At Lake Lagarfljót, near Egilsstadir, are two of the prettiest waterfalls in Iceland – and each of them is beautiful in a completely different way. One trail takes you to both.
Hengifoss – undisputedly beautiful
Although Hengifoss (literally, hanging waterfall) is not the tallest waterfall in Iceland, many people consider it the most beautiful – and the competition here is enormous. Its height alone is impressive, but what really sets it apart is the backdrop: a sandwich of red and black layers in the rock face, striking enough to stop even experienced travelers. The black bands are lava flows from the Miocene, stacked one on top of another. The red ones are not ash: they are the soil that had time to form on each flow in a warm climate before the next eruption buried it, and iron compounds are what give that old soil its rust-red color. Between one flow and the next an average of some 10,000 years could pass (source: Vísindavefur), which is why the layers are so regular. More on how all this works in How Iceland’s volcanoes work.
Second highest or third highest?
Hengifossá drops off the edge of the Fljótsdalsheiði plateau at about 500 meters (1,600 ft) above sea level into the Hengifossárgljúfur gorge, and the waterfall itself is 128 meters (420 ft) high. That puts it behind Morsárfoss (240 m / 790 ft) and Glymur (198 m / 650 ft), making it Iceland’s third-highest waterfall. Yet it is still often pointed to as the second highest. How is this possible?
The thing is that Morsárfoss was only discovered in 2007, because it sits inside the Morsárjökull glacier, north of Skaftafell. It has almost certainly existed for a very long time, but only the current warming has pulled the glacier back far enough to expose the rock the water falls over. It is still hard to reach, and older sources understandably leave Morsárfoss out altogether.
The unique beauty of Litlanesfoss
Walking up the path to Hengifoss you pass its smaller neighbor first – this is Litlanesfoss, also one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland. It is a two-tiered fall about 30 meters (100 ft) high, on the same river as its taller brother.
The unique beauty of Litlanesfoss waterfall is created by the beautiful hexagonal basalt columns surrounding it. They are quite common in Iceland (they can be found at Reynisfjara, Svartifoss, Aldeyjarfoss, the nearby Studlagil or Borgarvirki) and, as a symbol of Iceland, became, for example, the inspiration for the architecture of the Hallgrimskirkja church in Reykjavik. However, such rock formations are rather rare in the world, and in Iceland itself, too, access to many such beautiful places is quite difficult.
The columns at Litlanesfoss are among the tallest in the country – the biggest of them stand about twenty meters (65 ft) high. So although many tourists treat it as nothing more than a nice stop on the way to Hengifoss, Litlanesfoss is certainly a beautiful attraction in itself. The walk up to it is relatively easy, too, and takes no particular fitness.
Beautiful surroundings of the waterfalls
The surroundings of the waterfalls are also very interesting. There are rock formations of various sizes, lignite formed from naturally compressed peat – out of the very same sedimentary layers you can see in the wall behind Hengifoss – and islands of local vegetation. Straight across the lake stands the largest forest in Iceland today, Hallormsstaðaskógur. Lake Lagarfljot itself also looks beautiful and is one of the largest lakes in Iceland.
Read more about the many other attractions in the area in the article on Egilsstadir – the capital of eastern Iceland.
Hengifoss and Litlanesfoss – tips and practical information
- The falls are located on the northern – or, if you prefer, western – shore of Lake Lagarfljót, in the Fljótsdalur valley, southwest of Egilsstadir.
- The public parking lot, where the trail to the falls begins, is located on Road 933, at the level of the southern bridge over Lagarfljot. It’s about 35 kilometers (22 miles) and a 30-minute drive from Egilsstadir, and the road is paved the whole way, so a regular car is enough – you do not need a 4×4. If you’re driving along the ring road from the south, you should have already taken road 95 (possibly via 939) and then 931. If you’re continuing on road F910 toward Askja (or coming from that area), the parking lot at Litlanesfoss waterfall is just down the road.
- There are toilets at the parking lot, and information boards about the trail.
- There is a convenient path to the waterfalls. It is about 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) and 250 meters (820 ft) of climbing one way – some 30 minutes up to Litlanesfoss and about as much again to Hengifoss, so count on an hour, an hour and a half at the outside. The trail is not difficult, but it certainly requires good shoes (well, and weather).
- You can visit the falls at any time of the year. Use caution, however, and stay away from the edge of the valley, as the walking paths can be very slippery at any time of the year.
- Hengifoss can be viewed from a vantage point in the distance. Update (June ’23, thanks to a reader): “There is currently no way to walk up to the waterfall itself; there are signs at the viewpoint saying you may not go any further”.
- Experienced hikers can climb to the top and view Hengifoss from above. The route to the top is, however, quite challenging and less safe.
- About 7 kilometers (4.5 miles) to the southeast, via Route 933, is the Hengifoss campground. Many accommodations can be found in nearby Egilsstadir, but the most interesting place to stay in the area, in our opinion, is the hostel-guesthouse Laugarfell.
Photos of Hengifoss and Litlanesfoss waterfalls
