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
Sveinstekksfoss, also called Nykurhylsfoss, is a 15-metre waterfall on the Fossá river in the Fossárdalur valley, about 15 km from Djúpivogur in East Iceland. It is free to visit, quiet, and reached by a short gravel road and a walk of a few hundred metres. Allow 30–45 minutes.
Sveinstekksfoss drops about 15 metres into a narrow gorge of dark, layered basalt, softened with moss. It is the lowest waterfall on the Fossá river, just before the river reaches the sea. The gorge twists, so from the viewing area at the rim you see the fall from above rather than from the water's edge.
There are few visitors here compared with the famous falls of the south coast. It is a good stop on the Ring Road for anyone who wants a quiet waterfall and some easy walking.
Fossárdalur means 'waterfall valley', and there are several more falls further up the Fossá. A hike of about an hour upriver leads to Múlafoss, and others are found along the trail.
Below the fall lies a deep pool called Nykurhylur. According to local folklore, a water horse, a nykur, once lived there, which is why the fall is also known as Nykurhylsfoss.
The story says the nykur vanished from the pool after baptismal water was poured into the river. Icelandic water horses were said to lure people onto their backs and drag them into the water, so parents told the tale to keep children away from the edge.
The gravel road is fine for ordinary cars in dry weather, but drive slowly, and take care after heavy rain or snow.
The Fossá drops through a whole series of falls on its way down the valley, which is how Fossárdalur, the waterfall valley, got its name. Sveinstekksfoss is the last of them before the river meets the sea in Berufjörður, and that is why it is also called Fossárfoss.
The valley road continues about 4 km past Sveinstekksfoss to the guesthouse at Eyjólfsstaðir and the Fossárdalur campsite, which make a good base for the walk upriver. Keep back from the edge of the gorge and watch your footing.
There are no facilities at the waterfall. Guesthouse Eyjólfsstaðir and a campsite are in the valley, about 4 km further on. Djúpivogur has shops, a fuel station and cafés.
Djúpivogur has guesthouses, a hotel and a campsite. Guesthouse Eyjólfsstaðir and a campsite sit in Fossárdalur itself, for a quieter stay.
About 15 metres.
No. It is free to visit, and there is no parking fee that we know of.
Drive about 15 km along Route 1 towards Egilsstaðir, turn onto the gravel road to Eyjólfsstaðir, and walk a few hundred metres.
After the nykur, a water horse in Icelandic folklore said to have lived in the pool below.
Yes. A walk of about an hour upriver leads to Múlafoss, and there are other falls along the trail.
Because it is the waterfall where the Fossá river makes its last drop before the sea. Locally it is also known as Nykurhylsfoss, after the pool below it.
