A Complete Guide to Visiting Öxarárfoss Waterfall in Iceland

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How to Get to Öxarárfoss

Öxarárfoss Waterfall is located within Thingvellir National Park. This destination is on every Golden Circle itinerary, whether you are part of a guided tour or doing a road trip around Iceland.

One of the good things about this hike is how easy it is to access. You don’t need to go off the beaten track or travel down an F-road to reach the trailhead – it’s within one of the most popular areas of Iceland. 

Of course, this can mean the hike gets a little busy; however, it’s still well worth seeing. 

🚗 We only ever use this car hire company as they have a great range of cars and always have the best prices.

Parking

To do this hike, you’ll need to park at the main visitor centre for Thingvellir National Park. If you are on a guided tour, this is where the tour buses will take you anyway. 

If you are driving around the Golden Circle yourself, be sure to head to the main visitor centre as there are several different car parks in the area. I’ve linked the car park you’ll need here. 

Parking is chargeable, and a standard car costs 1000 ISK for the day.

Public Transport

There is no public transport to the visitor centre from Reykjavik, which makes it more challenging to reach if you don’t have a car. 

However, there are a lot of guided tours that go to the Golden Circle from Reykjavik every day, so you can always join one of those. 

Many give you free time at Thingvellir, and, depending on how much time you have, you could hike to Oxarafoss. 

❤️ If you want to go on a guided tour, this is the tour we recommend.

Hiking Öxarárfoss: What to Expect

Öxarárfoss is one of the best things to do in Thingvellir National Park and one of the most popular hikes in the area. It’s also fairly easy to access. 

The entire hike will take around an hour round-trip and is very accessible. There are a few steps towards the end as you approach the waterfall, but the rest is along a path and a wooden boardwalk. 

The Stats

Öxarárfoss Waterfall can either be visited as an out-and-back hike or a circular route. It starts from the main Visitor Centre at Thingvellir National Park, about 45-50 minutes from Reykjavik.

I’ve included some of the statistics above, along with a photo of the route below.

The Hike

Start from the Visitor Centre car park at Thingvellir and follow the path into the gorge. This is the most popular place to visit in the park, so it will likely be busy. 

Walk through the gorge. You can also stop at several of the viewpoints on the right as you walk to admire the rest of the park. There are some beautiful views of the lakes here and the mountains in the distance. 

Once you’ve reached the end of the path, you’ll see a sign on your left for Oxararfoss Waterfall. From here, continue to the left, up a series of steps. Be careful if you’re visiting Iceland during the winter months as these can get very slippery. 

Once you’re at the top of the steps, turn left and continue on the path. You’ll see the waterfall on your right after around 2 minutes. 

There’s a boardwalk viewing platform here where you can admire the falls and take photos. You can also step out onto the rocks here to take pictures, but be extra careful if you do this as it can be slippery. 

Once you’ve finished admiring the waterfall, you can turn around and head back the way you came. However, we recommend taking a right once you’re back down the steps and turning the hike into a loop. 

This will circle some of the lakes in the park and pass Thingvellir Church and Silfra Fissure, where you can go diving between the tectonic plates, before looping back to the visitor centre.

Overall, this hike is a fairly short one, but very scenic and home to one of the most beautiful waterfalls in southern Iceland.

The Best Time to Hike Öxarárfoss

You can do this hike all year round. We did it when we visited Iceland in March, and while the waterfall was quite icy, the trail wasn’t slippery at all. 

We’ve also done this hike in December. Of course, in the summer, the waterfall won’t be icy and you will have to contend with the summer crowds. 

In our opinion, the best time to visit is between March to April and September to October for the best weather and fewer crowds. 

Facilities on the Trail

There are no facilities along the trail itself; however, there are toilets at the visitor centre at Thingvellir and a small cafe run by Icewear, which serves light snacks.

If you do hike Öxarárfoss, it’s so important to leave nothing behind you, don’t leave litter, and stick to the designated paths. 

🍃 Please take everything with you. It’s so important to leave no trace as it keeps these magnificent landscapes looking beautiful and helps to protect wildlife and nature. Leave nothing on the trails, take nothing with you, and stick to the designated trail paths.

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