Ofaerufoss

Fjallabak Reserve / Eldgja Chasm, South Region (Suðurland), Iceland

About Ofaerufoss

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Ofaerufoss (more accurately Ófærufoss; pronounced “OH-fye-ru-foss”) was another one of those rugged backcountry waterfalls in the remote interior highlands of Iceland.

This gorgeous multi-tiered waterfall used to have a natural bridge spanning over the top of its lower drop, but it collapsed in 1993 probably due to a combination of earthquakes and natural erosion.

Ofaerufoss_041_07042007 - Ófærufoss
Ófærufoss

With the bridge, it would’ve been a very unique and awesome sight to behold (such combinations of natural bridges with a waterfall are pretty rare).

Yet even without the bridge, it was still one of the distinctive waterfalls we had seen, and it provided an excellent excuse for us to experience some of the forbidding Icelandic Interior.

Ofaerufoss as part of the Landmannalaugur Tour

We visited this waterfall as part of a paid day tour (actually more of a transport bus) from Kirkjubæjarklaustur to the geothermal springs at Landmannalaugur (“LAND-man-nuh-loy-gur”) and back.

The waterfall fell into the remote Eldgjá chasm and was a stop along the way to Landmannalaugur (the bus actually made a stop here on the way there and on the way back).

After having done some nervous 4wd driving on our own the day before to Fagrifoss, we figured we ought to let those better equipped to cross this terrain more routinely take care of the transport.

Landmannalaugur_035_07042007 - We visited Ófærufoss as part of a tour to Landmannalaugur in the southern interior of Iceland's desolate highlands
We visited Ófærufoss as part of a tour to Landmannalaugur in the southern interior of Iceland’s desolate highlands

Of course, the drawback to doing a paid tour (or transport bus) was that the 4wd bus schedule barely allowed us enough time (less than an hour) to walk to a view of the falls and just take a few photographs before we had to return.

It was a bit rushed for my liking, but perhaps the persistent midges also didn’t help matters in terms of having a stress-free experience.

At least the walk was mostly flat.

Nonetheless, the view of the falls was still gorgeous from across the river, and it appeared that getting closer to the falls would’ve meant fording that river.

Ofaerufoss and the Eldgja Chasm

Speaking of the walk, it was all along the Nyrðri-Ófæra river within the Eldgjá chasm, which was a system of fissures spanning some 40km that might even go beneath the Mýrdalsjökull glacier.

Eldgja_002_07042007 - Starting the hike into Eldgjá chasm to get to Ófærufoss
Starting the hike into Eldgjá chasm to get to Ófærufoss

I suspect that the gap in the earth was where the river flowed, and the waterfall was on a tributary that fell down one of the chasm walls to add to the volume of the river.

The landscape throughout the walk was ruggedly barren, but the contrast between some green matting (from low-lying shrubs and moss) with the black and reddish soil made for some pretty unforgettable scenery.

It was speculated that the fissures here resulted from volcanic eruptions that might have had even greater intensity and impact than the infamous Lakagígur eruptions (see the Fagrifoss page for a brief description about that).

Overall, our out-and-back excursion started (more like picked us up) a few minutes before 9am at Kirkjubæjarklaustur and didn’t come back until about 6:40pm.

By the way, I looked up my Icelandic dictionary for the meaning of the name of the falls, and I noticed that the word “ófær” was an adjective for “impassable”.

Ofaerufoss_020_07042007 - This was as far as I went to experience Ófærufoss, which as you can see here involved crossing the river to get even closer
This was as far as I went to experience Ófærufoss, which as you can see here involved crossing the river to get even closer

If applied directly to the name of the falls, it might translate awkwardly to mean “Impassable Falls”, but I think it was meant more for the river Ófæra, to whom something might have thought was impassable.

Ofaerufoss merely a side attraction?

It could very well be that Ofaerufoss was more of a side attraction to Landmannalaugur, which was a colorful geothermal and volcanic area.

Most people come here to soak in the hot springs, but the stark colorful terrain and rugged landscape also made the area very photogenic.

Landmannalaugur was where the bus stopped, and where we had to exit the bus and hop on a different bus going back the other way after about an hour.

The hour that we had to do a little exploring here was also a bit rushed for my liking.

Landmannalaugur_001_07042007 - Camping in Landmannalaugur might not have been a bad idea as it would lessen the pain of driving here while allowing more time to explore the technicolor landscape
Camping in Landmannalaugur might not have been a bad idea as it would lessen the pain of driving here while allowing more time to explore the technicolor landscape

In hindsight, it might have been better if we prepared ourselves to camp for a night or self-drove here from the much easier northern route (though we’d still have to face the rugged driving conditions to Ofaerufoss from Landmannalaugur).

But even from the photos of Landmannalaugur that I put on this page, you can readily see just how beautiful it was over there, and why it was so popular.

In fact, the activity in the area almost seemed out-of-place as it was like there was an oasis of civilization out in the middle of nowhere!

Authorities

Ofaerufoss resides in the South Region near Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Iceland. It is administered by the municipality of Skaftárhreppur. For information or inquiries about the general area as well as current conditions, you may want to try visiting their website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: fjallabak, eldgja, south region, interior, highlands, sudurland, iceland, waterfall, 4wd, landmannalaugur



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Ofaerufoss in 1965 October 21, 2015 10:57 am by Gerald Ponting - It took us a one-day, 25-mile round-trip walk to see Ofarufoss, in the days that the bridge still existed. Back at home, a picture of it published in the local press led to a part-time income which has lasted the rest of my life. Back in 1965, my first wife and I, then aged around… ...Read More
My Favorite Iceland Waterfalls November 8, 2008 1:09 am by Mark H - On my top ten (of Iceland Waterfalls), I'd place Gullfoss first but ordering them is difficult. Another worthwhile area is Gjain which has a number of picturesque falls all visible from one vantage point. I have written a story on Iceland's natural beauty including photos of five of my favourite waterfalls (Dettifoss, Gullfoss, Svartifoss, Ofaerufoss… ...Read More

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