Háifoss, or the 'High Waterfall', is a waterfall in Fossárdalur valley, innermost of Þjórsárdalur valley, in south Iceland. It is the country’s third tallest falls.
Features of Háifoss
Háifoss is 122 metres (400 feet) tall, meaning the only waterfalls larger than it in the country are Morsárfoss (240 metres, or 787 feet) and Glymur (198 metres, or 650 feet). It is fed by the river Fossá, which feeds into the longest river in Iceland, the Þjorsá.
A second waterfall falls right beside Háifoss, albeit from a lesser height and with less power. This feature is called Granni, which translates to ‘Neighbour’. Both can be seen together from the viewing area on the south side of the falls, in close enough proximity to be photographed in a single frame.
Within sight of Háifoss is the volcano Hekla, one of the country’s most notorious and explosive volcanoes; it has gone off over 20 times since the country’s settlement, earning the nickname ‘the Gateway to Hell’.
Folklore at Háifoss
The area around Háifoss is, like much of the rest of the country, steeped in folklore. It was said to be the home of an ogress, who would fished trout from the falls and threatened any who came too close.
A group of travellers including a teenage boy were camping by the river, when he threw a rock in it. This was seen by the ogress, who was offended at the act on what she considered her property. She thus waited until nightfall, when it was safe for her to emerge.
She snuck up to the boy’s tent, lunged in, and began to drag him out by his feet. The boy’s friends, however, woke, grabbed his arms, and began a tug-of-war to save his life.
Had they not been present, he would likely have met the fate of many others in Icelandic tales, and been killed and eaten by the ogress. As it were, however, they managed to free him. The boy, however, was terribly injured and spent a month bedbound after the assault.
Ogres and ogresses are not as common in Icelandic folklore as trolls, which are purely Scandinavian in origin, but there are other examples of them. The most famous is Grýla, an ogress whose thirteen children (which she bore with a troll) became the Yule Lads, or devilish interpretations of what we consider Santa.
She was also known for her giant cat, which snatched away children who did not get clothes for Christmas (motivating them to do their sewing and knitting before the date arrived), and her appetite for the young.
Getting to Háifoss
Reaching Háifoss requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle, as it goes over a bumpy gravel road. It is easiest to reach in the summer months. This road takes you to a car park south of the waterfall, from which you can take a short hike to the perfect viewing spot.
The falls can also be hiked to, by following the river Fossá from the reconstructed farm of Þjóðveldisbærinn Stöng, which was destroyed by an eruption in the Middle Ages.
Wikimedia, Creative Commons, Photo Credit: Bromr
Hjálparfoss is a waterfall (or, officially, a pair of waterfalls that conjoin) in south Iceland.
Description of Hjlálparfoss
Hjlálparfoss is an incredibly serene feature, marking where the rivers Fossá and Þjórsá meet. Both of these are renowned as some of Iceland’s best and easily accessible fishing rivers, while Þjórsá also takes the title of being the country’s longest.
The two rivers fall from a lava field at about a 45 degree angle from each other, from about the same height, and their cascades merge as they tumble into a serene pool.
The lava field that this feature falls from was created in one of the many eruptions of the nearby Hekla volcano. Hekla is one of Iceland’s most active, unpredictable and explosive volcanoes, so violent that in the Middle Ages it earned the nickname ‘the Gateway to Hell’.
Hjálparfoss is but one of the many waterfalls in this area. Nearby, one can also find Þjófafoss, which flows from the Þjórsá river, and Háifoss, one of the tallest waterfalls in the country.
The water that flows from Hjálparfoss feeds the country’s second largest hydroelectric dam, which sits just a little downstream.
Getting to Hjálparfoss
Hjálparfoss is easy to get to, being just 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the village of Flúðir, famous for being home to the ethereal Secret Lagoon.
To reach it from Reykjavík, travel along the Ring Road heading south, before turning left onto Route 30. Turn right onto Route 32, which is a gravel road, and Hjálparfoss will be on your right as you get towards the end of the road.
Hjálparfoss is close to other popular locations, such as the aforementioned waterfalls and lagoon, and the famous sites of the Golden Circle. It is more than possible to comfortably visit it alongside Þingvellir National Park, the Geysir Geothermal Area and Gullfoss waterfall within a day.
At Stong in Thjorsarsalur valley in South Iceland you can see the Thjodveldisbaer, a reconstructed viking turf house based on the ruins of the old manor farm Stong.
The ruins themselves are well preserved and were closely followed during the reconstruction to give as fair a representiton of the abode of the chieftains of the saga age as possible.
There are good lodging accomodations in the area and the valley itself is home to a number of other attractions, including the Gjain canyon, Haifoss, one of the highest waterfalls in Iceland, the waterfall Hjalparfoss, and the vertical cliff Vegghamar, highly popular for rock climbing.
