Paradísarfoss, Iceland

In Iceland, there are so many roadside waterfalls that it can be hard to keep track of them. Many of them have no official name written next to them. They might be ephemeral, and they may not stand out from the many other waterfalls you can view as you’re driving around Iceland.

In June 2012, I first visited Iceland, and I have pictures of Paradísarfoss. It’s not far from Seljalandsfoss, one of the most popular waterfalls in Iceland. It’s also viewed from the Ring Road, the main road that goes around the island. I didn’t have a name for it, though. When I came back to visit in July 2017, I saw the falls again as I took my family to many of the same sights as before. In 2017, I had a book of Iceland waterfalls and the name may have been listed there. The other possibility is that the falls now showed up on Google Maps, which had improved since 2012.

Whatever may have been the case, I was able to update the name. Another name seems to be Drífandi. Which I guess is significant, because I thought the waterfall was impressive, though maybe not as big or intense as some of the other falls in the area. It’s about 200′ fall tall. When the wind is blowing, which can be often in Iceland, the wind pushes the water so that it doesn’t fall in a vertical cascade, but more of a bent cascade. There’s a few other falls I’ve seen that noticeably do this.

Directions:

Paradísarfoss/Drífandi is found on the southern portion Ring Road. It is found east of Arborg.
If you are heading east, you will pass Road 249 (Þórsmerkurvegur) which leads to Seljalandsfoss. Shortly after that, in about 1 mile, you’ll see the falls on the left.
I believe there’s somewhere to pull off and view the falls, though the road is never wildly busy.

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Length of Hike: roadside
Height: 200′