Hraunfossar

Hraunfossar — literally ‘lava waterfalls’ — is one of Iceland’s most unusual natural sights. Rather than a single plunge over a cliff, the water emerges invisibly through the porous Hallmundarhraun lava field and cascades into the river Hvítá along a broad, continuous ribbon stretching roughly 700 metres. The pale-blue water contrasts brilliantly with the dark lava and green riverside vegetation.

A short walk upstream brings you to Barnafoss, ‘Children’s Waterfall’, where the Hvítá rushes through a narrow rock arch carved by millennia of fast-flowing glacial meltwater. A paved path connects both falls and is suitable for most visitors year-round, though the colours are at their most vivid in late summer when the water level drops and the volcanic substrate is most visible.

Hraunfossar lies about 120 km east of Reykjavík near the town of Húsafell. There is a small car park and visitor facilities on site. The Langjökull glacier snowmobile tours and the Into the Glacier ice tunnel are nearby, making this a natural stop on a longer west-Iceland day trip.