3 Unique Waterfalls in West Iceland

Wandering Around Waterfalls in West Iceland

Our Iceland adventure certainly was not short on waterfalls! After exploring the stunning Snaefellsnes Peninsula during our recent trip, we wandered through more of West Iceland. Of course, we had to add several waterfalls to our excursion! During our West Iceland excursion, we explored three different waterfalls and each was quite unique!




Glanni:

Glanni is not too far from an old lava flow which I will discuss in a future post. The two make quite an interesting pair to explore, so plan to spend part of a day there. Glanni is a wide river waterfall with many steps. Pretty spectacular:

Glanni consists of several shelves of water cascading from a wide river.

Glanni is said to be a dwelling place for elves and trolls. When you visit, don't forget to walk the path to the lagoon. Once you see the lagoon, you will really begin to imagine Glanni as a spot for trolls and elves. We saw a number of travelers just visit Glanni. The lagoon really is just a short walk away, so don't skip it!

Calm, serene lagoon at Glanni.

Hraunfossar:

Captivating panoramas unfold from a variety of vantage points at Hraunfossar.

Hraunfossar or Lava Falls creates an incredible scene where silver threads of water appear to fall from within the lava rocks. At a variety of vantage points, you will see small streams seep through lava rocks and then fall as waterfalls down to the Hvítȧ River.

Water streams from within the lava rocks at Hraunfossar.

A variety of overlooks left us awestruck with so many magical panoramic views. We climbed from spot to spot and paused at each just to absorb the scene around.

Hraunfossar flows with threads of water streaming through lava rock.

Barnafoss:

Next to Hraunfossar is another waterfall called Barnafoss or Children's Falls . A tragic story accompanies Barnafoss. According to Icelandic folklore, parents left two boys at a nearby farm while they attended church with their ploughman. Getting a little bored, the boys decided to follow their parents. While crossing a natural bridge across the falls, the boys fell in and drowned. The grieving mother cursed the bridge stating that whomever crosses it will also fall and drown. The bridge does eventually collapse and is no longer there. A little spooky and pretty interesting! Barnafoss provides quite the contrast to Hraunfossar and makes for a nice pair.

Barnafoss or Children's Falls thunders in West Iceland.

Near Barnafossar and Hraunfossar, you will find a restaurant/shop. The spot provides for a nice lunch stop along with wandering. While exploring these West Iceland waterfalls, be sure to take time and just be present. They are divine, so don't be tempted to just check them off of the list!