Iceland > The Impressive Dettifoss

The car tire was half flat. There was no way we would make it to Egilsstaðir like that today. We returned to the garage where we had been yesterday afternoon. Luckily, they made time for us immediately. It turned out there was a nail in the tire. The tire was repaired and remounted under the car. We were ready to go. We drove along the north side of the Tjörnes peninsula, where Húsavik is located, toward the Dettifoss waterfall. At the Mánárbakki campsite, we reached the northernmost point of our trip. We were only 25 kilometers from the Arctic Circle. The Icelandic mainland just misses the Arctic Circle, but the Icelandic island Grímsey does lie on it. Further on, we turned off toward Dettifoss. The last 25 kilometers were on an unpaved road. You can visit the waterfall from both the west and east sides. Without really thinking about which side was best, we ended up at a parking lot on the east side of the waterfall. From the parking lot, we already looked down into the deep valley of the Jökulsá river. We walked down the valley via a path. The overwhelming sound of the Dettifoss waterfall could be heard. From the edge, we saw the impressive waterfall. Dettifoss is the largest waterfall in Europe by volume of water. The water falls about forty meters down across a width of one hundred meters. It is quite something to see this huge mass of water. On the east side, you can get very close to the waterfall. On the west side, people can view the waterfall from a platform.

Iceland - A huge amount of water falls into the canyon

There are paths leading down there as well. The view from both sides is probably equally beautiful. From Dettifoss, a hiking trail leads over rocks to a second waterfall: Selfoss. Selfoss lies 1,400 meters upstream. Although the path runs over large boulders, it is quite walkable. Soon we saw Selfoss appear ahead.

Iceland - In the mist of the Selfoss waterfall

All the water that later goes over Dettifoss first passes Selfoss. Here too, there is an impressive wall of falling water. From the edge of the rocks, the view was spectacular. The splashing water created a rainbow in the sunlight. We returned along the same path to the parking lot. To get back to the ring road, the 1, we still had to follow the gravel road for another thirty kilometers. Unlike the first stretch this morning, this part was much worse. A washboard ripple structure had formed transversely. Everything in the car vibrated. Because most tourists take this route to reach the east side of the waterfall, it was much busier on this road. We drove carefully. After about half an hour, we finally reached the paved road again. From there, we headed toward Egilsstaðir. A route through a deserted landscape. Hardly any houses stood there, and there were no villages at all. The landscape resembled a desert landscape: rolling bare rocky hills. Because of the colors of the rocks, it was a pleasure to drive through. We found the landscape too barren for a lunch stop and drove on a bit longer. This turned out to be a good choice. At a bridge over a small river, we found a nice spot. A picnic table on the edge of the valley. An Icelandic family passing by told us that this used to be a wild-flowing river, but since a dam upstream, only a small stream remains. We turned off toward Borgarfjörður Eystri, a village with 100 inhabitants on the northeastern fjord coast. Soon the road turned into an unpaved gravel road. We passed Lagarfoss. Contrary to what the name suggests, this is not a waterfall but a small dam. The waterfall was dammed off back in the seventies. We drove into the ‘Door Mountains.’ A spectacular road wound its way up the mountains with hairpin bends. We quickly gained altitude. Behind us, we looked out over a huge plain and the sea. An impressive view. On the other side, the road descended sharply again with tight turns down to sea level. We entered the small village of Borgarfjörður Eystri on the fjord of the same name. This village is also called the Elf Capital of Iceland. Many Icelanders believe in the existence of elves. Many people ask the elves for advice or help. It is no coincidence that the village has Álfaborg, the elf hill. In front of the hill stands a small wooden church. Inside it is cozy. Above the altar hangs a painting depicting Jesus being crucified on the Álfaborg. The harbor of Borgarfjörður lies a few kilometers away. On the rocks off the coast, many puffins come each year to make their nests. Around the rock, several platforms have been built so that the birds can be viewed up close.

Iceland - A puffin on the rocks near Borgarfjorur Eystri

The puffin breeding season lasts until mid-August. It was uncertain whether any birds were still present. We parked the car and walked to the rock. We saw other people taking photos. A few puffins were sitting on the rocks. What funny little creatures. They flew out to find food for their chicks. They seemed not to care about us at all. At the end of the afternoon, we drove to Egilsstaðir. We retraced a small part of the route back over the mountain pass and then drove on an unpaved road to Egilsstaðir. Egilsstaðir is the largest town in eastern Iceland. It serves as a regional center. For us, it was a good place to refuel and do shopping for tomorrow. Opposite the supermarket is a bar and bistro. This seemed a good place to eat. There are not many other options in Egilsstaðir. To our surprise, the bistro had a very extensive menu. So many choices. Meanwhile, the restaurant filled up quite a bit. Good thing we arrived on time. After dinner, we drove to the hotel. The hotel lies just outside Egilsstaðir. Just before we arrived, a coach with French tourists had also arrived. The receptionist apologized and asked us to wait a moment. After dealing with the group, he helped us with our key. He personally walked with us to the room to open the door. A nice hotel.