“The red stripes in Hengifoss's cliff are baked, iron-rich soils between ancient lava flows, so the waterfall pours down a wall that reads like pages of geological time.”
About Hengifoss
The cliff was built up flow by flow during the volcanic activity that formed eastern Iceland millions of years ago. Between eruptions, soil and vegetation developed on the cooled lava, then the next flow baked it red. The river later cut down through the whole stack, exposing the layered cliff and the waterfall that drops over it.
What Hengifoss is
Hengifoss is one of Iceland's tallest waterfalls, dropping around 128 metres in a single thread down a cliff face in the east of the country. What sets it apart is the cliff itself, banded with vivid red layers of clay sandwiched between dark basalt, so the falling water is framed by horizontal stripes of geological history.
Hengifoss is one of Iceland's tallest waterfalls, dropping around 128 metres in a single thread down a cliff face in the east of the country.
Reading the Cliff
Those red stripes are a record of time. Each dark basalt band is an ancient lava flow, and the red layers between them are soils baked by the heat of the next eruption, rich in iron, which gives the rust colour. Stacked up the cliff, they read like the pages of a book, each pair of bands marking a long pause and then another eruption across millions of years.
The Experience
The hike up is a steady climb of around forty-five minutes to an hour, passing the smaller Litlanesfoss, which is itself ringed by tall basalt columns, before Hengifoss comes into view. From the viewpoint the tall, thin fall drops between the red-and-black banded walls, with the broad Lagarfljot lake spread out behind you down the valley.
Why It Matters
Hengifoss is one of the most legible geology lessons in Iceland, a cliff where millions of years of eruptions and pauses are written in coloured bands. It anchors the scenery of the eastern Fljotsdalur valley and rewards the climb with both the falls and the layered rock.
Hengifoss is one of the most legible geology lessons in Iceland, a cliff where millions of years of eruptions and pauses are written in coloured bands.
Why Visit
Hike it for one of Iceland's tallest waterfalls set against uniquely banded red-and-black cliffs, plus the basalt-columned Litlanesfoss on the way up. Budget two to three hours round trip.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
Allow two to three hours round trip for the uphill walk from the car park.
- 2
Stop at Litlanesfoss on the way, framed by tall basalt columns, before reaching Hengifoss.
- 3
Look for the red clay bands between the dark lava layers in the cliff.
