Fardagafoss
The name Fardaga refers to a four day period in the seventh week of summer (thursday through sunday, some time between May 31st and June 6th) when people were by law allowed to move their residence between farms. This law was in place for centuries in Iceland and similar rules could also be found in Scandinavia and in Scotland.
Around this time the river is usually at his largest due to melting snow in the mountains and the waterfall is therefore more prominent and visible from places where it can hardly be seen at other times of the year.
Folklore and fantasy
An old folktale claims that a female troll used to occupy the cave behind the waterfall. She had a pot of gold and hid it in the Gulufoss waterfall downriver. The pot is supposed to hang on an iron bar in the water and sometimes you should be able to catch a glimpse of the handle in the stream.
The hike
It is a relatively short hike but the scenery is fantastic, especially behind the waterfall! The walk up to the waterfall takes less than 30 minutes.At the top of the path the hikes becomes adventurous when the route takes you down into the gully all the way up to the waterfall and towards the cave behind it.
Due to water or ice (depending on the season) the path can be slippery. Everything is at your own risk!!