Iceland > The Hraunfossar Lava Waterfall

The sun is shining when we open the curtains. The view of the mountains and the waterfall immediately looks more beautiful. During breakfast, we sit on the terrace overlooking the waterfall. The owner explains that the salmon here swim upstream against the river. On a screen, he proudly shows footage from an underwater camera in the waterfall. We leave Fossatún and drive eastward toward the Hraunfosser and Barnafoss waterfalls. At the Hraun waterfall, water flows from under the lava over a width of one hundred meters.

Iceland - The Hraunfossar waterfalls

There is no river or lake above this waterfall. The nearby Barna waterfall, on the other hand, pushes a huge amount of water through a narrow gorge of lava rocks. Both waterfalls are impressive. In the same region, there are also geothermal fields. Warm steam bubbles up to the surface due to volcanic activity. In the landscape, we see plumes of smoke rising in several places. Deildartunguhver is the largest hot spring in Europe. Here, 180 liters of boiling water come out of the ground every second. This water heats the towns of Borgarnes and Akranes. Unfortunately, there are maintenance works going on at the hot water installation, so we cannot visit the springs. As an alternative, we drive to the nearby town of Reykholt. Here stands the statue of the famous 12th-century Icelandic writer and politician Snorri Sturluson. We skip his museum and continue driving until we reach the ring road again. Along the ring road lies the Grábrók crater. This 170-meter-high crater is relatively easy to climb via a wooden staircase. From the crater rim, we have a panoramic view of the surroundings. We also look into the crater of this former volcano. It is hardly imaginable that this crater was formed 3,000 years ago during a volcanic eruption.

Iceland - View of the smaller crater from the Grabrok crater

From the crater, I also see the smaller Grábrókarfell crater lying just next to the Grábrók crater. The oval shape of the crater is clearly visible. Back down, we have a picnic lunch at a parking area just off the ring road. It is still a two-hour drive to our overnight stay in Varmahlíð. We had planned to first drive to Sauðárkrókur to eat there and then continue on to Varmahlíð. We don’t expect there to be a restaurant in Varmahlíð. We are just a bit early to eat already, so we decide to drive around the Skagi peninsula. Maybe we will have some nice views along the way. Right after we get back on the ring road after lunch, the weather seems to turn. We drive into the clouds and visibility is reduced by fog. We drive carefully. The fog turns into light rain. What a difference compared to this morning’s weather. It is rightly said that the weather in Iceland can suddenly change. At Blönduós, we leave the ring road. Soon the road turns into an unpaved gravel road. We drive carefully. We are allowed to drive on gravel roads with our rental car but have to watch out for stones thrown up by passing cars. Luckily, traffic here is sparse. Occasionally we see a house. Living here would mean being in the middle of nowhere. We drive into the town of Skagaströnd for a drink. We see a signpost to a restaurant but cannot find it. Only when we want to leave do we spot the Harbor restaurant. From the outside, it looks like one of the harbor buildings. Inside, we drink a cola. At Hraun, we pass the northernmost tip of Skagi. From here we drive south again. Along the roadside is a sign with a tourist attraction symbol. What could it be? Curious as we are, we park and follow the path. We have to climb over a gate using a small staircase. We arrive at a beautiful cliff by the sea. The rocks here jut vertically out of the water. To our left, the water from a small stream falls into the sea. Where else do you see a waterfall that ends in the sea? At half past five, we enter Sauðárkrókur. Surely there will be some restaurants here? We drive slowly through the village. Two restaurants seem closed. What’s left is a bakery and a wok restaurant. Luckily, the wok restaurant also has other dishes on the menu because we don’t see many other dining options. It turns out to be good that we ate early because soon all tables are taken. After the meal, we are offered ice cream on the house. How nice. It is still half an hour’s drive to Varmahlíð. The reception for key pickup is already closed. There is a box with an envelope for us inside. The envelope contains our key. The cabins lie a bit further on. Six wooden chalets surrounding a natural hot tub. The cabin looks well maintained. In the evening, we take a dip in the hot tub. Carefully, we step into the warm water. The temperature is around 39 degrees Celsius. The spring is naturally heated. Special!

Iceland - Enjoying the warm water of 39 degrees Celsius