Golden Circle Hidden Gem: Hiking Bruarfoss

It's no surprise that Iceland is full of waterfalls. People flock to the 'Land of Fire and Ice' to see the impressive Gullfoss, walk behind Seljalandsfoss, and feel the mist of Skogafoss.

Bruarfoss, however, is hardly ever mentioned. This hidden gem is known as the 'bluest waterfall in Iceland' and the parking lot is located right off the main road between Thingvellir and Haukadalur Valley. Since it is only accessible by a 4.4 mile out and back trail, there are no tour buses, which is absolutely glorious. Sign me up!

As of April 2023, there is no parking fee. Woo! Free is my favorite word. Once you park, there's a mini ladder to climb over to start the hike. (Note, there are no restrooms at the trailhead, but about 5min before you get there coming from the direction of Thingvellir, there is a gas station to stop off before the hike). The trail is mostly all flat and very scenic along the river, but I still highly recommend hiking boots. It was quite muddy and wet. I even slid a few times and almost busted my butt. It left me feeling like the camp counselors in 'The Parent Trap' when they opened Annie's cabin door and slid on chocolate and syrup from Haley's prank.

When you start walking, the trail will split into two. There are no signs, but take the right pathway. If you forget which way to go, it's okay, you won't be shit out of luck taking the left, It will just take you a bit longer.

As we continued to walk, the water kept getting more and more blue!

We heard the noise of rushing water and right around the bend, there she was. The magnificent Bruarfoss.. or so we thought....

When we arrived at the falls, I kept thinking how different it looked from the photos I saw online. Where is the pedestrian bridge? It isn't as wide as the photos. hmm.. But sometimes photos online are decieving, so we said, oh well, we enjoyed our time there and the beauty, took some pictures, and headed back to the car.

It wasn't until after I got back home in the USA, that I looked it up again, and found out there are multiple waterfalls along the way on the trail. So it turns out we were at Hlauptungunfoss, which is a little over half way to Bruarfoss. Sigh. But hey, travel sometimes isn't always perfect. It's a journey. I guess that just means we will have to come back to see the actual Bruarfoss! It was a beautiful hike regardless.

Next stop: Haukadalur Valley