Faxi (Vatnsleysufoss), Iceland

There are so many different types of waterfalls in Iceland. Some of the waterfalls are rather tall and narrow, while others are short and narrow, with a lot in between. Faxi is one of the shorter but wide waterfalls in Iceland, and there are several of them. (Several might be too few.)

Faxi, also called Vatnsleysufoss or Faxafoss, is along the Golden Circle route, a very popular loop that hits many spectacular places in southwest Iceland. It’s not always advertised as being on the route, though, because of the other amazing features. The wide and tall waterfall Gullfoss is northeast of Faxi. If you’re headed to Gullfoss, you’ll likely pass close by Faxi. You can approach Gullfoss from multiple different roads, but Gullfoss is found on Route 35, which is also where Faxi can be found.

Gullfoss’ height is 105′ or so, while Faxi’s height is 22′. Faxi is a wide waterfall, approaching or exceeding 300′ in width. One is obviously significantly taller, but with that height comes many more visitors. I’ve visited Gullfoss twice, and both times, it’s been very busy. Faxi is much calmer. There may have been a few people there, but I would say there were 5 people there at most. Looking at photos, I didn’t have any difficulty capturing Faxi without people in the photo. While one might be taller, there are some benefits to smaller waterfalls, though Faxi is rather wide, so I’m not sure if it counts as a small waterfall!

Directions:

There are numerous different ways to get to the main road leading to the falls, Route 35. If you are headed from Reykjavík, follow Route 36 east out of the city, connect onto Route 365, then onto Route 37, and finally onto Route 35. All of these are very clearly signed. If approaching from Selfoss, like I was, drive a short distance west on Route 1, the Ring Road, and then head northeast on Route 35, which is pretty much a “straight” shot.
Once on Route 35, continue to the Faxi Waterfall Parking area. It was marked fairly well, as most things are in Iceland, so I found it pretty quickly.
Once you’ve parked, there’s a short walk to the bottom of the falls.

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: 22′
Length of Hike: Roadside