Photo spot in Hraunfossar & Húsafell
Húsafell woods and the canyon baths
Ten minutes east: birch woods, the Hvítá, and the Giljaböð hot pools in a canyon — a guided, pre-booked visit.
About Húsafell woods and the canyon baths
Get directionsHúsafell is the green counterweight to the lava: one of the few real woods in Iceland, birch and rowan along the Hvítá, with Langjökull's ice cap on the skyline. Paths through the trees give sheltered, soft-light frames when the wind on the open falls makes work impossible, and the river banks add water without spray.
Higher up the valley, the Giljaböð canyon baths are two stone-built hot pools fed by a natural spring, reached by a short drive and walk with a guide. They are booked in advance and visited in small groups — not a walk-in — so if a bathing scene is part of the plan, it has to be arranged before the day and the shoot fitted to the slot.
Everything here is easy ground: level paths, a short walk to the water, and facilities in the village. That makes Húsafell the natural end of a west Iceland session — the falls first, while the light is on them, and the woods or the pools after.
Best time to shoot
Midday and afternoon in the woods; the baths at the booked slot
Tips
Use the woods when wind kills the open falls. The canyon baths are guided and pre-booked — arrange the slot before the shoot date.
Other spots in Hraunfossar & Húsafell
The first viewing platform
Thirty seconds from the car park: the full band of white water running out of black lava into the turquoise Hvítá.
The west end of the falls path
A few hundred metres along the marked path, where the falls thin out and the crowd disappears.
The Barnafoss footbridge
Five minutes upstream: blue water forced through a narrow chute and a natural rock arch, seen from directly above.
Ready to book?
Our concierge team will hand-pick 2-3 photographers who know Húsafell woods and the canyon baths — free of charge.