About Sjavarfoss (Fossarrett)
Sjavarfoss (Sjávarfoss; pronounced “SHAU-var-foss”; labeled as “Fossa” on our map) was an unexpected waterfall we noticed while driving along Hvalfjörður on the way to Glymur.
Despite its fairly small size (by Iceland standards), it got our attention enough that we took the time to pull over and walk towards it.
Upon doing that, we noticed there appeared to be ruins (or at least some maze of rocks) near the car park as well as lots of wildflowers fronting the falls.
Although there was a sign nearby the car park describing what we were seeing on our first visit back in June 2007, I wasn’t fluent enough in Icelandic to be able to read it and make sense of it.
Nonetheless, the site certainly looked historical and important, and on our second visit in August 2021, there was an actual trail that went over a (slippery) semi-circular bridge and among the ruins.
If indeed, this place held some historical significance, then it would certainly add even more to this waterfall’s intrigue.
After all, it would beg the question why the structures were there in the first place, and how would the waterfall be used?
Mixing waterfalls and history didn’t seem to be commonplace, and perhaps they might even have a saga for it.
In any case, according to my GPS logs, we only needed to walk around 200m to the base of the waterfall from the pullout, which is now a car park with a picnic area (see directions below).
Authorities
Sjavarfoss resides in the Southern Region near Akranes, Iceland. It is administered by the municipality of Hvalfjarðarsveit. For information or inquiries about the general area as well as current conditions, you may want to try visiting their website.
While driving on Route 47 along Hvalfjörður towards Glymur, it was about 12km east of the turnoff for Route 48.
Alternatively, if coming the other way, it’s roughly 7km west of the turnoff for Glymur.
This drive was roughly under an hour northeast of Reykjavik.
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Exploring the area around the base of Sjavarfoss
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Visitor Comments:
Sjavarfoss May 15, 2013 9:45 pm - I was told by our Icelandic guide this ruins were just coral fences, used to keep the sheep inside after the round up in autumn. Today they use modern corals, so this abandoned one looks like some archeological remain. The only thing I wonder is how they get the sheep there since it is surrounded… ...Read MoreVisitor Reviews of this Waterfall:
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