Faxi Waterfall is a short drive from the more famous and much bigger Gullfoss, but that does not make it any less of a great stop. On any given day the clear waters of Tungufljót river rushing from the highlands cascading off the edge here on there way to the North Atlantic are well worth the visit.
When doing The Golden Circle Tour there are many little stops that can be made apart from the classic three, i.e. Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir Hot Spring Area and Thingvellir National Park and Rift Valley, given you have time and the weather conditions are right. One of those is the beautiful Faxi Waterfall situated in Tungufljót River only 12 km from the Geysir geothermal area and 15 km from The Secret Lagoon, and if you are coming from the ring road in the Selfoss area then it is around a 25 minute drive after you hit the volcanic crater Kerid.
Faxi Waterfall is a great example of what wonders can be found just around the next corner/hill in south Iceland and in fact all of Iceland is like this, full of surprises, adventure and awesome sights. You can spend full day trips just checking out Þingvellir national park or going to the ice cave at Langjökull glacier. Even visiting power plants is an experience here whether they are hydro or geothermal just knowing that the whole country is run on green electricity makes things a little more special. Amazing places like The Blue Lagoon are even given added value from details like going through a lava field to get there. Day tours in Iceland can so easily change in concept just depending on what interests you and what catches your eye at any given moment.
Faxi Waterfall is around 80 meters wide and 7 meters tall and is not visible from the road when driving The Golden Circle but the car park is just on the side of the main route. There is a fish ladder here since the river is a spawning ground for salmon which being a migration fish has an annual cycle to complete. There is a sheep coral down the hill where farmers gather their sheep in the fall, usually september, and sort them. There is a tradition here as well to use the opportunity to sample each others hooch and moonshine and sing traditional songs, and some can certainly sing… others can not. There is also a campsite here and a nice little café called Vid Faxa which is well worth checking out to enjoy a drink or snack with an absolutely amazing view. There are of course many waterfalls in Iceland of all shapes and sizes but this one can easily be recommended for anybody curious to see what lies just off the main road.
