My entire body was clenched as we hit yet another massive pothole. I turned to H, “it’s okay I don’t really need to see this waterfall.” His response, “stop worrying so much,” as he swerved to miss a small boulder in the middle of the road.
The drive back to Háifoss, the second biggest waterfall in Iceland, is not for the faint of heart, or for a tiny car like ours!
Somehow though our poor little car survived the drive back to Háifoss without so much as a scratch, but it is not a drive I am interested in reliving anytime soon. But once you reach this gorgeous waterfall, well you quickly forget about the terrible gravel road you just drove to get there, that is until you have to head back on it when you leave!
This is considered a road, those rocks are larger than they appear, drive back here with caution, and preferably 4-wheel drive and insurance!
Let’s back up to the start of our journey to Háifoss.
Háifoss is a waterfall that I have been wanting to visit ever since seeing it on Pinterest a few months ago. Seriously, there are so many waterfalls in Iceland no one knows about all of them, so thank you Pinterest for bringing this beauty onto my radar! The only problem with Háifoss, it is not exactly the closest to Reykjavik so it wasn’t that easy to convince my Viking to make a weekend trip out there.
Enter in our weekend getaway at Hotel Ranga last month putting us less than an hour from Háifoss and my Viking couldn’t say no to a visit.
Our adventure to find Háifoss from Hotel Ranga, it was a beautiful one. Our hour long road trip took us past some incredibly scenery, but I mean when doesn’t a road trip in Iceland include that?! The diversity of the Icelandic landscape always amazes me and our drive to Háifoss from Hotel Ranga was a perfect example of how diverse the Icelandic landscape can be.
Does this landscape not make you think of the moon? Not even five minutes after we passed the fields of lava rock we rounded a corner and came to this.
With the Icelandic landscape, you never know what you will find around every corner!
Finally, after driving past the turn off sign twice, H and I were on our way back to Háifoss. We weren’t too sure where Háifoss was located, and for awhile it looked like we were just driving off to the middle of no where, I really began to question if there was a waterfall anywhere near us.
Thankfully H didn’t listen to me saying we should probably turn around because soon we saw a small parking area that we assumed was where to go to find Háifoss. This guess was correct, and after just a few minutes of walking we were taking in the beautiful views of Háifoss.
This statement couldn’t be more true, there is always new waterfalls to discover in Iceland! And our visit to Háifoss introduced us to not one but two new waterfalls!
This is my kind of 2 for 1 deal!
The waterfall next to Háifoss is called Granni, which in Icelandic means neighbor. Quite the clever name don’t you think?! Granni is somewhat hidden back in a little rock bowl making it hard to fully capture in a picture, but the rocks surrounding it just added to its beauty in my opinion.
Both waterfalls, they were gorgeous, my Viking even said he thinks these are his favorite waterfalls in Iceland. In the land of gorgeous waterfalls this is quite the statement, but I may just agree with my Viking!
This girl just took the ultimate Icelandic selfie!
Know Before You Go
Location // Háifoss is located in the Þjórsárdalur valley in the south of Iceland, 135 km from Reykjavik. When visiting Háifoss don’t forget to add a stop to the beautiful Gjáin which is less than a half an hour away.
How to Get There // The turn off for Háifoss is indicated with a small, but easily visible sign off the side of the road. Once you turn off you will follow a gravel road for 500 m before turning right onto another gravel road. This second road is very rough, a jeep or other 4 wheel drive vehicle is recommend. Follow the second road for 6.5km staying to the left. You will see a gravel parking area to the left, park here and walk 800 m to reach the waterfalls. Another option is to hike back to Háifoss. From the historical farm Stöng you can hike to Háifoss passing Gjáin on the way. This is quite a long hike though, 5-6 hours in both directions, but if you love hiking I imagine this hike is quite gorgeous!
When to visit // For the best chance at good weather a trip to Háifoss in the summer months (July-August) is ideal. If you are planning a trip to Iceland anytime from October to May I recommend checking the road conditions in the area, heavy snow fall may make it difficult (or not possible) to make the drive back to Háifoss.
Other tips // Háifoss is a perfect location for landscape photography, if you are heading to Iceland specifically to capture some great pictures I highly recommend planning a day in this area to visit Háifoss as well as Gjáin. And, as always, please keep your safety in mind, there are some high cliffs around Háifoss so use caution when going close to the edges.
Question of the Day?
Which waterfall is your favorite, Háifoss or Granni? Do you get nervous on unpaved roads? What is your favorite place to visit near your home?
