Jökulsá á Fjöllum is the second longest river in Iceland or 206 km / 129 mi long and largest by volume. The source is in Vatnajökull Glacier and flows north into Öxarfjörður. The river is protected, part of Vatnajökull National Park, which covers almost 13% of Iceland’s area. The waterfalls Selfoss, Dettifoss and Hafragilsfoss form a unique series in Jökulsá á Fjöllum, 35 km / 22 mi south of Ásbyrgi. The Icelandic Times visited Dettifoss last week, but this 100 m / 332 ft wide and 45 m / 148 ft high waterfall is unparalleled in Icelandic nature, as it is the most powerful waterfall in Europe. It is easy to visit the three waterfalls; road 862 runs along Jökulsá á Fjöllum on the west side and is paved. Road 864, which runs along Jökulsá á Fjöllum to the east, is a rough gravel road and is only suitable for jeeps or larger cars. From the car parks on both sides of Dettifoss, it is a short and easy walk to this powerful natural wonder.
Norðurþing 16/07/2021 12:34 35mm
Photo and text : Páll Stefánsson
The photo: Dettifoss seen from the east
