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Hólssandur – Dettifoss – Selfoss – Hafragilsfoss
Despite being situated in the Southeast and very close to the coast, the mighty Vatnajökull glacier sends a huge amount of its melting water straight to the north and to the part of Iceland’s coast that is farthest away from the glacier. The river Jökulsa á Fjöllum transports an average of 200 cubic meter per second over a distance of 200 kilometers through the northern tundra until it reaches its delta at the Öxafjördur near the northernmost tip of the island.
During its last the river passes the Hólssandur, a vast and barren, mostly sandy plain. Some parts of the plain have been punctured by fairly recent volcanic activities manifesting in reddish volcanic cones and bizarre-looking lava formations. At parts the area resembles Lanzarote´s Timanfaya area, other parts look like West African desserts (at least as long as they are not covered with snow). Despite its barrenness, the drive along the gravel road east of the river is fascinating and somewhat hypnotic, as long as you can suppress the torturous rattling of the washboard road.
The Jökulsa á Fjöllum carries enormous amounts of sand and pebble with its water masses and over the centuries has dug itself deep into the plain, thus creating a deep canyon (which some compare with the Grand Canyon, but this is an exaggeration). Basalt ledges within the plain have resisted the erosion much better than the predominant sand and lighter volcanic bedrock that builds the foundation of the plain, which lead to the creation of a string of waterfalls.
The Dettifoss is the biggest of these waterfalls – in terms of the amount of water rushing down the 44 meters step into the canyon not only of Iceland but of all Europe – and one of the most spectacular natural wonders in the area. At least during summer season this means that you probably won´t be alone admiring it. The easier to reach western part of the waterfall will usually be the most populated while at the eastern part you won´t be alone either but the rough gravel road leading to this place obviously keeps the crowds smaller (while the view from here is at least as good as from the west side).
A 15 minutes walk south from the Dettifoss along a lower section of the canyon brings you to the next waterfall, the Selfoss. This one is just 10 to 15 meters high but stretches along a wall of basalt pillars for about 200 meters. Well worth visiting especially once you are already at the Dettifoss.
A couple of kilometers north of the Dettifoss the canyon is much deeper and down at the canyon lies another mighty waterfall. The Hafragilsfoss is smaller than the Dettifoss but the combination of the deep canyon and the surrounding volcanic quaintness makes for another fantastic scenery.
Further down the river there are a couple of more, smaller waterfalls and some more strange rock formations and geological oddities, also worth a visit once you are in the area and have enough time.
For more impressions check the galleries (Hólssandur – Dettifoss – Selfoss – Hafragilsfoss).
Related stories: Episode 4(b) of the Iceland Saga.
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