The magic of Urriðafoss, Iceland’s most voluminous waterfall, can be witnessed in its full glory when the mighty River Þjórsá cascades towards the edge of Þjórsárhraun lava field. Located on the country’s longest river, Urriðafoss, which translates to ‘sea-trout waterfall’, is located south–west of the country, close to the Ring Road, about 77 km from Reykjavik and 19 kms from Selfoss.
The magic of Urriðafoss, Iceland’s most voluminous waterfall, can be witnessed in its full glory when the mighty River Þjórsá cascades towards the edge of Þjórsárhraun lava field. Located on the country’s longest river, Urriðafoss, which translates to ‘sea-trout waterfall’, is located south-west of the country, close to the Ring Road, about 77 km from Reykjavik and 19 kms from Selfoss.
Urriðafoss is also the waterfall with the highest average water flow, at the rate of 360 cubic metres per second, second only to Rheinfall in Europe. The six-metre-high waterfall is also the proposed site for a mega 130MW hydro-electrical plant, Landsvirkjun, which is likely to have a capacity of about 125 MW with a capacity of 930 GWh per year. Earlier, nearly a century ago, Fossafelagið Titan was given permission to set up a power plant here in 1927.
However, the plans did not materialise. Locals are now up in arms over the proposed move and have objected saying the power project would lead to the destruction of the beautiful waterfall. The region is popular among anglers who come here for trout and salmon. Of course, during certain parts of the year one can even see seals swimming upstream to relish on the rich variety of fish. The water near Urriðafoss often freezes during the cold months of winter.
19/03/2021
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