Iceland has some spectacular waterfalls; indeed, I’ve heard it said that it has more waterfalls than people. Most people know Gullfoss, from the Golden Circle, and Skaftafell and Skogafoss on the south coast are very well known too.
Dettifoss is well known in the north but a relatively small proportion of tourists make it so far from the south west. It’s said to be among the most powerful waterfalls in Europe, if not the most and it’s definitely worth seeing.
It’s about 100 metres wide and only 45 metres high – that’s about three quarters of the height of Skogafoss or Seljalandsfoss – but it’s the sheer power that makes it special. 193 cubic metres of water pour over the edge every second. Gulfoss manages about 140, making it positively sedate in comparison.
You can approach Dettifoss from four angles. If you’re coming from the north, from Húsavík and Ásbyrgi, you can come down either west road (862) or the east road (864) or if you’re coming from Myvatn or the ring road, you can come from the south up those same roads. I recommend coming from the south – the roads are relatively good south of Dettifoss and mostly tarmac but – last time I was there, at least – the roads north of the waterfall are very rough and it’s a very long drive (especially if you packed your tent up in a hurry, leaving your tent pegs rattling on your back parcel shelf).
Or, of course, you can join a Diamond Circle tour from Akureyri or Myvatn, in which case your bus driver will choose the route and do the driving on the washboard-like roads if hiring a car isn’t in your plan.
Dettifoss is a big glacial waterfall. There’s no crossing it or the canyon. The only way to cross is to go back to the main road to the north or south and cross the river further up or downstream where the river is calmer. At the waterfall itself, the river is far too powerful and the winter weather far too inhospitable – no bridge could survive here. So you have to decide whether to approach from the east or the west.
The west side
The west side is arguably the prettiest and it’s the side the tour companies generally go for. It’s got a biggish car park with toilets and ok, it’s a bit of a hike across the lava to the waterfall. But when you get there, it’s very green because of all the spray from the waterfall. You can get quite close to the waterfall – there are fences but they’re at perfect trip-height. It’s just plain stupidity to get too close to something like this – Dettifoss really is a force of nature, emphasis on the force. You can’t imagine the roar and if you end up in that water, you’ll be mincemeat the moment you hit the bottom. Don’t go too close.
The east side
But then there’s the east side. The car park is smaller here and although the path to the waterfall is shorter, it’s a little more difficult. From this side, you can see right down Dettifoss and also right down the canyon. This is my personal favourite side – I like how grey and rubbly it is. It makes me want to write something post-apocalyptic. You can get really close to the water here. There are no fences or defences on the east side. Don’t do anything stupid here.
