Road 953, Mjoafjardarvegur, is the road into Mjoifjordur from Egilsstadir, and the falls come into full view on the right-hand side as the road drops off Mjoafjardarheidi into the fjord. The waterfall is in the river Fjardara, in Fjardardalur at the head of Mjoifjordur in East Iceland. Access by road is only possible for part of the year.
Where Klifbrekkufossar sits
The waterfall stands in Fjardardalur, the valley at the head of Mjoifjordur, and the river here is the Fjardara in Mjoifjordur, not the unrelated Fjardara in Seydisfjordur on the far side of the mountains. Fjardardalur runs inland from the Fjardarbyli farms at the head of Mjoifjordur, north to the watershed on Mjoafjardarheidi.
For the wider setting of the fjord, its village, and the surrounding landscape, see Mjoifjordur.
The falls and the river Fjardara
This is not a single vertical drop. The waterfall is a run of many small falls one after another, reading as a single picture. The water comes from a spring-fed river rather than from a glacier.
A valley on the natural heritage register
Fjardardalur is listed on Iceland's Natturuminjaskra, the national register of natural heritage, which records areas and natural features regarded as worth protecting or preserving. The register describes the valley as a fertile valley floor with varied grasses, birch scrub on its northern slopes, rugged basalt mountains on both sides, and fine waterfalls, using the falls in Fjardara as its example.
The road over Mjoafjardarheidi
The road into Mjoifjordur is Mjoafjardarvegur, road 953. Vegagerdin's road register lists it leaving the Ring Road, climbing to Haheidi on Mjoafjardarheidi, dropping to the farm Fjordur in the fjord, and continuing past Brekkuvegur out to Dalatangi.
The road is open only for part of the year, and the length of that period depends on the weather and on road conditions. When the road is shut, the fjord is often not reachable by road at all, and at those times it is reached by scheduled boat from Nordfjordur instead. The opening of Iceland's mountain roads depends on weather in spring and early summer, with snow cover having the greatest effect, and wet ground can also delay an opening.
Checking the road before you set out
Live road conditions for Iceland can be checked at road conditions. Road conditions for the whole country are also published by Vegagerdin on umferdin.is, and the agency runs a road information telephone service.
Map apps including Google Maps may not always reflect closed or impassable roads accurately, so conditions should be checked against official sources before setting out. Many roads in Iceland are gravel, especially in rural areas away from the Ring Road, and a driver should slow down when moving from a paved surface onto gravel to keep grip. Winter conditions can occur in spring and autumn as well as in winter, and driving on icy roads can be very challenging.
Comparing East Iceland tours
You can compare East Iceland tours.
