Dynjandi
Dynjandi (Fjallfoss)
Dynjandi is the largest and most famous waterfall in the Westfjords, cascading roughly 100 metres down a stepped, fan-shaped rock face above Arnarfjörður. It is actually a series of six waterfalls, the uppermost and widest being Fjallfoss, followed downstream by Hundafoss, Strokkur, Göngumannafoss, Hrísvaðsfoss and Sjóarfoss.
Region
Westfjords
Coordinates
65.7325° N, 23.1986° W
Plan the stop
- Allow
- 1 hr
- Approach
- 1.5 km · 45 min. Approximate round trip from the car park to higher viewpoints along the waterfall chain; main coordinates are reused.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair · Partial
- The parking area and lowest section have a paved, railed path suitable for wheelchairs, but the marked trail continuing up to the main falls is rocky, uneven, and steep, making the upper viewpoints inaccessible.
- Limited mobility · Limited
- Lower views are accessible, but the main cascade viewpoints require steep wet steps and rocky trail.
- Sensory · Partial
- Water roar, spray, wind, and exposed fjord weather increase near the upper falls.
- Cognitive · Partial
- The route is linear, but visitors need to judge when the upper trail becomes too wet or steep.
Why it matters
The distinctive tiered, widening shape results from softer rock layers eroding faster than the harder basalt lava layers above and below them, a signature of the region's flood-basalt geology. Dynjandi and its surrounding watercourse were protected as a natural monument in 1981, and the falls have long served as an iconic visual symbol of the Westfjords.