The waterfall of Urridafoss in South- West iceland is often overlooked as people rush to reach the more famous Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss. And yet, this is the waterfall with the highest volume in Iceland. I checked it out on my way to Thormosk and enjoyed its power and sound. However I must admit it is not the prettiest Icelandic waterfall and it is very difficult to photograph.
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ABOUT THE URRIDAFOSS WATERFALL
Urridafoss (the warterfall of Salmon) flows with a quantity is 360m3 in a second which is the highest volume of water of all waterfalls in Iceland. It flows in the river Thjorsa which is the longest in Iceland with 230 km. The fall is 6 meter high and the power is more than 100MW. In the winter the waterfall can freeze and the depth of the ice can reach up to 20 meter.
The best is that here, you avoid most of the crowds! Discover more falls, on my list of 21 waterfalls in Iceland which includes a video!
PLANNING TIPS - URRIDAFOSS
How to get to Urridafoss
- Urridafoss can be reach on road 33 (Urridafossvegur) just a few minutes South of Road 1 between the towns of Sellfoss and Hella. The road gets to the Pjorsa estuary
- The road 33 is in good conditions. The crossroad well indicated.
- If you are driving towards the East and pass the bridge over the Thjorsa river, then you went too far
Urridaoss, along with many other beautiful places, is included in my eBook: The Road Trip Guide - Iceland.
It is a practical tool to plan your trip with maps, photos, planning tips, GPS coordinates...
Visiting Urridafoss
- The waterfall is very close to the parking
- There is a nice path to see Urridafoss from different angles
- There were also benches when I was there in September 2014
- It seems that is is even better when part of it is frozen. And in the spring, the river breaks free from the ice barriers and icelbergs fall into the river. People recommend seeing this event from the canyons of Thjorsa South of Urridafos
Urridafoss in Pictures
Below are a few shots of Urridafoss from the side and from the platform which gives you a more direct view. As you see it is very wide and I was not able to photograph it properly. I was not able either to convey the volume of water that goes through it. However I was able to shoot a small portion of rainbow (look closer at the 3rd picture).
Want to see more of Iceland's beauty?
Discover more things to do and places to see in Iceland in my online Iceland Destination Guide.
Can you imagine the volume it represents?