Hjálparfoss is a very romantic waterfall called the Waterfall of Help or the Waterfall of Lovers. Why is that? Read below…
Help Waterfall
The name Hjálparfoss means Waterfall of Help. In the past, when Icelanders crossed the sandy and rocky highlands on the Sprengisandur route from the north to the south of the island, finding a grass-covered spot that would provide food for the horses and water for the entire caravan bordered on the miraculous. The green hollow around the waterfall was often the first such place they found after days on the road – and the area itself is still called Hjálp, meaning help (in Icelandic).
In more modern times, the two streams of the waterfall, converging toward each other and joining just below the lip, bring associations with the union of two people – with marriage. That is why, especially in the tourism industry, the popular name for this waterfall today is the Waterfall of Lovers.
Although the surroundings of the waterfall are rough and rocky, combined with the falls and the pool below them they make an extremely picturesque image that is soothing to the eyes. Its uniqueness is complemented by basalt rock formations, in places wildly contorted and unusually twisted. Also close to Hjálparfoss is the Þjófafoss waterfall, which flows from the Þjórsá River, and the Háifoss waterfall, one of the highest waterfalls in the country.
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How to get to Hjálparfoss
Hjálparfoss is located on Road 32, about 23 km (14 miles) east of the town of Fludir (going by road it’s more like 40 km, or 25 miles).
It’s worth a stop here when you’re exploring the Þjórsárdalur Valley. Other attractions of the area include: