Hengifoss Waterfall
Hengifoss is a 128-metre waterfall in the Fljótsdalur valley of East Iceland, the third tallest in the country, distinguished by the dramatic layered cliffs that flank it: alternating bands of vivid red clay and dark black basalt that record millions of years of volcanic eruptions and warmer interglacial periods when the red clay soils formed. The result is a cliff face that looks unlike anything else in Iceland, striped in colours more commonly associated with the American Southwest than the North Atlantic. A 2.5-kilometre trail from the car park climbs to the base of the falls, passing Litlanesfoss along the way, a smaller waterfall framed by a complete amphitheatre of vertical basalt columns. Both are free to enter.
East Iceland's Most Visually Striking Waterfall, Where Red Clay Layers Record Iceland's Ancient Warm Periods
Hengifoss drops 128 metres over the edge of the Fljótdalsheiði moorland into the Hengifossárgljúfur gorge, making it the third tallest waterfall in Iceland. The falls themselves are impressive, but the cliffs surrounding them are what make this site genuinely unusual. The alternating red and black bands in the rock face are layers of ancient clay soil sandwiched between successive lava flows. The red layers formed during warmer interglacial periods when soil could develop on the cooled lava surface, then were buried beneath the next eruption. This sequence repeated over millions of years, preserving a readable geological archive in the cliff face. Fossil wood fragments have been found within some of the clay layers, evidence that Iceland was forested in these warmer periods long before the current volcanic and glacially shaped landscape established itself.
The hike to Hengifoss begins from the car park off Route 933 and is 2.5 kilometres one way, with a steady elevation gain of around 300 metres. The round trip takes approximately two hours at a comfortable pace. About halfway up the trail, Litlanesfoss appears on the left, a waterfall dropping through a near-complete circle of vertical basalt columns that frame it like the walls of a roofless cathedral. It is one of the more photogenic spots on the entire trail and worth spending time at before continuing upward. The final section of trail steepens toward the base of Hengifoss, where the full height of the falls and the striped cliff face become visible together. Morning light from the east catches the red layers most clearly.
Hengifoss is about 35 kilometres south of Egilsstaðir along Route 931 and 933, following the eastern shore of Lake Lagarfljót. The car park has toilet facilities and a small parking fee applies. Entry to the waterfall itself is free. The site is accessible in a standard two-wheel-drive vehicle. From Reykjavík the drive takes seven to eight hours along the Ring Road, making Hengifoss a natural stop on a Ring Road circuit rather than a standalone day trip from the capital. It combines well with Hallormsstaður forest and the Lagarfljót lake loop on the same day.
