Barnafoss

Barnafoss — ‘Children’s Falls’ — is a narrow, powerful waterfall where the Hvítá river forces itself through a tight lava gorge in West Iceland’s Borgarfjörður region. The water here has an intense turquoise hue, coloured by glacial meltwater flowing from the Langjökull glacier upstream, and the contrast against the dark basalt walls gives the falls an almost supernatural beauty. The name derives from a folk tale about two children who crossed an arching natural stone bridge above the falls and fell to their deaths; their grief-stricken mother later had the bridge destroyed, though geological records suggest it may have collapsed naturally.

Barnafoss sits just a few hundred metres from the longer, spring-fed Hraunfossar waterfall, and the two are visited together on a short, easy boardwalk loop. While Hraunfossar spreads gently across a wide lava shelf, Barnafoss is concentrated and fierce — the pairing of the two contrasting styles makes this one of the more memorable waterfall stops in Iceland. An information shelter and car park are located at the site.

The falls are easily reached via Route 518 off the Ring Road, about 120 km from Reykjavík. The road is paved and accessible year-round, and the site is free to enter. It combines naturally with a visit to the nearby Langjökull glacier ice cave tours or the town of Borgarnes.