Faxi (Vatnsleysufoss) Waterfall

Faxi is a wide, low waterfall on the Tungufljót river in Biskupstungur, south Iceland, sitting just off Route 35 about 11 km south of Geysir on the Golden Circle. It is only about 7 metres high but spreads across roughly 80 to 90 metres of river, and a salmon ladder climbs the bank beside it.

The falls go by two names. Faxi, the one on the road signs, means a horse's mane, which is what the water looks like as it fans out over the ledge. Vatnsleysufoss, the name on many maps, comes from the neighbouring farm of Vatnsleysa, and you will also see the combination Faxafoss.

What is Faxi waterfall?

Faxi is a single broad step in the Tungufljót, where the river drops over a ledge of hard lava rock into a wide pool. It is low enough to look at from almost water level and wide enough to fill your whole view, which is the opposite of Gullfoss, 19 km away, where the river disappears into a canyon.

It is not one of the three headline Golden Circle stops, and most coach tours drive past it. That is its main appeal. On a summer afternoon when Strokkur has a crowd three deep, Faxi often has a handful of cars, a couple of anglers and the sound of the water.

No group coach tour stops here on a fixed schedule. If you want Faxi without driving, a private Golden Circle with Faxi is the honest way to do it, since the guide can add side trips to the standard route.

The Tungufljót river

The Tungufljót rises in Sandvatn, a lake on the moorland of Haukadalsheiði, where it starts out as the Ásbrandsá. It takes the name Tungufljót as it comes down into the farmland, flows past Haukadalur and Geysir, and joins the Hvítá near Bræðratunga, south of Faxi.

For much of its history the river carried glacial meltwater from Langjökull in late summer. Since the outlet glacier Hagajökull retreated after a series of surges before 2000, the Tungufljót has run clear most of the time, so Faxi is usually a clean, dark water colour rather than the milky grey of the Hvítá at Gullfoss.

The river also marks a boundary. It forms the western edge of the old Biskupstungur district, the "bishop's tongues" of land around Skálholt, and the fields you see from the falls have been farmed for centuries.

The salmon ladder at Faxi

The fish ladder on the bank beside the falls is the feature that sets Faxi apart. It is a stepped channel of pools that lets salmon bypass the drop and swim on upstream to spawn, and you can stand right beside it.

Salmon in the Tungufljót above Faxi owe a lot to people. The run has been built up by releasing large numbers of young salmon into the river, and the fishing above the falls now depends on those releases. In a good year the river produces a strong catch, and in 2008 more than 2,000 salmon were landed.

The time to watch is summer, roughly July and August, when the fish are running. Stand by the upper pools of the ladder and give it ten minutes: salmon do not appear on a timetable, but a patient visitor often sees one launch itself up a step. Fishing here needs a permit from the river's angling tenants, so leave the rods in the car unless you have booked.

The old bridge and Tungurétt sheep pen

Just above the falls a narrow bridge crosses the Tungufljót. It was built in 1929 and restored in 2000, and according to the NAT travel guide's river history it is one of the oldest bridges still standing in Iceland. The first bridge across the river was put up for the visit of King Frederick VIII in 1907, as part of the King's Road from Þingvellir to Geysir, and it was swept away by a flood in 1929.

Walk up to it if you have a few minutes. The view back down over the whole width of Faxi is better from here than from the main viewpoint, and the bridge itself, with the river sliding underneath, is a pleasant place to stand.

Close by is Tungurétt, the pen where the farmers of the district sort their sheep after the autumn round-up. For most of the year it stands empty and many drivers pass without noticing it. In September, when the sheep come down from the highlands, the réttir here can be lively, but the date changes each year and it is a working farm event, so check locally rather than planning a trip around it.

How to get to Faxi waterfall

Faxi is about 105 km from Reykjavík by road and sits a short way off Route 35 (Biskupstungnabraut), between Reykholt and the junction with Route 37. Look for the sign for Faxi and turn onto a short gravel track that runs down to the car park above the falls.

From the main stops it is close. Geysir is 11 km to the north, a ten-minute drive, and Gullfoss about 19 km. Reykholt and Friðheimar are around 10 km south, and Skálholt about 18 km.

That puts Faxi naturally between Geysir and the southern half of the loop, so it costs almost nothing in extra driving. Our guide to smaller stops near Gullfoss shows how Faxi fits with the other short detours at this end of the route.

The gravel track is short and suits any car, but it can be potholed after rain and icy in winter. Take it slowly, and check road conditions on the main route before you set off in the colder months.

Parking and facilities at Faxi

The car park is right above the falls, with the viewpoint a few steps from the cars. A parking charge has been collected at the site in recent years, but no official current rate is published, so check the signs when you arrive.

Viewing the waterfall itself costs nothing. Beside the car park there is a picnic area, and Við Faxa, a small restaurant overlooking the falls, serves meals in the main season. There is also a campsite just upstream. Opening months for both change from year to year, so bring food and water if you are passing outside summer.

Best time to visit Faxi

June to September is the best window. The salmon run, the restaurant is usually open, and long days let you stop on the way back from Gullfoss in the evening, when the light comes low across the water.

Spring brings the strongest flow, as snow melts across Haukadalsheiði and the river rises, and Faxi at full width is more impressive than its height suggests. Winter can be beautiful, with ice building along the edges of the ledge, but the track and the viewpoint can be slippery and the facilities are often closed.

How long to spend at Faxi

Fifteen to twenty minutes is enough for the viewpoint, the fish ladder and a walk to the old bridge. Allow forty-five minutes to an hour if you want to watch for salmon properly, eat at the restaurant or use the picnic tables.

Because it is so close to the main road, Faxi works well as a short break in the drive between Geysir and the southern stops, rather than a destination in its own right.

Faxi compared with Gullfoss

Faxi and Gullfoss sit on the same river system, since the Tungufljót flows into the Hvítá below Gullfoss, but they could hardly be more different. Gullfoss drops 31 metres into a canyon, carries a huge volume of glacial water and draws crowds all year. Faxi drops 7 metres over a broad ledge, runs mostly clear and is often close to empty.

See both if you can. Gullfoss gives you the power, and Faxi gives you a quiet stretch of river with salmon, sheep pens and an old bridge, a reminder that the Golden Circle runs through working farmland as well as famous sights. For the wider picture, our guide to the top waterfalls in the Golden Circle compares the falls along the route.

Things to do near Faxi

Geysir is ten minutes north, and our page on the Geysir hot springs covers Strokkur and the rest of the field. Going south, Reykholt is a small geothermal village with greenhouses, and Friðheimar, where tomatoes are grown under lights all year, is about 10 km away.

Kerið crater is around 36 km south-west, a little over half an hour by car, so Faxi sits neatly on the way if you are driving the southern half of the loop through Selfoss.

Skálholt, the old bishop's seat that gave Biskupstungur its name, is about 18 km south. Our page on Skálholt cathedral and its history explains what to see there and how long it takes.

A good half-day around Faxi might run Geysir, Faxi, lunch at Friðheimar and then Skálholt, with almost no backtracking and none of the three main stops' crowds in the second half.

What to bring to Faxi

Very little. The viewpoint is a few steps from the car, so ordinary shoes do in summer, though the grass and rocks by the fish ladder are slippery when wet. In winter, grip on your shoes matters more than at the bigger stops, because the track and viewpoint are not always gritted.

Bring a picnic outside the main season, since the restaurant may be closed, and a zoom lens or binoculars if you want to watch the ladder from a distance without crowding anglers on the bank.