This is an odd looking waterfall on the Snaefellsness peninsula. It's almost a vertical river rather than water actually falling.You'll just need to zig-zag through town a bit to drive up to the parking lot near the waterfall. From there you can follow the path up and enjoy the view towards the waterfall and other way over the little town.

Bæjarfoss

Even though it's free, you get two for the price of one! It's a bit of a detour from the 1 road (about 40-55km, depending on the route you take), but if you've got the time: go for it! From the 1 road turn on the 50, and follow it until you can get on either the 518 or 523 and then the 518..The closest to the parking is Hraunfossar which is a very long stretch of waterfalls creating a cool wall of waterfalls.A few minute walk to the east you'll find Barnafossar, a strong aqua-colored waterfall.

Barnafossar &amp Hraunfossar

To be fair we didn't actually made it up there. It's steep, it was all snowed over and very icy. We tried going as far as we could but we made it about halfway up not even sure if were still following the path. Our crampons weren't enough to make it up any further, we kept sliding back down. It was still a great sight and we'll return for this one in better conditions.<a href="./budakirkja#budakirkja">Búðakirkja</a> is very close, worth a visit!

Bjarnarfoss

This little church is just a little detour from the 54 road. Take a turn at '574 Hellnar / Arnastapi', follow it for a minute and take another turn at 'Búðir'. From here it's only a 2km drive to the church. Pass Hotel Búðir on your left while keeping right and it's just around the corner. You can park right in front of the church.

Búðakirkja

It's a bit of walk to get there, but we got there a lot quicker than the sign at the parking lot estimated. In the end it took us a little over 45 minutes. It's a straightforward and not very exciting path going from the parking lot to the plane wreck. Alternatively you can get the shuttle with massive wheels. We walked both there and back.If you have a 4WD you're probably able to drive all the way up there. However we didn't have one, nor did we see anyone else do it.

DC-3 Plane Wreck

We stumbled upon this by accident, one of those "let's see where this goes" kind of things. I don't know why this and <a href="kirkjufjara-beach">Kirkjufjara Beach</a> isn't more famous, the views from here are amazing in every direction, and it's different everytime you visit. Probably the place we visited the most in Iceland. It's only a short drive from <a href="reynisfjara-beach">Reynisfjara Beach</a>.Coming from the ring road, just follow the sign "⌘ Dyrhólaey", after a few minutes the road might just be covered with water as it's on almost the same level of the road! It's almost always safe to just drive through it, even if you don't have a 4WD. Just follow the road until you see a gravel road on your right side. It goes up pretty steep so don't go too fast.

Dyrhólaey

This 'recently' erupted volcano is one of the latest additions to Iceland. Without much warning it suddenly erupted in January 1973, rising up to 200 meters above sea level where it stands today. At the top you'll get an amazing panoramic view of Vestmannaeyjar and Iceland itself.
You can walk here from the ferry, or take the car and start at one of the parking lot. There is a parking lot on the east side of Eldfell, and another road takes you further up from the north. Walking up can take anywhere between 20 minutes up 1.5 hours, depending on where you start. If you didn't take a car tot he island then it could take around 2 hours to walk all the way from the harbour to the top of Eldfell. It's worth it!

Eldfell

This one is actually very easy to reach, but it's something you don't want to miss when you find yourself on the island. When you've driven alongside of the golfcourse and parked your car you're already very close to it and should be to see it just a few hundred meters away. Just follow the path from the parking to the Elephant.

Elephant Rock

We may be cheating it a bit with including this one. You can't actually visit this island unless you belong to the Elliðaey Hunter Association.
However, you'll be able to spot it and take plenty of photos from the ferry in to and out of <a href="./vestmannaeyjar">Vestmannaeyjar</a>. You can also spot it from the island itself and we found that when you clim all the way up to <a href="./eldfell">Eldfell volcano</a> you get a fantastic view of the island with its idyllic lodge as well. Some things just look better from a distance anyway :)
There are excursions that take you around the island by boat, and some may even offer you to actually do get on the island. But these trips don't happen very often.

Elliðaey

If you're driving from North to South (or vice versa) and you're using 95 and 939 shortcut to get to the 1, this is an easy and quick stop. It's probably not worth a detour but if you really want to, it's a 5km drive on the 939 to get here

Folaldafoss

Of course the reason you've come to this location was to Seljalandsfoss, but most people don't realize that just a short walk from Seljalandsfoss is this waterfall hidden in a cave-like gorge. After visiting Seljalandsfoss simply follow the path north for a few hundred meters and you'll find Gljufrabui on your right side. There is only space for people to walk in one direction in/out, so make sure you're not walking in while others are trying to walk out. There's rocks you need to balance on in order to get in, and maybe hold the sides to make sure you don't fall into the water. Once you're in there's more space to move around.

Gljufrabui

A tiny version of Seljalandsfoss or <a href="./kvernufoss">Kvernufoss</a>. Another waterfall you can walk behind, but it hasn't really been discovered yet! There's actually two waterfalls here, and we're not sure which one is Gluggafoss and which one is Merkjárfoss, but they're very close together.Coming from Reykjavik on the 1 Road, turn onto 261 Road in Hvolsvöllur. If you're coming from the direction of Vik and don't have a 4x4 avoid the 250 Road, it won't do your car any good. Keep following the 1 Road until you can turn right onto 261 Road in Hvolsvöllur. Of course, if you have a 4x4, you can take the 250 Road.After you've parked just simply follow the stream up for about 125 meters to the first waterfall, this is the one you can walk under. Walk a bit further north to the second waterfall, it's no more than 50 meters further.

Gluggafoss (Merkjárfoss)

A small little hotspring turned into a bath. There's even a little brick house in which you can change in and out of your bathing wear. The water is not super warm, but warm enough! When you get in there's some sediment floating around but it's nothing harmful.

Guðrúnarlaug

Driving on the ring road, look out for a sign saying '8 Heinabergsjökull ⌘' (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/search/64.249970,-15.647018" target="_blank">GPS coords: 64.249970, -15.647018</a>). From there it's about 8km to the glacier lagoon. We tried driving there with a regular car, however we parked the car halfway due to the gravel getting worse and worse. Luckily for us we were able to hitch a ride with a very nice American couple who had the same car as we did, but the amount of rocks that got slammed to the car's underside really made me confident that leaving our car behind was the right choice.Once you get to the glacier lagoon it's very likely that you'll have it completely to yourself as it is far from a popular spot, but it's very pretty when we were there!

Heinabergslón

Helgafell is located on the Snæfellsnes, near the town of Hafnarfjörður. When driving on the 54, take the 58 in the direction of Stykkish. Follow the 58 North for only about 5km until you see the Helgafell sign on your right side. This road will lead you directly to the parking lot at the foot of small mountain. This is also where you'll need to pay for access to the mountain as it's private property.The mountain became a sacred mountain in the times of the Vikings. When walking up the mountain you are not allowed to speak or to look back. At the top you make make three wishes and the might just be granted :) We were joined by two very friendly dogs on our way up.Well.. it's not actually as easy as that, to see what you need to do exactly before making your three wishes see <a href="https://www.icelandicroots.com/post/2013/08/25/helgafell-three-wishes-and-our-ancestors" target="_blank">www.icelandicroots.com</a>.

Helgafell

Hjalparfoss is a unique waterfall in the sense that it's actually two seperate waterfalls joining in a elliptical pool. You'll get a great front-on view directly from the parking lot and while walking down towards the waterfall.Don't follow Google Maps blindly, because it might lead you to a small patch of gravel directly next to the main road. About 100 meters east of the bridge there should be a sign. Turn on to the gravel road and follow it for 1 kilometer, this shouldn't take more than 2 minutes. It'll lead you straight to the parking lot, giving you a beautiful view of the waterfall. Just follow the path and stairs down for a closer view.

Hjalparfoss

You can spot this impressive huge volcano from a big distance. And it's only a short drive to get there. From the 1 road, take the exit onto the 848 heading south and follow it for about 3.5km. This is where you'll find the entrance road to the volcano (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/search/65.610767,-16.917448" target="_blank">GPS coords: 65.610767, -16.917448</a>. Just follow the gravel road until you reach the parking lot with the little building.From here on your walk up starts, it's quite the climb and it can get very windy, we literally had rocks thrown in our faces because of the strong wind. In winter there was the added snow and ice, without crampons we wouldn't have stood a chance of getting up there. Once you're up it's a beautiful surrealistic view. If you want to walk the full circle that's going to be a little over 3km. Good luck!

Hverfjall

Steam is coming from everywhere, the ground is boiling, and the smell of rotten eggs is overwhelmin. You're not on Earth anymore, it's like you're walking on a completely different planet.It's an incredibly easy stop in the North of Iceland and there's no excuse for not visiting this place. From the 1 Road just take a turn at the '⌘ Hverir' sign, but you've probably already spotted all the steam from a distance.

Hverir

It's a bit of a drive over some random roads to get to this location, and Google Street View hasn't been here yet. Your navigation should be able to take you there though. And if you're feeling especially adventurous you can always choose to loop the other way around on your way back.

Hvitserkur

Right next to the famous Diamond Beach. But before the ice is shaped to diamonds, the ice breaks off the glacier and slowly drift under the bridge into the sea. You'll see the most beautiful colors and shapes here, especially if you visit during sunset. You'll hear distant cracks and splashes of ice breaking off. And you almost surely will spot some seals.There's many viewpoints directly next to the parking lot and as far as we've experienced it is very easy to get around on foot there.

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

Visiting Kerlingarfoss should be combined with visiting <a href="./svodufoss#svodufoss">Svöðufoss</a> as they're right next to each other. Two very cool waterfalls nearby each other, often overlooked and not super easy to find, so you won't find lots of people here. Our navigation wasn't too helpful, but about 3-4km east of Ólafsvík, take a left turn from the main road on to a gravel road (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/search/64.9053,-23.7855" target="_blank">GPS coords: 64.9053, -23.7855</a>). Follow this road and bend left after about 1.3km, after another 300m you will find the parking for both waterfalls.To get to Kerlingarfoss follow the foot path leading South-West until you get to a stone wall. From there head South-East, jump across the smaller stream and head South while keeping the bigger stream on your right. This will bring you straight to the waterfall. You can follow the path up next to the waterfall to get a real close look.<a href="/blogs/lesser-known-iceland/img/content/kerlingarfoss-svodufoss-map.jpg" target="_blank" class="p__link"><picture><source srcset="/blogs/lesser-known-iceland/img/content/kerlingarfoss-svodufoss-map-1500.jpg" media="(min-width: 1000px)"><source srcset="/blogs/lesser-known-iceland/img/content/kerlingarfoss-svodufoss-map-1000.jpg" media="(min-width: 400px)"><source srcset="/blogs/lesser-known-iceland/img/content/kerlingarfoss-svodufoss-map-500.jpg" media="(min-width: 250px)"><img src="/blogs/lesser-known-iceland/img/content/kerlingarfoss-svodufoss-map-1500.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Map to Kerlingarfoss and Svöðufoss" title="Map to Kerlingarfoss and Svöðufoss"></a></picture>

Kerlingarfoss

You're probably already aware of this location, maybe even without knowing it's in Iceland. It's a very iconic location and it looks great from many different angles. Driving West on the 54 you'll pass the small town of Grundarfjörður. Once you leave the town drive for about 2km West and you'll find the parking lot on your left side.

Kirkjufellsfoss

Right nearby <a href="./dyrholaey">Dyrhólaey</a> you'll find this beautiful view. I don't know why these aren't better known the masses since the views from here are amazing in every direction, and it's different everytime you visit. Only a short drive from <a href="./reynisfjara-beach">Reynisfjara Beach</a> (better known as Black Sand Beach), which is one of the views.Coming from the ring road, just follow the sign "⌘ Dyrhólaey", after a few minutes the road might just be covered with water as it's on almost the same level of the road! It's almost always safe to just drive through it, even if you don't have a 4WD. Just follow the road all the way up until you reach the parking lot. There's a few paths going down, but you can't really get lost there. Just enjoy all the different views!

Kirkjufjara Beach

Two smaller krater lakes right next to each other, each with its own vibrant turquoise/aqua hue. The lakes are very easy to reach and you can park right next to them.About a 9km drive from the 1 road, which shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. From the 1 road take the exit to '863 Krafla' (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/search/65.645175,-16.797347" target="_blank">GPS coords: 65.645175, -16.797347</a>). There's also a sign-pole saying KRAFLA. Just follow this road passing the steaming powerplant and the lonely outdoor shower.The drive up is beautiful with steam coming from the earth all around you.

Krafla

Kvernufoss is the much less visited but equally beautiful neighbor of Skógafoss. The best thing about it: You can walk behind it, giving you an amazing view! Most beautiful during sunset, when the sun illuminates the valley.Both times we went there, there were no other tourists, so figuring out how to get there was tricky. You can park the car at the end of the Skogar Museum parkinglot, next to the hangars. Directly behind the very last building you'll find a small ladder that takes you over the fence. Keep left and follow the path to the stream. From here on you just need to follow the path and it takes you straight to Kvernufoss.

Kvernufoss

We got very lucky with the sunset here, but even without a sunset it's a beautiful place to visit. The rock formation look unreal! To get to the viewpoint just follow the path up, it's the best view you're gonna get.If you want to see it from up close it's less than 1km. It's more impressive from far away, but still impressive from up close as well.

Lóndrangar

A great alternative to the more famous Blue Lagoon lake near Reykjavik. Mývatn Nature Baths is cheaper, more relaxed and it offers a beautiful view over the cold area. The water has different temperatures depending on where you are; basically the further in you go the warmer it gets. There is also a sauna to enjoy :)

Mývatn Nature Baths

This one is going to look a lot better than in the photo above! We didn't bring the proper gear so we couldn't get all the way up to the actual waterfall. Bring rain boots or just be prepared to get wet feet! But even if you don't make it all the way up to the waterfall it's still fun to walk through the beautiful gorge.Once you've parked your car follow the path to the entrance of the gorge. If it's too difficult to cross the little stream at the parking lot, walk back to the road and walk alongside of the trench keeping it on your left side. On the way you'll pass a small picknick table and a little bridge. From here you'll enter the gorge and for the most part you can just walk on the sides of the gorge, it's pretty self explanatory. Unfortunately we had to stop at the small waterfalls you can see on the cover photo, we didn't plan ahead very well. The actual waterfall is just beyond this point. If you continue up there should be chains on the sides but still rain boots are necessity at this point. The waterfall is very similar to the nearby <a href="/gljufrabui" title="Gljufrabui">Gljufrabui</a>.

Nauthúsagil

The Puffin Lookout on Vestmannaeyjar is very easy to find and reach, it's also a very pretty drive to get there and you'll get a panoramic view of the island with the mainland on the background. Once you've parked the car, just follow the path to the cabin.

Puffin Lookout

Get ready for a bit of a walk for this one! On your drive in you already got to see lots of steam coming from everwhere, and as soon as you get out of the car you're almost directly surounded by warm rivers and boiling mudpits.Just follow the path up for 750 meters (~10 minutes) and this is where the real hike begins. It's more of a hike than you might expect it to be with the path going up and down, but the walk itself is beautiful. After hiking for about 3 kilometers from the parking lot, you'll get to a warm stream. It starts of lukewarm, but the further upstream you go, the warmer it gets. So be patient with taking off your clothes and jumping in.

Reykjadalur Hot River

Careful! There can be huge unexpected waves crashing on to the beach out of nowhere and drag you into the freezing ocean! It's a serious risk with deadly results. So no matter how calm the ocean may seem, be aware!If you've visited <a href="./dyrholaey">Dyrhólaey</a> you've already seen this Reynisfjara (aka Black Sand Beach) from a distance, but it's even better from up close. The basalt columns rock formations are definitely a view worth seeing from up close.This is also as close you'll get to Reynisdrangar, the rock pillars that rise out from the sea water just off shore.

Reynisfjara Beach (Black Sand Beach)

This is one of the oldest outdoor swimming pools in Iceland (built in 1923). We wanted to visit it for a long time but thought it was a bit difficult to get to and we expected a long hike. It turned out it’s actually not as remote as we thought at all and is located in between Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss, so you could easily combine them. To get there you’d need to drive on a gravel road for 5 minutes (we had a 4x4 but the road was pretty good so a normal car should also be fine unless there’s snow). At the end of the gravel road there’s a small parking place and then you’d have to hike for about 15-20 minutes to get to the swimming pool itself. The trail is not marked but is quite intuitive and very easy, you’d have to cross a small stream and you’d be able to see the warm water pipes after about 10-15 minutes. However, you won’t be able to see the pool itself up until you’re almost there.

Seljavallalaug swimming pool

I honestly have no idea why this is not that well known. It's a remarkable looking waterfall with a beautiful backdrop, just a two minute drive from the ring road. It's hardly a detour and it's very easy to walk up to.When you drive from the 1 Road into the town of Skaftárhreppur you'll get to a roundabout. Take the north exit, 203 Geirland and after about 1km you'll find the parking for the waterfall on your left, and you can park pretty close to it. It's shouldn't be more than a few minutes walk to get to the waterfall, and you can see it pretty much as soon as you get out of the car.

Stjórnarfoss

With the exception of the last photo, some photos from our visit

Perhaps one of the most iconic places of Iceland. Despite of that it can actually be a little tricky to find as your navigation is likely not to be able to find the exact location. So here's our attempt to get you there:Driving on the 1 road, look for the sign 'Brú á Jökuldal 923' and take that exit. (<a class="gps" href="https://www.google.com/maps/search/65.311083,-15.147694" target="_blank">GPS coords: 65.311083, -15.147694</a>, the road 923 road is also called Jökuldalsvegur. Follow it for about 1.3km and cross the bridge, from here the gravel road starts. Drive for another 1km or so, and take a left, leaving the 923 and now you're heading South keeping the canyon on your left. You're gonna follow this road for about 16-17km while all the while keeping the canyon on your side. There will be a sign or two with the Point Of Interest symbol ⌘, but the one you're most likely looking for is not gonna be the first one you'll see along the drive. Here's the exit for the parking lot to the iconic location: <a class="gps" href="https://www.google.com/maps/search/65.311083,-15.147694" target="_blank">GPS coords: 65.169969, -15.309662</a>. And that's it, there's the parking lot.

Stuðlagil Canyon

This relatively easy to reach glacier is worth a visit! If you can at least, on our second visit it was closed due its unpredictability. The glacier ice has a very nice aqua-ish color.The walk from the car to the lagoon itself is super easy but to get a better view you'll need to climb over some rocks a little which can be tricky.It's a surprisingly peaceful place where at times you'll hear a big splash of water when a piece of ice breaks off.

Svínafellsjökull

Visiting Svöðufoss should be combined with visiting <a href="./kerlingarfoss#kerlingarfoss">Kerlingarfoss</a> as they're right next to each other. Two very cool waterfalls nearby each other, often overlooked and not super easy to find, so you won't find lots of people here. Our navigation wasn't too helpful, but about 3-4km east of Ólafsvík, take a left turn from the main road on to a gravel road (<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/search/64.9053,-23.7855" target="_blank">GPS coords: 64.9053, -23.7855</a>). Follow this road and bend left after about 1.3km, after another 300m you will find the parking for both waterfalls.To get to Svöðufoss follow the gravel road leading South-East for less than 1km and you're there.<a href="/blogs/lesser-known-iceland/img/content/kerlingarfoss-svodufoss-map.jpg" target="_blank" class="p__link"><picture><source srcset="/blogs/lesser-known-iceland/img/content/kerlingarfoss-svodufoss-map-1500.jpg" media="(min-width: 1000px)"><source srcset="/blogs/lesser-known-iceland/img/content/kerlingarfoss-svodufoss-map-1000.jpg" media="(min-width: 400px)"><source srcset="/blogs/lesser-known-iceland/img/content/kerlingarfoss-svodufoss-map-500.jpg" media="(min-width: 250px)"><img src="/blogs/lesser-known-iceland/img/content/kerlingarfoss-svodufoss-map-1500.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Map to Kerlingarfoss and Svöðufoss" title="Map to Kerlingarfoss and Svöðufoss"></a></picture>

Svöðufoss

Often skipped but such a pretty group of islands! The main and only inhabited island is Heimaey. Arriving and deperarting by boat to Heimaey is so beautiful too. You can also fly to the island. For the most recent ferry/flight schedule and prices see <a href="https://visitwestmanislands.com/" target="_blank">Visit Westman Islands</a>If you have the time for it and you're a bit of a hiker you can do everything on foot, get the first boat in the morning and the last one in the evening. That's what we did at least! But we advise to bring your car, so you can take your time a bit more. This island is filled with a whole bunch of places of interest such as <a href="./ellidaey">Elliðaey</a>, <a href="./eldfellr">Eldfell</a>, <a href="./elephant-rock">Elephant Rock</a>, the <a href="./puffin-lookout">Puffin Lookout</a>, and the town of Vestmannaeyjabær.

Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar)

Of course there is a Yoda Cave on Iceland, why wouldn't there be one? If you're coming from the direction of Vik, follow the 1 Road for about 12km until you see a rock formation on your righthand side (looking south). There will be a small blue sign saying "Hjörleifshöfði", this is where you need to take a turn onto the gravel road. Just follow this road for about 2.5km and it'll lead you straight to the cave.It's a bit small on the inside and there isn't much else to see around the area so this doesn't need to be an hour long stop, but rather a quick visit to snap that one photo you need!

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