Insider’s Secret Spot！Iceland’s Hidden Gem Features a Dreamy “Tiffany Blue” Waterfall

Text and photos byKavanah

(01.23.2017) This was the first day of our official Iceland road trip, leaving Reykjavik behind. The original plan for the day was to first visit either the “Reykjadalur Hot Springs” (Reykjadalur Hot Spring Trailhead) or the first stop of the Golden Circle, Þingvellir National Park (The Þingvellir National Park), before heading to the Tiffany Blue waterfall “Bruarfoss Waterfall” and the other two stops of the Golden Circle—the Geysir geothermal area and Gullfoss Waterfall. However, due to the later-than-expected sunrise in winter and heavy rain that started early in the morning, we ultimately decided to skip the hot springs and Þingvellir National Park and go straight to Bruarfoss Waterfall.

Known as a “hidden gem” or “secret spot,” Bruarfoss Waterfall is actually not so hidden at all. It is located right in the middle of the three main Golden Circle sites—the Þingvellir National Park, Geysir, and Gullfoss (closer to Geysir)—but because there are no clear signs from the main road, and Google Maps isn’t very helpful, it can be quite tricky to find if it’s your first time going.

Early in the morning, we headed to the Blue Car Rental office in Reykjavik to pick up our car. The office is on the other side of Reykjavik, quite far from our accommodation, “Ray Apartment” (approximately 2.1 km away). It took us about half an hour to walk there.

After showing our driver’s license and international permit to get the car, in addition to the insurance we had already purchased, we also bought sand and ash insurance for an extra 1,500 ISK per day. I’ve found that with insurance, the ones you buy in advance are often unnecessary, but the one time you skip it, something inevitably goes wrong. That’s Murphy’s Law for you.

Anyway, the windblown sand and gravel in Iceland are really quite fierce, so even in winter, we opted for the sandstorm insurance.

This time we rented a four-wheel-drive SUV from KIA. For 10 days with all insurance included (our travel companion also rented a Wi-Fi device that we didn’t actually need, which ended up costing extra and caused a bit of an argument), the total came to 119,100 ISK, roughly around NT$33,000. Renting a regular sedan would have been considerably cheaper (approximately one-third less), but since we were driving in winter through the eastern and northern parts of Iceland on highways marked with three-digit numbers, we chose to spend a bit more for a safer vehicle.

We first stopped at Netto 24 to stock up on essentials, then drove back to Ray Apartment to pick up our luggage. Then, in the pouring rain, we set off for the Tiffany Blue waterfall, “Bruarfoss Waterfall.”

The drive from Reykjavik to Bruarfoss Waterfall is about 94 km and takes approximately 1 hour and 33 minutes.

Now here’s the important part！If you’re using Google Maps, the navigation might take you from Route 37, turning left at “Brekkuskógur,” and then lead you into a campground where you’ll end up going in circles and getting lost. I suggest not setting “Bruarfoss Waterfall” as your destination. Instead, use “Bruarfoss Waterfall Access Bridge” (GPS coordinates: 64.263588, -20.509920) as your target.

At “Bruarfoss Waterfall Access Bridge” (GPS coordinates: 64.263588, -20.509920), there’s an open area where you can park (GPS coordinates: 64.262033, -20.507947). After parking, cross the bridge and follow the path to reach Bruarfoss Waterfall (GPS coordinates: 64.264262, -20.515424).

The parking spot—we spent quite a while trying to find it, and finally guessed it must be the right place when we saw several cars parked there. After parking, we happened to meet someone coming back down and confirmed with them that yes, this was indeed the spot to access Bruarfoss Waterfall.

It was raining heavily that day, and the snow on the ground had melted into ice. Walking on it without crampons was extremely dangerous—it was like skating. Fortunately, we had read advice from fellow travelers in an Iceland group before the trip, who recommended bringing simple crampons for winter visits, so we were well-prepared and didn’t have to “skate” on the ice.

Incidentally, because the rain was so heavy, we put our cameras away. The next few photos along the way were taken with our phones. The heavy rain and freezing fingers made for pretty blurry shots—please forgive the quality.

We walked down the slope (which was basically an ice rink) — walking on it without crampons was super dangerous. Along the way, we helped several travelers who hadn’t brought crampons, assisting them up and down the steep slopes.

After crossing the access bridge “Bruarfoss Waterfall Access Bridge,” we climbed a small hill, then crossed what could hardly be called a path over a marsh—there was ice on top and water beneath, truly a case of “walking on thin ice.” Listening to the sound of the flowing water, we eventually found Bruarfoss Waterfall. Because the ground was so slippery, it took us over twenty minutes to get there. On a clear day without snow, it probably would have only taken about ten minutes.

We pulled out our cameras and started snapping away. The rain was heavy and the cold was almost numbing our hands. But the breathtaking view made us momentarily forget the weather as we couldn’t stop taking photos.

Bruarfoss Waterfall is called the “Tiffany Blue Waterfall” because of its pale blue color, reminiscent of Tiffany glass.

While taking photos, we couldn’t help but marvel at how incredible nature is—how can it create something as beautiful and unique as this waterfall?

Kavanah @ Kyoto, traveling freely.
Kavanah x Japan Travel Obsession