Chasing Waterfalls in Iceland

Have you ever watched a waterfall in slow motion? Focus your eyes where the river meets the edge of the cliff. Look for the individual droplets as they separate & jump out. It's as if they look forward to this moment all their life. A few moments of freedom.

That's why it is white at this part. It takes less light to penetrate through. Just like the Icelandic icebergs and glaciers, the more blue hue you see means higher pressure. Like when people are piling on top of you- What happens? You turn blue. I'll continue more on the blue effect in another blog post.

The beauty of Iceland's waterfalls are all so unique. Surely one of the favorite sights among tourists. People will risk a rocky road that could possibly damage their rental car just to get a eyeful of falling water. 


There is Gullfoss (golden falls), my dad's favorite, which was the largest we saw. With two cascading areas, the Hvita River sinks over a set of banks, then tapers to the right before the second dive. From where we stood a rainbow appeared over blossomed dandelions. Its roar clears out the thoughts in my head as I stand fixated on each drop of water jumping for joy. I pretended to hear it scream, happily of course. A nudge and a "are you alright" from my dad brings me out of it. 




A few days later, we drove farther into the southern region of Iceland where there are more sheep than people. This waterfall sits in Vatnajokull National Park, which is home to the largest icecap in Iceland. 
Vatna means water and Jokull means glacier in Icelandic. Learning the meanings behind the words in Iceland is also a great conversation with locals. 

Once you arrive to the National Park, you hike progressively steep trail 30 minutes until you meet Svartifoss. You can enjoy this one with lighter crowds. The overhanging dark rocks pattern reminded me of pants hanging to dry. If I had to guess the meaning, I would say Svarti means Artsy. But it is really means black. 

When driving back to Reykjavik from the beach community of Vik you will find Skogafoss (forests falls) It is 60 meters tall and 25 meters wide, like two basketball courts stacked on top of each other.  The water pressure is not so delicate like Svartifoss or Seljalandsfoss. I suggest wearing a rain coat if you want to try to touch the rainbow that sits at its pool. 

Not only are the foss great to watch but so are the viewpoints at the top. The sun shined off the river as it snaked down to the sea. This is where the saying about Iceland and Greenland comes out because Iceland is truly a green land. The type of green that smells like dewey grass and reminds me of soccer season and my dad of football season. 

Like a billboard on the freeway in America, we pulled over to see Selsjalandsfoss on our last day in Iceland. Iceland doesn't have billboards by the way, Wooaah! I couldn't find the meaning of this one but someone wrote that it means seller, which is fitting. 

Seljalandsfoss was the most entertaining waterfall because we hiked behind it. Behind the see through the water as it sheared into the rocky pool below, I wonder had any local swam through it. It would take a strong person mentally and physically to not only survive that but also live in Iceland. For a place with strong wind, steadily melting glaciers, and a slow pace, at least it has some beautiful waterfalls to make you feel like everything is ok.