Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Glanni is a waterfall on the Norðurá river near the village of Bifröst in West Iceland, part of the Silver Circle route, about 1.5 hours from Reykjavík. It is free to visit, open all year, and reached by an easy five-minute path from a large car park by the Glanni golf course, with the Paradísarlaut hollow nearby.
Glanni tumbles through the edge of the Grábrókarhraun lava field in several channels, cutting into dark basalt with hexagonal columns visible in places along the banks. The Norðurá is well known among anglers for its salmon, and the falls sit close to the small village of Bifröst.
Local folklore holds that elves and trolls live around Glanni, a story often mentioned to visitors as part of Iceland's wider tradition of hidden folk living in rocks and waterfalls. A short path from the same car park leads to Paradísarlaut, or Paradise Hollow, a sheltered green dip in the lava field with a small pond, said to have formed from collapsed lava tubes filled with water.
It is not a tall waterfall, but it is one of the easiest stops on the Ring Road in West Iceland. The river drops in three channels side by side, and a built path and viewing platform give a full view of the falls with the mountains behind. The ground around is a mix of old lava, moss, birch scrub and river rock, and the craters of Grábrók are just around the corner.
Icelandic folk tradition is full of stories about hidden folk, elves and trolls living in rocks, hills and waterfalls, and Glanni is one of the places long associated with such tales. Whether or not you believe the stories, they are a good reminder of how much Icelandic place names and landscapes are tied up with folklore, alongside the more visible geology.
The name Glanni itself is thought by some to relate to an old word for brightness or shine, fitting for a waterfall that catches the light as it drops through the dark lava rock.
The whole visit is on easy paths and takes well under an hour.
The terrain off the paths is uneven lava, rock and scrub. Keep to the paths, which also protects the moss.
There is a toilet at the car park and, in the golf season, a small shop at the golf clubhouse. There is nothing at the waterfall itself. Bifröst has limited services, and Borgarnes, about 30 km south, has shops, fuel and restaurants.
Borgarnes and the villages around it, including Bifröst itself, have hotels and guesthouses that make a good base for this part of West Iceland.
Yes, there is no entry fee.
About 110 km, around 1.5 hours by car.
A sheltered green hollow with a small pond near Glanni, reached on the same short path.
Yes, local folklore holds that elves and trolls live around the waterfall, part of Iceland's wider hidden-folk tradition.
At the large car park beside the Glanni golf course, reached by turning off Route 1 just south of Bifröst, about 30 km north of Borgarnes.
About five minutes on a gravel path from the car park to the viewing platform. Allow 30–40 minutes if you also walk to Paradísarlaut.
Sometimes. The Norðurá is a well-known salmon river and there is a fish ladder at the falls, so during the summer run you may see fish jumping.
