Hengifoss

One of the sights I was particularly keen to see on our trip to the East of Iceland was Hengifoss, having seen pictures of it with the amazing red horizontal stripes in the cliff behind it. It is particularly picturesque. Although it can be seen from the road (far in the distance) it necessitates a bit of a hike before you get to see it properly. What I didn’t know before going to see it, is that on the way to Hengifoss, you have the added bonus of passing Litlanesfoss, which, whilst not as dramatic looking, is also extremely picturesque and well worth a visit in its own right.

The name Hengifoss translates as the Hanging Falls and it is one of the tallest waterfalls in Iceland. It is found in the Hengifossá river in the municipality of Fljótsdalshreppur in East Iceland and has a drop of some 128 metres, which according to most official sources makes it the third tallest waterfall in the country.

The hike that leads to Hengifoss is one of the most popular hiking routes in East Iceland. From the car park it is a 40-60 minute hike, so with stops for photographs and to enjoy the views, the trip takes about two and a half hours. It’s not a particularly long route – only about 2km (1.2 miles) but it is fairly steep in places, so takes longer to hike than you would imagine. It starts with a path from the car park, interspersed with gates, presumably to keep the sheep in, then a flight of steps and then continues as a gravel path. At times, the path is very close to the edge of the gorge, so we were quite careful about not walking too close to the edge of the track. There have been benches placed at intervals on the route so that people can stop and rest whilst enjoying the views from the climb.

*Looking back at the valley from partway up the climb*

I must admit that I was glad of my sturdy hiking boots as I wouldn’t have wanted to make the hike in trainers. There are also points where there are small streams across the path so waterproof boots are very useful. Following the stream up the slope means that it is quite a picturesque hike and on a sunny day we found that we often saw mini rainbows in the spray of the many places where water found its way down the mountain.

*The sun catching the spray and making rainbows*

After about 1.2km (0.75 miles) we reached Litlanesfoss. The Litlanesfoss falls are about 30 meters (98 feet) high and are formed of two drops. Although nowhere near as high as Hengifoss, Litlanesfoss is very pretty and is backed by another distinctive rock feature: basalt columns. These are naturally formed columns in a long hexagonal shape, measuring up to 20 metres (66 feet). For this reason, Litlanesfoss’s other Icelandic name is Stuðlabergsfoss, which means ‘Basalt Column Falls’. Hidden from view at first, we got just a glimpse, and had to go to the very edge of the path to see this lovely waterfall in full.

*First view of Litlanesfoss from the path*

The gorge circling the falls is very steep and covered with loose gravel. People do climb down into the canyon to get pictures of Litlanesfoss from below, but it wasn’t something I would have tried. It looked as if the climb back up would be very difficult indeed. We were happy just to enjoy the vista from the viewing point on the path. Litlanesfoss can’t be seen from the road so it was a lovely surprise on the walk up.

The waterfall is beautifully framed by its basalt columns, some of which are standing straight and others curved. Being up to 20 metres high, they are amongst the tallest basalt columns in Iceland. The waterfall cascades into a small pond. It really is a lovely waterfall and a real bonus to stop and enjoy on the way to the main event. It’s worth noting that although the hike up as far as Litlanefoss is pretty much always open, the top part of the hike to Hengifoss itself can at times be closed due to spring conditions.

Shortly after leaving the Litlanesfoss viewing point we got our first view of Hengifoss in its gorge. This was about 40 minutes into the hike and there was still half a kilometer left to the base of the waterfall. This last section of the hike was very enjoyable, although there are huge boulders to clamber over at various points, making it a little time-consuming.

The waterfall is located in a deep gorge, filled with broken boulders and loose gravel. It was very easy to trip, so we had to be careful and watch our footing as we went.

Hengifoss is quite unlike any of the other waterfalls we’ve seen, due to the distinctive rock pattern on the cliffs behind the water. The thick layers of basalt lava rock are broken up by thin layers of red clay, creating a stripe pattern. Geologists have also discovered fossilised trees within the layers, Hengifoss waterfall is characterized by the rock layers of red clay sandwiched between layers of basalt creating red strata patterns - these basalt layers are some 5-6 million years old and date from volcanic eruptions in the Tertiary Period. The reddish stripes are made up of old soil and sediment, the red colour coming from the iron in the clay which oxidises, thus giving Hengifoss its distinctively striped background. It is fascinating to see, showing clearly the various stages of how Iceland was formed by a combination of volcanic times and times of cooling.

There is a viewpoint near the base of the waterfall and a sign indicating that for your safety you should not attempt to go any further. Of course people do, but we were quite happy to take photos from the viewing point. After taking pictures, we turned and headed back down to the car park - It is also possible to walk up to and behind Hengifoss, cross the river and walk down on the other side but that is a longer hike. We had other plans for the day so went back the way we had come. Next time we will probably try the loop, coming back down on the other side of the river. The walk down is pretty easy (after the rock-clambering section) and takes less time than the climb. So although not a difficult hike it is a very rewarding one and we were glad to have done it and to have seen this rather unusual waterfall.

Ásbyrgi Canyon

Vök Baths