Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
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Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Hjálparfoss is a twin waterfall in the Þjórsárdalur valley in South Iceland, where the Fossá river splits into two falls just before joining the Þjórsá, Iceland's longest river. It is about 120 km (around 1 hour 40 minutes) from Reykjavík, free to visit, open all year, and most people spend 20–30 minutes there.
Hjálparfoss means "Help Falls". Travellers heading into the highlands used to stop here to let their horses rest and graze on the grass along the riverbanks, an important break before the harder ground further inland. The name has stuck, even though most visitors now arrive by car.
The falls sit in a field of twisted, contorted basalt from an old lava flow, thought to come from an eruption of Hekla. The two cascades drop side by side at an angle to each other, with the strange rock shapes and a calm pool at the bottom making it a quiet, short stop rather than a dramatic one. It is an easy, flat walk from the car park, which makes it a good stretch stop on the way to or from Þjórsárdalur and the highland roads.
Many of Iceland's best sights take a hike, a 4x4 or a long day to reach. Hjálparfoss is the opposite: you park, walk a couple of minutes and you are there. It looks good all year, with green banks in spring and summer and snow and ice around the pool in winter.
Before roads and cars, people travelling into the highlands to graze sheep or cross to the north used this spot as a stopping point, letting their horses feed on the grass by the river. That practical help is where the name comes from, and it is a reminder of how much harder this landscape was to move through only a century or two ago.
Long before GPS and bridges, people riding across the Highlands between north and south Iceland struggled to find grazing for their horses. The interior is harsh and little grows there. Coming down into Þjórsárdalur, where the land drops, the first proper grass was along the riverbanks near this waterfall. It was a great help to tired horses and riders, and the name followed.
The Fossá splits around a mass of dark basalt and drops in two falls, set at an angle to each other, into one wide pool. The rock between them is made of twisted basalt columns, and many visitors see a bear's head in it, which is one of the things the waterfall is known for.
This is a place to sit for a while as well as to photograph. On warm summer days you may find locals taking a dip in the pool. It is cold river water, not a hot spring, so if you go in, stay well away from the falls and the current, and do not swim alone.
About 30 minutes further up the valley is Háifoss, on the same river, the Fossá. At 122 metres it is one of the tallest waterfalls in Iceland, and right beside it is a second fall, Granni, “the neighbour”. Combine the two stops and you see three waterfalls in a couple of hours.
The road up to Háifoss is rough gravel, much slower than the drive to Hjálparfoss, so check conditions before you go. Þjófafoss, about 5 km to the south, and the Búrfell hydroelectric station just downstream are also close by.
Hjálparfoss is about 122 km from Reykjavík, far enough to make a full day of it with the rest of Þjórsárdalur.
You can drive it yourself or visit on a guided tour of Þjórsárdalur.
No toilets, café or shop at the falls. The nearest services are in Flúðir or along Route 30.
Most visitors see Hjálparfoss as a stop on a day trip rather than an overnight base. The nearest accommodation is around Flúðir and along the South Iceland Ring Road route.
Yes, entry and parking are both free.
About 20–30 minutes is enough for most visitors, as the walk from the car park is short and flat.
About 120 km, around 1 hour 40 minutes by car.
Yes, it is open all year, though the access road can be icy and daylight is limited.
It means "Help Falls", from travellers historically resting their horses here on the way into the highlands.
Locals sometimes bathe in the pool below the falls in summer. The water is cold river water, not geothermal, and there is a current near the falls, so be careful.
About 30 minutes by car, the last part on a rough gravel road. Háifoss is 122 metres high and stands next to a second waterfall, Granni.
From Reykjavík take Route 1 east, Route 30 north and then Route 32 east into Þjórsárdalur, and follow the sign for Hjálparfoss to the car park.
Tours and trips that include Hjálparfoss, booked directly with a local travel agency in Iceland.
