled to the waterfall. ‘We’ve driven here’ they announced, ‘would you like a lift back?’ And so we gratefully accepted a ride in a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser. The ride back was, to say the least, a little sketchy at times, particularly when we were sliding around on the steepest slopes and crawling over those enormous chunks of ice!
Back where we parked the car were these beautiful Icelandic horses. These friendly characters were quite content in the snow and seemed to be very much enjoying each other’s company!
A very happy Icelandic horse!
Aldeyjarfoss has top be the most beautiful waterfall we’ve visited in Iceland, with the spectacular setting, impressive rock formations and amazing blue-green water. Plus it’s a place that was made that bit more special by the journey to reach it.