waterfall · Iceland · East
On the route
- Time needed
- 1.5–2.5 h
- Price
- Price not published — Parking terms at the service centre were not stated on the Visit Austurland page read 2026-11-01; check the sign on arrival.
- Season
- Best in June and July for water volume; the regional page says the flow can drop in a dry August. The page does not describe winter trail conditions.
- Access
- Route 931 round Lake Lagarfljót, about 35 km from Egilsstaðir by either shore; a gravel trail of about 2 km, moderately steep, from the service centre.
- Checked
- 1 November 2026
65.095, -14.889 · Iceland
Hengifoss
Photograph: Hengifoss falling into a gorge banded with red clay layers between dark basalt — Gunnar Gunnarsson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Hengifoss is the walk that East Iceland itineraries most often leave out: a 128 m waterfall, by the regional tourist office's figure, falling into a gorge whose lava layers are separated by red bands. It is about 35 km from Egilsstaðir round Lake Lagarfljót by either shore (34 km and about 38 minutes by OSRM on OpenStreetMap), with a service centre and rangers at the car park.
Read today on Visit Austurland's page: from the car park it takes 40 to 60 minutes to walk up, on a good gravel trail of about 2 km that is moderately steep. Litlanesfoss, framed by basalt columns, is roughly halfway, about 1.2 km up. There are footbridges at the top and the bottom, so you can climb one bank and come down the other. The page warns that going close to the canyon edge is risky, especially with children.
In July the car park fills during the day; the office suggests continuing 5 km to the Skriðuklaustur national park visitor centre and coming back. The gorge faces south-east, so mornings have the light.
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What you can do from Hengifoss
- Hengifoss walk in Fljótsdalur
A 2 km climb past Litlanesfoss to a 128 m waterfall in a red-banded gorge, 40–60 minutes up; 35 km from Egilsstaðir round Lake Lagarfljót.
hike · Iceland1.5–2.5 h · Price not publishedadds 3 h 30 to a day
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