Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
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Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Bjarnarfoss is an 80-metre waterfall that drops in two tiers off a basalt cliff below Mælifell mountain, just above the historic settlement of Búðir on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. It is about 190 km (around 2.5 hours) from Reykjavík, free to visit, open all year, and reached by an easy 10–15 minute walk from the car park.
Bjarnarfoss is on the river Bjarná in the Staðarsveit district, on the southern side of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. The water falls about 80 metres in two tiers off a wall of basalt columns, with green fields below and tall mountains behind. You see it clearly from Route 54, the road most people drive around the peninsula, and again from the road west towards Arnarstapi, Hellnar and Lóndrangar.
The upper tier is thin and exposed, and the wind often takes hold of it. On a gusty day the water sways across the cliff face, and in a strong gust it can be blown sideways or straight back up over the edge. The lower tier is a steadier, more gathered plunge, and between the two some of the stream seems to disappear into the ground.
The waterfall stands where the main road divides: Route 54 turns north over Fróðárheiði to Ólafsvík, and the road along the south shore carries on to Búðir and Arnarstapi. A car park and a built path lead about halfway up to the falls. The slope around the path is thick with flowering plants in summer, a detail that earned the area a nod for its environmental upkeep.
The waterfall is a quick, easy stop rather than a long excursion, and works well alongside the peninsula's other southern-coast sights, from the black church at Búðir to the beaches and lava fields further west towards Arnarstapi and Hellnar.
Bjarnarfoss has its own story. People say that Fjallkonan, the Lady of the Mountain, stands under the waterfall, and that the spray falls on her shoulders. Look at the basalt columns that stretch out on both sides of the falls and it is easy to see where the idea of a figure in the cliff comes from.
Fjallkonan is the female figure who stands for Iceland itself. She comes from a 19th-century poem and represents what Icelanders think of as truly their own: the land and the people who live on it. On the national day, 17 June, a woman in national costume still plays the Lady of the Mountain and reads a poem at the celebrations.
The roads here are normally open all year, but check umferdin.is in winter. Route 54 over Fróðárheiði in particular can be icy or closed in bad weather.
You can see the waterfall from the road, but the walk gets you close enough to feel the spray.
Stay on the path where there is one. The vegetation on the slope is fragile and is the reason the site is protected.
There are no toilets, café or shop directly at Bjarnarfoss. The nearest facilities are at Búðir and in the villages further along the peninsula.
Búðir, about 4 km away, has a well-known country hotel with a restaurant, lounge and bar. Hellnar and Arnarstapi have more rooms a little further west, and Grundarfjörður and Stykkishólmur on the north side of the peninsula have a wider choice of hotels and guesthouses.
A hotel we know and book close by: Hótel Búðir. See all places to stay.
About 80 metres, falling in two tiers from a cliff of basalt columns.
About 20 to 30 minutes for the short walk up from the car park and back. Allow longer if you climb the steep slope towards the upper falls.
No, it is free to visit.
About 190 km, roughly 2.5 hours by car: Ring Road 1 to Borgarnes, then Route 54.
The built path to the viewpoint is short and easy, about 600 metres round trip. Beyond it the slope is steep and wet, and it can be icy in winter.
A local story says Fjallkonan, the female figure who stands for Iceland, is under the waterfall with the spray falling on her shoulders.
Yes. The roads are normally open and you can see the falls from the car park, but the steep upper path is slippery and best left for summer.
