Aldeyjarfoss

The Skjalfandafljot is the river that makes Godafoss further downstream, and at Aldeyjarfoss it drops into a narrow bowl walled with basalt columns that are darker, taller and more regular than most in the country. White water against black rock is the whole picture, and it is a compact one: the fall is not high and you stand more or less on top of it. This is also the point where the surfaced road gives out and the Sprengisandur crossing of the interior begins, so the site marks a boundary as much as a view. The last kilometres are washboard gravel that shakes a small car badly.

What you actually see

• The column wall - tall regular basalt around the plunge pool, unusually dark.
• The plunge pool - the narrow bowl the river drops into before turning north.
• The upper river - flat water above the lip with the highlands opening out behind.
• The road south - where the surfaced road ends and the Sprengisandur route begins.

When to go

June to September, when the gravel road is open and in reasonable shape; it is not maintained through winter and the last section becomes impassable. Midday sun reaches down into the bowl, while morning and evening leave it in shadow, which suits the rock better than the water. There is no charge, no staff and nothing laid on.

Honest expectations

The final gravel stretch is rough enough that a low hire car takes a beating and some people turn back. Edges above the fall are unfenced and the rock is wet. Spray coats a lens in seconds. Since tour operators started including it the small parking area fills up, and the best standing spot holds about four people at a time.

Nearby

Godafoss and the ring road are north down the valley; the Sprengisandur route runs south into the interior.