Our tour group was fortunate to see two of the most visited waterfalls in Iceland.
Hraunfossar
We did not walk as far as the Barnafoss (Children's Falls) but it has an interesting story, so I am including it. There were numerous viewing platforms for capturing the fall colors and the magnificent falls.
Hraunfossar is a 900 meter long waterfall that pours out of the Hallmundarhraun lava field and down the side of the banks of the Hvita river. ~ Finding the Universe
a wall of waterfalls
Hvita River
This photo includes an arch formed from the rushing waters and the lava rock. The arch is not the one in the story of Barnafoss, but it does give you an idea of how the tragedy may have come about.
a sad tragedy
Gullfoss
Glacial water is brownish, since it carries lots of sediments that the glacial ice has carved off the earth. Gullfoss is called the "Golden Falls", since on a sunny day the water plunging down the three step staircase and then tumbling in two steps down into the 32 m deep crevice truly looks golden. ~ Gullfoss.org
no sunshine the day we visited, just wind
Gullfoss is the most visited waterfall in Iceland, probably because it is part of the Golden Circle Tour. Yes, it is magnificent, but I think the Hraunfossar is far more stunning.
our group
It was so windy and so very cold standing near the waterfall, I took a few photos and headed for the gift shop as it was the best gift shop on our tour according to our tour guide. There was a lower level viewing platform and walk, but I chose not to go down the 70 some steps. So I am including pictures of the Golden Falls snatched from the Internet.
the platform we were on was at the upper level of the falls
the lower level viewing platform
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