Fossá near Hvaleyri

Fossá flows from Eyrarfjall mountain into Hvalfjörður, going under the road here. There’s a waterfall on each side of the road and one by the sea around 300m from the road. Additional small waterfalls can be found upstream.

The waterfall by the sea is the most interesting one. The river goes over the sea cliffs onto a rocky beach with various types of rock formations. The cliffs seem to be quite high, at least on the west side. It might be possible to get down to the beach by walking around the east side of a private property which the river runs through.

Laxá í Kjós

Laxá í Kjós flows from the Kjósarskarð mountain pass into Hvalfjörður. A good road, Kjósarskarðsvegur #48, runs next to it.

There are four waterfalls in the river:

• Kvíslafoss is a series of low waterfalls just above the bridge near the sea.

• Laxfoss is about 200m upstream from Kvíslafoss. There’s a spot for parking right beside the waterfall which the fishermen use. A salmon ladder has been built in the middle of it, so it’s somewhat damaged.

• Pokafoss is a small waterfall about 1km from the road. There’s a rough track towards the waterfall.

• By far the nicest waterfall is Þórufoss, located in a shallow canyon. This is a popular tourist spot with a small parking lot. There’s no real footpath into the canyon but it’s easy to get down there.

Sjávarfoss in the river estuary is not really a waterfall.

Fossá and Hjaltadalsá

A second river in Hvalfjörður with the name of Fossá runs from Fossárdalur valley into the sea. There’s parking by the road from where Sjávarfoss can be seen. A couple of hundred meters above Sjávarfoss there are two smaller waterfalls. The lower one is called Fosslágarfoss.

A hiking trail runs along the west bank of the river up into the valley. To get there it’s easiest to park close to the old farm of Fossá. There are some small waterfalls by the side of the trail. For example, one here and another one, called Mígandi, here. Mígandi (literally means “pissing”) more or less disappears in dry weather. These two are the best ones to photograph.

On the east side of the valley there is a long series of waterfalls called Folaldafoss in Hjaltadalsá river. It’s possible to get there by hiking up the east bank of the river, but the entire series of waterfalls can also be seen from the hill opposite, for example here.

Brynjudalsá

Brynjudalsá runs along the length of the Brynjudalur valley to the sea.

• Skorhagafoss, sometimes called Bárðarfoss, can be seen from the road. It’s been pretty much destroyed by a fish ladder.

• Brynjudalsfoss is close to the road, a bit further upstream. It also has a fish ladder.

• Gljúfurfossar are located at the head of the valley in a beautiful, deep gorge. There’s no trail but it’s possible to walk some distance up the gorge from a parking area. Be prepared to ford the river.

Various rivers

Other waterfalls in the area:

• High up in Grindagil canyon there’s a thin, tall waterfall. It can be seen from the road about 1km north of Þórufoss.

• On the south side of Brynjudalur valley in the river Þverá there is a beautiful set of waterfalls called Þrándarstaðafossar. They can be seen from the road.

• Near the head of Brynjudalur valley, a set of waterfalls flows down Þórisgil canyon. You can hike there from a parking lot. Standing by the side of the canyon, you will only see parts of it but it’s definitely worth a visit. The tall fan-shaped waterfall near the top is the nicest one.