Granni

Despite being easy to access, finding Háifoss and Granni is actually a bit of a task due to poor signage (at least as of August 2014). Take Highway 1 east from the city of Selfoss and turn north on to Route 30 (just over 3km west of the bridge over the Þjorsá). Follow Route 30 north for 18.4km then turn right onto Route 32 and continue for another 43km then turn left onto an un-numbered gravel road where a sign points to a guesthouse (there had apparently been a sign marking Háifoss in the past, but it was not there when we visited). If you pass the power plant and cross the Þjorsá you've gone 5.5km too far. On the gravel road, drive 500m then bear right - here there is a sign marking Háifoss - and continue for another 6.6km, then turn left again where a sign points to Háifoss, to the parking area in another 500m. The road to the falls is rough and while it did not appear to be classified as an F road (restricted for non 4wd-vehicles) it should be driven very carefully. From the parking area, a short trail leads along the rim of the canyon for 500m to views overlooking Háifoss and Granni in tandem, but the upper tier of Granni is somewhat obscured from this perspective. Walk upstream along the canyon rim for a few hundred meters for a more revealing perspective. Additionally, it is possible to hike about 8km to the base of the falls from Stöng (see link to Gjáinfoss below), though going from the base of Háifoss to the base of Granni may prove more difficult (certainly without getting wet).Granni is a low to moderate volume waterfall found along the Fossá as it plunges from a high plateau into a massive canyon to meet the valley of the Þjorsá further downstream. The river actually splits into two channels about 4/5th of a kilometer upstream from the falls, and when they reach the rim of the canyon, form two side-by-side waterfalls. The larger volume channel creates Háifoss, plunges a sheer 396-feet, while the smaller volume channel forms a waterfall distinctly known as Granni. Unlike Háifoss, Granni does not drop in a sheer leap, and instead cascades over a series of stepped ledge for 86 feet, then turns sharply to the left and drops 331-feet into the canyon proper, first plunging and then skipping and veiling down after the water impacts on a ledge about halfway down. Because the Fossá is a river of signficant size, the segmenting of the stream does not impact the quality of either waterfall. During the spring and early summer months when the winter snow is melting at its fastest rate, both falls swell to impressive volumes and create a surround-sound roar which echoes throughout the canyon.
Until recently Háifoss was considered to be the second tallest waterfall in Iceland, but with the "discovery" of Morsárfoss near Skaftafell it was bumped to third by most conventions. But Granni despite being located literally right next to Háifoss was rarely if ever considered in a similar vein. Upon surveying the falls we found it to actually be slightly taller than Háifoss (though if the cascades about 500m upstream of Háifoss were to be included in its measurement, it would then likely be considered taller). However, neither fall is in actuality second or third tallest in Iceland - based on the data we currently have Granni places 7th on the list of Iceland's tallest waterfalls, while Háifoss places 9th. This does not take into account the literally dozens and dozens (if not hundreds) of small volume waterfalls which can be seen stair-stepping down mountainsides throughout the more rugged parts of the country.Granni is Icelandic for "neighbor", referring to the fact that the falls directly neighbor Háifoss. Our standard convention is to consider waterfalls along the same stream which splits into two channels as two segments of the same waterfall, however the long standing names of each of these falls sets a precedent for the current naming convention.