Hraunfossar – The Effortless Masterpiece of Iceland
Blue House Blog, Reykjavik, Iceland
One can begin to crave nature after one too many walks up and down Iceland. On a recent spring day, our choice was to head to one of Iceland’s most breathtaking sights — Hraunfossar, the awe-inspiring lava falls, located in West Iceland nearby another waterfall called Barnafoss. Hraunfossar is a series of gorgeous waterfalls formed as a result of rivulets streaming out of the Hallmundarhraun lava field. Continue reading at Blue House blog for more information.
What Is ‘Hraunfossar’?
Hraunfossar or also known as Lava Waterfalls is located in Borgarfjörður in West Iceland somewhere between Húsafell and Reykholt. This mind-blowing waterfall is a clear cold spring that streams from under a lava field and cascades down into the Hvítá river. The color of the water is normally blue but sometimes it seems milky white. The scenery around this natural phenomenon is astonishing and worth the detour.
This picturesque waterfall has been protected since 1987. It is kind of peculiar how a chain of waterfalls, looks like they appear from a lava field called Hallmundarhraun. This lava field is the broadest in Borgarfjörður and is about 52 km long and 7 km wide. The lava field was itself formed as a result of an eruption close to Langjökull glacier and somewhere around settlement time in Iceland. In Hallmundarhraun, very close to the waterfall can also be found three caves. They are called Surtshellir, Stefánshellir and Víðgelmir.
Some other attractions of Iceland to see nearby: Reykholt, Deildartunguhver hot spring, and Hallmundarhraun lava field.
How to get to this waterfall?
You can either watch this amazing waterfall from a great viewpoint, which is near the car park (where you can shoot some amazing photos as well, so don’t forget your cameras folks) or you can have a nice short hike to the waterfall Barnafoss from Hraunfossar.
If you are coming from Reykjavík, the drive to the waterfalls will take you about 1 hour and 30 minutes (it’s around a 120 km drive). This could be one of the perfect day trips from Reykjavík to visit the waterfall or to stop there if you are on the way to see the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Also from the Ring Road, it is only a 40 minutes bypass (one way) to the waterfalls.
Another way is to take Ring Road nr. 1 towards the town Borgarnes. Just make sure to take the Hvalfjörður Tunnel for a much shorter drive. Be careful to take a right turn to road nr. 50 just before the town Borgarnes and then drive for about 25 minutes and after that take road nr. 518. Continue with this road for about 15 minutes until you see the waterfall parking lot.
Do you need accommodation for your trip to Iceland? ? Book with us at Blue House B&B!
More Posts:
Best Hot Springs near Reykjavik
Whale Fjord: A Complete Escape From Reykjavik
Fimmvorduhals Tour: Adventure Between Glaciers
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