Glymur Waterfall is one of the most popular short rides from Reykjavik and at 198 metres it was the highest in Iceland. However, in 2011 it was overtaken by Morsárfoss at 240 metres, which was created by the melting glacier in the Skaftafell reserve, but is very difficult to access.

The Glymur flows out of the marshy lake Hvalvatn and drops into a deep and very narrow gorge, from where it flows down the wild Botnsá River into the Botnsvogur Fjord.

How to get there?

The waterfall is both accessible and not easily accessible. It is very close to the capital Reykjavik (only about 60 km away) by Icelandic standards. You will first take road number 1 north to turn right onto road 47 (towards Hvalfjördur), which you will follow until you reach Botnsvogur Fjord, where you will turn right again onto a narrow asphalt road. This turns into a gravel road after a few metres and after 3 km you reach a parking lot.

From the car park, you will then have a roughly 50-minute trek uphill quite steeply, as you cover over 230 vertical metres over a distance of 5.5 km (one way). However, you can rest assured that the effort will pay off a hundredfold with the incredible views into the throat of the deep, narrow canyon, and you'll be rewarded with Glymur Waterfall itself at the very end of the route.