Thjofafoss

Thjorsardalur, South Region (Suðurland), Iceland

About Thjofafoss


Hiking Distance: roadside
Suggested Time:

Date first visited: 2007-07-08
Date last visited: 2007-07-08

Waterfall Latitude: 64.05669
Waterfall Longitude: -19.86632

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Thjofafoss (or more accurately Þjófafoss; pronounced “THYOH-fuh-foss”, meaning “thieves falls”) was a wide and milky waterfall on the Þjórsá River beneath Mt Burfell. Even though this waterfall wasn’t tall, we thought its width, power, and juxtaposition with Mt Burfell was what made this a very interesting waterfall to photograph and admire.

Apparently, the falls got its name because thieves were drowned here for their crimes. I also learned that a hydroelectric plant further upstream had made this waterfall pretty much only viewable when snowmelt was at its maximum in the early Summer. Apparently that was the case during our visit as you can see from the photos on this page.

For all intents and purposes, this was essentially a roadside waterfall, but the side road to get here was a bit rougher than we had expected (see directions below).

Thjofafoss_022_07082007
Thjofafoss_019_07082007
Thjofafoss_021_07082007
Road_26_003_07082007
Road_26_011_07082007


Getting here required a somewhat short 4km detour on a black-sand road. However, that short detour felt like it was probably more suited for high clearance 4wd vehicles than 2wd low clearance passenger vehicles. This detour branched from Route 26 about 18km south of the Route 26 and Route 32 junction in Þjórsadalur.

Coming up the Route 26 from the Ring Road, it’s about 44km northeast to the turnoff for the falls, which would then leave the road 26 on the left. The Route 26 leaves the Ring Road at about 7km from the bridge over the Þjórsá River at Hella, or it’s about 27km east of Selfoss. Selfoss was about 52km (45 minutes drive) east of Reykjavik.

Find A Place To Stay

Right to left sweep of the falls and Mt Burfell ending well downstream of the falls and mountain

Related Top 10 Lists

No Posts Found

Tagged with: thjorsardalur, thjorsadalur, interior, highlands, hrauneyjar, hella, selfoss, hvolsvollur, thjorsa, south region, southern iceland, sudurland, waterfall, burfell, thief, thieves



Visitor Comments:

Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...

No users have replied to the content on this page


Share your thoughts about what you've read on this page

You must be logged in to submit content. Refresh this page after you have logged in.

Visitor Reviews of this Waterfall:

If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...

No users have submitted a write-up/review of this waterfall


Have you been to a waterfall? Submit a write-up/review and share your experiences or impressions

Review A Waterfall

Nearest Waterfalls

The Waterfaller Newsletter

The Waterfaller Newsletter is where we curate the wealth of information on the World of Waterfalls website and deliver it to you in bite-sized chunks in your email inbox. You'll also get exclusive content like...

  • Waterfall Wednesdays
  • Insider Tips
  • User-submitted Waterfall Write-up of the Month
  • and the latest news and updates both within the website as well as around the wonderful world of waterfalls


How To Build A Profitable Travel Blog In 4 Steps