Gljúfrabúi: Canyon Waterfall in Southern Iceland
Do you want to see the best watefalls Iceland has to offer? You definitely do not want to miss out on Gljúfrabúi Waterfall!
Gljúfrabúi (Canyon Dweller in Icelandic) is a hidden waterfall just down the path from Seljalandsfoss. Iceland is known for its beautiful waterfalls, and this one definitely makes its way to the top of the list, not for its size, but for the uniqueness of its location. Many of Iceland’s waterfalls are enormous cascades of water flowing over huge cliffs, but Gljúfrabúi is a tall waterfall nestled into a narrow canyon.
About Gljúfrabúi
Gljúfrabúi is located in southwestern Iceland along the Ring Road, not far from the ferry to the Westman Islands. Gljúfrabúi is made by the river Gljúfurá falling 131 feet (40 meters) and it crashes down in front of a giant boulder, which makes for amazing pictures…if your photographer is a little bit older than six years old or better at taking pictures than I am. To be fair, I was trying not to fall in the river and everything was so wet from the waterfall spray that I couldn’t dry off the lens, so that is going to be my excuse.
Getting There
Gljúfrabúi is right off the Ring Road (Route 1) on Road 249. It shares a parking lot with Seljalandsfoss, which is well-marked with signs.
Cost of Visiting Gljúfrabúi
Visiting the waterfall is free, however, you do have to pay for parking. It was 800 ISK when we were there.
Parking for Gljúfrabúi
You have to pay for parking at Gljúfrabúi/Seljalandsfoss. It was 800 ISK when we went. You park and then go pay at the kiosk. Place your receipt on the dashboard of your car. The parking lot is gravel with 3 rows of parking spaces. There is also an additional parking lot with extra large parking spaces for motorhomes or buses. There are bathrooms at the parking lot with a donation for use.
Walking to Gljúfrabúi
Gljúfrabúi is an easy 0.4 mile (644 meter) walk from Seljalandsfoss. The pathway is very well packed gravel that acts almost like pavement. It goes over two bridges and you pass multiple small waterfalls as you go along. The pathway also runs along a stream for a little bit, which naturally our kids had to feel. Thankfully they were wearing their rainboots, so nobody ended up with wet socks…yet.
Cave Exploring
As you near the waterfall, there is a little dirt path that breaks off and goes up to a little cave. Of course the kiddos wanted to explore the cave, and it was just big enough for the two of them to sit in there together. With it being Iceland, you never know, that could have been home to an Icelandic elf.
Canyon Exploring
A little farther down the main path to Gljúfrabúi is another little dirt path that breaks off. This path leads to a….slot canyon? I’m not really sure what to call it, but it reminded us of some of the slot canyons we’ve explored in southern Utah, minus the beautiful red rock part. Obviously, we had to stop and explore this little canyon as well, which was fine because we had rented our own car and weren’t in a hurry to get back to a tour bus.
The Approach to Gljúfrabúi
When you finally come to the end of the trail, it goes down a semi-steep slope to the canyon where Gljúfrabúi is. There are railings to help you get down if it is slippery. There are also rubber mats to help with traction as well. At the bottom of the slope there is a warning sign before you go into the canyon.
Gljúfrabúi
All of my research said that we were going to have to walk in the river to get to the waterfall, so we wore our rain boots to avoid getting wet socks. However, when we went, the water was low enough that we could walk on the rocks along the side and not get our feet wet at all…unless you intentionally step out into the water. But that is a story for a little bit later.
Once you enter the canyon, the roar of the waterfall is all-encompassing. It is hard to have a conversation in there because the sound coming from the waterfall is too loud. The waterfall isn’t very far back, about 100 feet (30 meters) is all.
There is a huge boulder right in front of the waterfall and it is perfect for climbing on and makes a pretty cool picture. If you go anywhere near Gljúfrabúi, you will want to wear a rain suit, or at least a raincoat and pants that will dry quickly…because you WILL get wet.
Return to the Parking Lot
After spending a little time enjoying the waterfall, you have the whole walk back to your car, about 0.5 miles (805 meters), to dry off…unless of course you intentionally step into the river past your knees on the way out of the canyon and fill your rainboots up with water…which both of our children did. So we ended up with wet socks in the end. Oh well. Thankfully I anticipated that scenario and had a full change of clothes for them in the car.
What to Pack
Weather conditions can change quickly in Iceland, so make sure to wear layers….especially a layer to protect you from the water! We saw people that had a rain jacket and jeans, but we were thankful to have rain jackets and rain pants. We got rain suits for the kiddos because they always manage to get snow inside their clothes with a coat and snow pants, and they stayed amazingly dry…minus when they went in the river and the water filled up their boots. It is always recommended to take water and snacks while hiking, but this is more of a little walk, so you can get away with just water, unless you need snacks as a bribe. Make sure to wear shoes that are waterproof or will dry quickly (you do NOT want to spend any of your vacation time in your hotel blow-drying your shoes…trust us on that).
Is Gljúfrabúi Worth Visiting?
Absolutely!! If you are already making the stop to see Seljalandsfoss (which I highly recommend) you should definitely make the journey down the path to see Gljúfrabúi. It was an amazing (well, amazingly wet) experience and we would absolutely do it again!
Recreate Responsibly
Please remember to recreate responsibly so that other people can enjoy it after you. Be respectful to the nature you come in contact with and stay on the designated trails. Take only pictures and leave only footprints.
