Rjúkandi

From the city of Egilsstaðir, take Highway 1 west towards Myvatn for about 49 kilometers to the bridge over the Ysta-Rjúkandi (a sign indicating Rjúkandi denotes the bridge) where parking is available. The falls are visible from the road, however a path leads about 300 meters upstream to the base of the falls after passing through a gate.Rjúkandi is one of the few major waterfalls on the north side of Iceland which can be seen directly from the Ring Road. The falls descend the steep valley of Jökuldalur carved by the Jökulsá a Brú river, which has since been greatly reduced due to being harnessed in the massive Kárahnjúkar Dam project, dropping a total of 305 feet in two large steps - the first veiling 109 feet in a veiling horsetail style drop, and then another 196 feet in a leap which begins as two channels sliding over bedrock before pitching into a free-fall for the majority of its descent. A short distance downstream is a small lower fall which drops about 15 feet and can be seen in tandem with the main fall from the road, but it was segregated enough that we opted to not consider it to be part of the falls. The stream which the falls occur along, the Ysta-Rjúkandi, is one of three streams bearing the name of Rjúkandi in the immediate area. To the southwest of the falls one can see the Fremsta-Rjúkandi forming its own waterfall as it stairsteps down the valley, though in a considerably less impressive fashion. In between the two streams is the Mið-Rjúkandi, which has a considerably smaller drainage basin and was only a wet stain on the cliffs when we passed. Additionally a multitude of other waterfalls can be seen in Jökuldalur between this location and the city of Egilsstaðir, the majority of which we did not have time to stop and document.