What you'll do
Þjórsádalur valley along the longest river in Iceland called Þjórsá is a popular spot for riding, hiking and nature exploring. When traveling the southern highlands, like the roads around southern Sprengisandur, or Landmannalaugar it is a great possibility to spend one day in this breathtaking valley. In order to be able to visit all sights you will need a 4x4 car. If you don’t have one you can still visit the first three sights.
Tip: Take some sandwiches with you so you can eat on the way. There is no restaurant but some of the nature sights you are going to visit gives you the possibility to take a break and to picnic by enjoying the great surroundings.
Day 1
After passing Selfoss you continue driving road nr. 1 in eastern direction. Then you turn to road nr. 30 and then 31. which will lead you into Þjórsádalur valley.
Already the drive is going to be amazing. The valley is very colorful. Depending on which time of the year you are going to drive into the valley the colors will change. The grass is extremely green, then you will see the blue of the river to your right and if you come in June or July the lupines are going to ad a beautiful purple color. It is also very popular for Icelanders to ride along the river Þjórsá so maybe you will meet a group of riders tölting along the riding paths.
Your first stop is going to be Gaukshöfði on the left side of the road. You can drive up the hill until you see a parking lot and a bench. After walking up the hill which takes you about 5-10 minutes you are going to have a great view over the valley Þjórsárdalur. You will be able to see þjórsá and its river banks, the highlands in the distance, and straight in front of you you will be able to see Mt. Hekla the active volcano. Also historically this place has a story to tell. The viking Gaukur has been killed up here. His blood brother had to pay him revenge as Gaukur had an affaire with his wife. Later on during your drive through þjórsárdalur valley you are going to visit Gaukurs farm.
Afterwards you drive back on the main road and keep on driving further into Þjorsárdalur valley. To your right the there will be the turn to Hjálparfoss waterfall. The kissing waterfall is very pretty and you can drive completely up to it. Paths are leading closer so you can take a closer look. Also here you can find benches to take a picnic with the view on the waterfall, if you are hungry.
The third stop called Þjóðveldisbær is only some kilometers away. This torf house is a replica of the excavated farm Stöng you are going to visit next. You can take a look into Þjóðveldisbær and see how Vikings lived in the earlier days. Beside the big farmhouse you will see a smaller house to your right. This is the church. And what makes this place really magical is the small waterfall falling down in the back of the farm.
Now it is time to take a look into the original house, or better said what is left of it. A graveled road is leading to the house of the Viking Gaukur who has been killed at Gaukshöfði, the place you visited first. Leave your car at the parking lot and cross the bridge. At the other side of the bridge are benches and tables. Also there is a nice place to picnic there as the atmosphere is very beautiful. If you are lucky it might happen that you meet a group of riders with their free running herd. We also cross this way and keep our horses for a break in the paddock down the hill as the paths lead to Landmannalaugar where we travel with our guests on horseback. You will take the path up the hill to the excavated farm Stöng. It will take you 10-15 minutes. You can take a look inside the ruins and a shield in front of the door is explaining the history of the valley. Inside you will find another explanation for how the rooms have been used.
To reach your next stop called Gjáin you can either walk to it in about 30 minutes or you drive over by car. Gjáin shows what nature can create. This nature pearl reminds of a natural version of Garden Eden. Except of the walking paths and small wooden bridges everything is made by Mother Nature. Take your time and enjoy the atmosphere.
Your last stop of the day are the two waterfalls Háifoss and Granni. To reach them you can either keep on driving the graveled road or you drive back on the asphalt road and turn after some kilometers to the left again of a graveled road. If you don’t feel komfortable in driving graveled roads I would recommend to drive back on the asphalt road in between. When you drove up you will see a parking lot appearing to your left hand side. You park the car and walk to the canyon. There a breathtaking view is going to await you. You will be able to see over Þjórsárdalur valley and the waterfalls Háifoss and Granni are also very impressive. Háifoss counts to one of the highest waterfalls in Iceland.
This is the end of your trip to Þjórsárdalur. You can now either keep on going to the highlands like Sprengisandur, or Landmannalaugar, but also the south coast, and the Golden Circle are not far away.
Gaukshöfði
Escursione
Mystic place with a heroic saga in the background
Gaukshöfði is a cliff which you are passing on your way into Þjórsádalur valley.
On top of it there is a view point with a great view on mount Hekla and over a big part of Þjórsádalur valley. In June the whole valley appears purple due to the lupines growing on the riverbanks.
Also this place is connected to the Saga about Gaukur. He has been killed by his foster-brother Ásgrímur on this hill.
Hjálparfoss
Cascata
The kissing waterfall
Hjálparfoss is located in the beautiful Þjórsádalur valley and is only one of many nature sights in that region. As the waterfall falls 20m down in two parts it seems as it would be kissing.
Hjálparfoss is easy to reach and it is possible to drive completely up to it. You can see the waterfall already from the parking lot and if you want to walk closer walking paths are leading the way.
Þjóðveldisbær
Visita turistica
Walking in the home of Vikings
Þjóðveldisbærinn is a replica of Stöng the ruins of a viking farm further down the valley. This museum is showing how vikings lived a thousand years ago.
Beside the farmhouse you can find a smaller house which is a church. At opening times it is possible to go into the houses and see how vikings have lived at that time. You find beds, dining tables, the bathroom and you can dress yourself like a viking to get an even deeper feeling of how it was to be a viking.
I would always recommend to pay this place a visit, even if the museum is closed. It is a magical place with a waterfall in the background. If possible I would also always recommend to take a look inside. The effort people took to give you the feeling of taking a time travel to about 1100 past Christ was immense.
Stöng, Viking-era Long house
Visita turistica
A real Viking home
This place are the ruins of a real farm located in Þjórsádalur valley. Beside the value for archaeologists also a saga took place in this stunning setting. The viking living there was called Gaukur. Mentioned in the Njáll Saga Gaukur‘s story is full of tales about honor and viking strength. But spoiler alert: It doesn’t have a good ending for Gaukur.
Around 1000 after Christ the valley was green and fertile. Therefore, it was the home of numerous farms not only Stöng. Today we cannot see anything of this anymore as it is buried under meters of ash. 1104 Hekla erupted and 22 farms were destroyed. Stöng was one of them.
During the 1930ies the ruins of Stöng was found by archaeologists and nowadays it is possible walk into the ruins. In front and inside the house you can find info boxes which explain to you how the farm and how the rooms were used.
Gjáin
Visita turistica
A natural Garden Eden
Like a natural Garden Eden Gjáin is showing its beauty especially in summertime. Only a walking path and some wooden bridges are made by men. The waterfalls, natural flowerbeds, caves, stone formations which look like statues, all that is made by mother nature and impresses by its beauty. Also the makers of Game of Thrones have been the same opinion as they used this place for a scene in the series. For me Gjáin is a very special place and definitely worth a look.
Háifoss
Cascata
A beautiful waterfall with a gorgeous neighbor
Háifoss is falling 122 meters into Fossárdalur valley which makes it the fourth highest waterfall of Iceland. Further down in the valley the river Fossá where the waterfall Háifoss is located is floating into the longest river of Iceland called Þjórsá.
It is only a 5-10 minute walk from the parking lot to the waterfall and one should not be afraid of hight. But it is worth the view to fight the fear and explore the walking paths along the canyon. Háifoss is falling on the other side of the canyon and directly beside it you can see a second waterfall called Granni.
It is important to watch your steps when walking along the paths as the canyon is very high.
Granni Waterfall
Cascata
A beautiful waterfall with a famous neighbor
Granni is the neighbor of the waterfall Háifoss located in the beautiful Þjórsádalur valley in south Iceland. These waterfalls fall into Þjórsádalur and float into þjórsá which is the longest river of Iceland further down on it‘s way to the sea.
The walk from the parking lot takes 5-10 minutes along an impressive canyon. This might be a challenge for people who are afraid of hight. It is important to watch your step while taking a look at the waterfall as the area is very steep.
Beside the view at these two impressive waterfalls you can also look over a part of Þjórsádalur valley which is an amazing view.