Glymur Mountain Hike

Iceland offers a countless number of opportunities to hike. The Glymur tour is a half day tour with an adventure filled hike to the Glymur waterfall. The waterfall is not visible from the road otherwise. The hike up to the top of the waterfall is worth every calorie burned as the view from the peak is simply majestic. Following the same route to the Glymur Waterfall, brings you to Hvalfjörður almost half way through the hike. Hvalfjörður Fjord is enriched with birds, seals, and natural vegetation and unique landscapes.

Hvalfjörður

Hvalfjörður fjord is 30 kilometers long and five kilometers wide and is situated between Mosfellsbær and Akranes in southwest Iceland. The fjord is loaded with canyons, waterfalls, farms and beaches, slopes and shore; these add to the scenic beauty of the fjord. Summers are the best time of the year as the vegetation goes green and the birds, seals and other animals peep out of their habitat. The fjord recently underwent reforestation efforts to revive the attraction of this destination. Hvalfjörður means Whale beaching, but in contrast to the name, watching whales and dolphins swimming is a rare sight. It used to be the main whaling station long ago, but many believe that the fish stock has moved away from here. Hiking to the Glymur is the major tourist attraction. Besides this, the tourists can go to the shore to spot seals, visit the War and Peace Museum, relax in the swimming pools at Hlaðir, or visit the famous Church.

Glymur Waterfall

With a height of 198 meters, the Glymur Waterfalls used to be the highest waterfall up until just recently, when a new waterfall was discovered by scientists in Vatnajökull glacier, called Morsárfoss. The magnificent Glymur waterfall is located in Hvalfjordur fjord, West Iceland, and is fed by the Botnsá river, and drops into lush green moss covered canyon. The waterfall is close to the Golden Circle and it is about an hour from Reykjavík.  The hike from the car park to the Botnsá River is quick and mostly on flat land. Then the trail takes turns into the cave, from there on the hike is uphill through the cave to locate the trail.  Non- hikers might face a challenge or two while climbing up, otherwise the hike is fairly easy. But proper gears and boots are essential. The hike takes somewhere between 3 to 3.5 hours from the car parking to the viewpoint of the waterfall. There are several viewpoints of Glymur Waterfall throughout the hike, but the higher you reach, the better the view gets.

The entire hiking trail is surrounded by splendid landscapes, making every part of the hike extraordinary. Glymur Waterfall is approachable from both the south and the north side. It is recommended to follow the south side as the view is far better from the angle. If you want to experience the wonders of hiking in Iceland, check out some of our luxury tours where you can see them up close.