Brúarfoss
Brúarfoss is rightly called “the bluest waterfall of Iceland”. The slightly longer walk is worth it!
The parking lot at the start of the path to Brúarfoss is located on road 37 Laugarvatnsvegur, exactly between the village Laugarvatn and Haukadalur, the high-temperature area in which the Strokkur geyser is located. The car park is right by the bridge over the river Brúará and has not yet been signposted. The coordinates are 64.240014, -20.523963. The parking lot is marked with “Brúarfoss Waterfall Official Parking” on Google Maps. The distance from Reykjavík is around 90 km and it takes around 1.5 hours to drive.
Important: Under no circumstances should you drive into the summer house area, the residents are very annoyed about their parking spaces being blocked by tourists and, since the waterfall is on private property, they could block access entirely. It should also be noted that there are no toilets and of course don’t leave any litter behind.
From the parking lot you just follow the gravel path, after about 1 km you cross a stream with the help of some large stones. Then it’s about 650 m through a beautiful forest, yellow markings show the way. When it rains, the path becomes very muddy in places, good shoes are definitely advisable. Please stay on the path anyway and don’t create on new, ugly paths, nature is really very fragile here and, as I said, it is private property. Now you come to the first waterfall, Hlauptungafoss. After another 500 m along the river you will reach Miðfoss. And after another 950 m it goes up a small hill and you have arrived at Brúarfoss. From the bridge you have a wonderful view, it is also possible to go down to the river on the left and right side. The walk is flat and completely uncomplicated, suitable for the whole family and the walking time is approx. 45 minutes.
Brúarfoss is not particularly high, it is barely 5 m. What makes it special is the gap in the middle into which the water of the Brúará River flows in and out like a fan. In addition, there is the extremely ice blue color. The moss-covered stones in the middle and the surrounding forest also frame the waterfall in a beautiful way. It is probably most strikingly in autumn, when the colourful leaves create a great contrast to the blue water. But Brúarfoss is worth a trip at any time of the year, in my opinion it is the most beautiful of all waterfalls in Iceland.
Brúarfoss means bridge waterfall, sometimes it is also called Brúarárfoss (= bridge river waterfall), according to the name of the river Brúará (= bridge river). The waterfall got its name because a natural stone bridge apparently existed here until the 17th century. However, a worker at the bishopric of Skálholt had it destroyed because he wanted to prevent beggars from crossing the river. Apparently this man drowned in the Brúará a few years later. In the 19th and early 20th centuries there was a small wooden bridge that led over one of the narrowest parts directly above the waterfall. Here is an old picture of this bridge:
When you’ve seen enough, you go the same path along the river back to the parking lot. Overall, you need about 2-3 hours, if you come from Reykjavík about 5-6 hours, a nice half-day excursion.
