Hænubrekkufoss

Hænubrekkufoss is found adjacent to Route 939 as it climbs to Oxi Pass between Berufjörður and Suðurdalur. This road is used to bypass a section of Highway 1 and can eliminate about 60km of driving between Egilsstaðir and Hofn, however the road is steep, unpaved and not suitable for trailers. The falls are best seen from a broad curve in the road about 4.8km north of Highway 1 in Berufjörður, the junction of which is about 20km north of the town of Djúpivogur. Several small pullouts can be found just up the hill from the apex of the curve where the falls are visible. To reach the base of the falls, simply walk the moss-covered slopes straight down to the creek - there are sections where faint paths lead the way, but otherwise there is no trail (but also no notable obstacles).Hænubrekkufoss is the largest of several waterfalls which can be found along the Berufjarðará as it cascades down to the Berufjörður along the Öxi Pass road. The falls punctuate the valley's impressive headwall when viewed from Highway 1, and though distant the size of the falls is easily apparent. The formation consists of three distinct steps which drop for a total of approximately 175 feet. The uppermost tier we were not able to accurately measure, because it was found to be difficult to get close (with some effort it should be possible however), but it appears to drop about 35-feet. The middle tier then plunges 43-feet, followed by a powerful final plunge of 97-feet immediately after. Photographs of the falls do nothing to illustrate the true scale of the falls, especially as seen from the nearby road, and its size only becomes readily apparent in person.
While the Berufjarðará is not a large stream, and it does not appear to head in any permanent glacial ice, its drainage basin does appear to include dozens, if not hundreds of small lakes and tarns, in addition to being flanked by high mountains on either side which will retain snow pack late into the summer months. This combination ensures a considerable volume of water runs down the valley at any time of year. In the height of melt season the falls become very powerful, likely dominating the valley with a thundering roar and an unmistakable plume of mist rising from its base.