You are likely to get to Hjálparfoss only by accident, as we did. On the second day in Iceland, our day of serendipity, we drove on towards the center of Iceland, seeing whatever the road would bring. We nearly missed a sign that pointed to the waterfall. Hjálparfoss is incredibly beautiful, at the spot where the rivers Fossá and Pjorsa meet. Both of these are renowned as some of Iceland’s best and easily accessible fishing rivers, while Þjórsá also is the country’s longest.
The cascades of the two rivers merge as they tumble into a serene pool.
The lava field around was created in one of the many eruptions of the nearby Hekla volcano (nicknamed ‘the Gateway to Hell’).
The water from Hjálparfoss feeds Iceland's second largest hydroelectric dam.
The waters from the two rivers merge at the cascade, form a turquoise pool of crystal clear water, and then drift away in a different direction. The area is quite picturesque. We spent some time climbing the lava outcrops and soaking in the beauty of this deserted waterfall.
Finally, we traced our path towards the most famous volcano in all of Iceland, the Eyjafjallajökull, which erupted in 2010, disrupted air traffic all over Europe, and put Iceland in the tourist map.
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