Brúarfoss Waterfall | All you need to know

Brúarfoss waterfall in South West Iceland has become very popular in the recent years. And no wonder. It’s a beautiful waterfall with its bright blue colored water. It’s not as big and mighty as many other waterfalls here in Iceland but the color of the water makes it very special.

Brúarfoss means “Bridge Falls” and the name comes from a natural stone bridge that once stood over it, making it possible to cross the river. This stone bridge is now long gone and today you’ll find a footbridge by the falls. The bridge also works as a viewing platform as it gives you the perfect angle for your epic photos of Brúarfoss.

In spring 2023 it was made very easy to visit these falls. Before you had to hike about 6.5km/4mi round trip but now you can drive almost all the way up to them. You only have to walk for a few minutes from the parking lot.

The parking lot is 3km/1.7mi from the main road and you have to pay for parking there. When this was written it cost 750 ISK to park at Brúarfoss. The easiest way to pay is via an app called Parka. You can use this app for parking in various places here in Iceland. An other option is to go to this website and pay there. Personally, I think the app is a better option.

When this is written, this new parking lot can not be found on google maps. However, if you look for “Bruarfoss Parking”, you’ll find the parking for the hiking trail. The road to the new parking lot is very close to that one. Just on the other side of the river. There is a sign that tells you were to go so it’s hard to miss.

The Hiking Trail to Brúarfoss Waterfall  

Even though it has been made very easy to reach Brúarfoss, many people still choose to do the hike. It’s an easy hike, meaning the elevation is close to none. There can be some other challenges though, especially if you do the hike in or shortly after rainy weather.

When I did this hike, it had been raining the day (or days, not sure) before so the soil was very wet. That meant the trail was very muddy and I mean VERY muddy in some places. We (and all the other hikers that day) even had to do a little detour in one place to avoid sinking into some mud.

On the part of the trail that lies along the river bank, it gets a bit rocky in some places and sandy in others. So as you can see, the terrain is pretty diverse and good shoes are therefore a must.

Bonus Waterfalls

On your way to Brúarfoss Waterfall you’ll get to see two small “bonus waterfalls”. As soon as you reach the river bank part of the trail, you’ll find Hlauptungufoss. Here you’ll actually get two for one as in this location there are two small but very different waterfalls.

A little bit further up along the river is Miðfoss or “Middle Falls”. I have to say though, it looked more like rapids than a waterfall to me but hey, what do I know? 🙂

How to get to Brúarfoss’ Trailhead

The trailhead of the Brúarfoss Waterfall hike is located on the Golden Circle route so the hike is a perfect addition to that route if you’re planning to do that.

To find the parking lot it’s best to search for “Bruarfoss” in Google Maps and choose “Brúarfoss Waterfall Official Parking” from the results. It’s located right by the road so you can’t miss it.

It takes about an hour and 15 min to drive from Reykjavík to the trailhead. You can either take the route through Hveragerði or the Golden Circle route through Þingvellir National Park. Whatever fits best to your plans.

A day Tour from Reykjavík including a Hike to Brúarfoss Waterfall

I’m so lucky to have parents that really enjoy exploring our beautiful country like me. We have done quite a lot of exploring together, especially during the last few years. Such a great way to spend some quality time together.

One day in early June we decided to take a road trip here in South West Iceland. Our main goal was to do the Brúarfoss trail. Which we did. But we also had decided to make a day of it and visit a few other places too. It ended up being a great day so I want to share with you what we did as it’s a really good itinerary for a day trip in this area.

• Brúarfoss Waterfall
• Efstidalur Farm
• Restaurant Mika
• Hrunalaug Hot Spring
• Restaurant Minilik

We didn’t start the day early, left Reykjavík somewhere around noon and had a reservation at Minilik at 6pm/18:00. So if you start the day early, you have plenty of time to add some more things to this itinerary. Especially if you’re traveling in spring/summer when the days are long.

Efstidalur Farm – Ice Cream Shop and a Restaurant

We started with hiking to Brúarfoss in beautiful weather. After the hike we treated ourselves with an ice cream at Efstidalur, a farm located about 2km/1.2mi from the trail head.

Efstidalur is a cow farm which makes its own ice cream and sells it on site. They also have a restaurant called Hlöðuloftið. A so-called farm to table restaurant. That means they produce their own dairy products and meat and get their vegetables from other farms in the area. So if you’re hungry for more than just ice cream, you can get a whole meal at Efstidalur after your hike.

You can learn more about Efstidalur Farm here.

You can learn more about Efstidalur Farm here.

Restaurant and handmade Chocolates at Mika

Another great option for some food after the Brúarfoss hike is a restaurant called Mika, located in Reykholt, a tiny village, about 9km/5.6mi from the trailhead. We hadn’t planned to stop by this place. I didn’t even know it existed before we drove through Reykholt so it was a very nice surprise to find it there.

Mika is run by a married couple, a Polish man and his wife, which I think is Polish too but I’m actually not sure. We didn’t eat at the restaurant this time around as we already had made a reservation at another restaurant later that day. But I’ve read some great reviews about this place so I’m definitely going back to test it.

But Mika isn’t just a restaurant. They also make their own handmade chocolates from scratch and you can buy some to take with you or to enjoy at the restaurant with a cup of coffee. And so we did. Well, my parents drank the coffee, I for some reason have never learned to drink it. But of course I joined them in the delicious chocolate tasting! 

So there are two good reasons to stop at Mika’s. Either to buy some food or to have some delicious handmade chocolates. Or both! Which actually might be the best option.

You’ll find Mika’s webpage here.

Hrunalaug

We hadn’t planned to stop by at Mika, but on the other hand we had planned to check out Hrunalaug. Hrunalaug is a hot spring, located close to the village Flúðir. I had seen a lot of photos from it and wanted to check it out even if I didn’t get into the water.

Hrunalaug is on private land and we met one of the landowners on site. We had a really interesting chat with her about the hot spring. How it came to be, why it became so popular all of a sudden and what this popularity has meant for the place . I will write a separate post about this soon and will let you know when that one is ready.

Minilik – Ethiopian Restaurant

Our last stop on this day trip was a wonderful restaurant in Flúðir called Minilik. It’s an Ethiopian restaurant, run by a married couple, an Ethiopian woman and her Icelandic husband. It was really good and fun to eat something totally different than usual.

They are only open in the evenings and don’t have many tables so I recommend making a reservation. They also travel to Ethiopia on a regular basis and meanwhile the restaurant is closed. So again, it’s best to contact them beforehand to make sure they’re open and to reserve a table. 

You’ll find Minilik’s Facebook page here.

All in all an awesome day where Brúarfoss Waterfall played the main role. As I mentioned before, this hike is the perfect addition to the Golden Circle route but you can also make your own itinerary around it, just like I did. There are so many interesting places to visit in this area, so the possibilities are almost endless. 

Apart from those I’ve already mentioned in this post, here are some more examples:

• Fontana Geothermal Spa and Bakery
• Friðheimar Tomato Farm
• Secret Lagoon
• The Cave People

Well, that’s it for now. If you liked this post and think some of your friends might be interested in reading it too, please help me spread the word. I’d really appreciate it if you’d share it on social media or just send it directly to a friend.

Until next time!