Iceland – Gluggafoss

Part of a series of posts about my travel in Iceland, including visits to eleven waterfalls.

I like the name of this waterfall – Gluggafoss.  The sound of the name, alone, makes it seem like an interesting place to visit!   The name means window waterfall, because the waterfall has eroded deep into the cliffside, visible at parts through ‘windows’ in the rock face.  As with some other Icelandic waterfalls, the upper section cuts easily through a layer of tuff, before landing on a harder layer of basalt; the lower cascades flow over this basalt layer. This two-tier foss emerges out of those windows, high on the rock face, then falls free into a pool below, then cascades over a lower set of falls, before calmly turning into a brook that bubbles past the nearby carpark.  Few people were present when I came by, and I had plenty of opportunity to explore different angles for capturing the beauty of this unusual waterfall. Read on…

Check out the gallery for three more photos and an up-close-and-personal video – just try to keep dry!

Reference: I learned about this place from a guidebook, Photographing Iceland, by Einar Guðmann and Gyða Henningsdóttir; translated by Abigail Charlotte Cooper. JTV útgáfa 2019.