Tallest in its class but easily overlooked
The tallest waterfall in Iceland, Glymur, often stands in the shadow of his much shorter but wider brother Gullfoss.
At 196 metres, we think Glymur should get some more respect. Once upon a time Glymur, the highest waterfall in Iceland, was a pretty popular destination. Not surprisingly, given that it takes less than an hour to drive from Reykjavík to the bottom of Hvalfjörður where you start your hike.
But guess what. Something happened in the tough and competitive world of Icelandic waterfalls and Glymur seemed to lose out to more glamorous waterfalls like Gullfoss and Seljalandsfoss, peddling their wares closer to the action. And it certainly didn’t help when someone decided to build a tunnel, drying up most of the Ring Road traffic that used to pass by.
Glymur is still there of course, wonderfully isolated, and going there makes for a great day tour if you’re based in Reykjavík.
It takes about 90 minutes to get to the waterfall from the car park and the trail is pretty well marked, if slightly precarious once you start to climb. (You can even pick some blueberries on the way, if they’re in season.)
Once you get up there, make sure you pluck up the courage to cross the river and get the view from the other side, where it’s so much better.
Glymur is at the bottom of Hvalfjörður, around 60 minutes' drive from Reykjavík. Once there, you have to walk for another 90 minutes, climb around 200 metres and cross a very cold river. Très Indiana Jones. So do use caution, and please don’t sue us if you fall and hurt yourself.
Getting to Iceland is the easy part, find cheap flights to Iceland from USA, Canada, UK and Ireland with WOW air all year round.
[Photo courtesy of Snow Elf via Flickr]