Dynjandi Waterfall and Farm Tours From Ísafjörður
Two operators break the drive back from Dynjandi with a stop in the Icelandic countryside. One pulls in at Gemlufell, a working farm where the family serves coffee and a slice of hjónabandssæla, the oat and rhubarb cake whose name means happy marriage. The other stops at a viewpoint with Icelandic horses and a small wooden country church. They cost $141.71 and $121.26, and the second one has been closing that church on some departures.
About These Tours
Both run as half days from the Ísafjörður cruise harbour
The horses trip is cheaper; the farm trip includes coffee and cake
Oat and rhubarb cake, served at the farm with hot coffee or tea
On both: sheep and horses at the farm, a feeding stop on the other
From 1,353 and 706 reviews, the two deepest samples after the bus trip
The farm tour runs an air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi
Check Dates for the Farm Tour
Live availability for the $141.71 BusTravel departure, the more reviewed of the two. Guiding runs in English and German.
Which One to Book
The farm tour, $141.71, if you want the stop to be a real stop
BusTravel Iceland gives thirty minutes at Gemlufell, a working farmstead down a side road off the fjord. The family serves coffee, tea and a slice of hjónabandssæla, and reviewers describe holding lambs, feeding the horses, a small gift shop and, repeatedly, the fact that there are toilets.
It carries 4.7 from 1,353 reviews. The catch is time at the waterfall: the itinerary allows 45 minutes at Dynjandi, the shortest of any trip on this site. Several reviewers ask for half an hour more, and they are right. Among all nine Dynjandi waterfall trips, these two are the only ones that put you inside an Icelandic farmhouse.
The horses tour, $121.26, if you want the cheaper stop
Soleil de Minuit gives 50 minutes at Dynjandi and then twenty minutes at a viewpoint with panoramic views, Icelandic horses and a small wooden country church. Horse candy is included, which parents of small children will recognise as the actual product.
It rates 4.5 from 706 reviews, the lowest of the three big samples. Two things pull it down. The church is sometimes locked when the group arrives, and the pickup sign at the cruise terminal is small enough that people miss it. Look for a green jacket and a Soleil de Minuit bus.
The honest comparison
Twenty dollars separates them. For that you get a longer stop, a hot drink, cake, a working farm rather than a roadside viewpoint, and a toilet. Against that, five fewer minutes at the falls.
If you are travelling with children, the farm wins on both counts. If the waterfall is the point and the countryside is a bonus, take the horses trip and put the difference towards nothing at all, because there is nothing to buy at Dynjandi.
Both Farm and Countryside Trips
Same waterfall, same half day, two different ideas of what a stop in the Icelandic countryside should include.
from $141.71 Dynjandi Waterfall and Farm Visit: Ísafjörður Shore Excursion
Read the full guide → Check Availability
from $121.26 What You'll See
The waterfall, in under an hour
Dynjandi drops 100 metres and fans out as it falls, from about 30 metres wide at the top to roughly 60 at the base. Six smaller waterfalls sit below it on the same river and the path passes each one.
With 45 to 50 minutes, the honest plan is: climb, stand at the base, come down. That takes about 35 minutes at a normal pace and leaves a few minutes at the bottom falls. Reviewers who tried to do more than that are the ones who write that they felt rushed. How far up you actually need to go settles the question before you arrive.
Gemlufell, and what a working farm stop actually is
Gemlufell sits on Dýrafjörður, a short way off the main road. It is a family farm and not a visitor attraction: sheep, Icelandic horses, a yard, a small shop, and a room where thirty people can sit down with coffee.
The cake is hjónabandssæla, oats and rhubarb jam, translated as happy marriage cake. One reviewer wrote about being greeted with slices of wedding cake and hot chocolate, and about holding sheep. Another mentioned the hosts being a lovely family, which is the difference between this and a coach-park café.
How the Farm Tour Runs
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0:00
Ísafjörður cruise harbour
Meet the guide at the port. The coach is air-conditioned and carries Wi-Fi.
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0:00–0:50
South through the tunnels
Fifty minutes along the fjords and through mountain tunnels to Arnarfjörður.
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0:50–1:35
Dynjandi
Forty-five minutes: the walk up to the base of the main fall and back past the lower falls.
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1:35–2:00
Scenic drive to Dýrafjörður
Twenty-five minutes back north along the fjord road.
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2:00–2:30
Gemlufell farm
Thirty minutes: coffee, tea, hjónabandssæla, the farmyard animals and the gift shop.
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2:30–2:55
Back to the port
Twenty-five minutes to the harbour at Ísafjörður.
Important Things to Know
Toilets are the quiet reason to pick the farm
Dynjandi has toilets at the car park and nothing else, and they take the load of every coach that arrives at once. One reviewer on the farm trip made the point without meaning to, asking only that more of the stops had facilities.
Gemlufell has them, and thirty minutes indoors with a hot drink halfway through a half-day trip in Icelandic weather is worth more than it sounds on a booking page.
What to pack
Both operators ask for comfortable shoes and warm clothing. The rest comes from what reviewers wished they had.
- Shoes with grip for the wet stone on the upper path
- A windproof layer, because the valley funnels wind at the falls
- A camera you can dry off, since spray coats a lens in seconds
- Cash or card for the farm's gift shop, which is small and worth five minutes
- In July, a head net or a brimmed hat against the midges on the path
The country church is not guaranteed
On the horses trip, the small wooden church is listed as included, entry and all. Reviewers in July found it locked. It is a working parish church in a settlement of almost nobody, not a monument with opening hours.
If the church is the reason you are booking, ask the operator before you pay. The horses and the viewpoint are reliable; the church is not.
Where the Tours Go
Ísafjörður to Dynjandi at the head of Arnarfjörður, then back north with a stop in the Dýrafjörður countryside.
Who These Tours Are Best For
Book one if
The farm stop is the difference, and for the right traveller it is the best part of the day.
- You are travelling with children, who will remember the lambs over the waterfall
- You want a hot drink and a toilet halfway through a half-day trip
- German-language guiding matters, which the farm tour offers
- You want the countryside as well as the landmark
Not ideal for
These are the two shortest stops at Dynjandi of any trip from Ísafjörður.
- Anyone whose priority is time at the falls, at 45 and 50 minutes
- Photographers wanting to work the upper viewpoints without hurrying
- Travellers on a budget, since the bus-only trip is half the price of the farm tour
- Anyone booking the horses trip mainly to see inside the country church
Questions Before You Book
What is served at the farm on the Dynjandi farm tour?
Hot coffee or tea and a slice of hjónabandssæla, a traditional Icelandic cake made from oats and rhubarb jam whose name translates as happy marriage. It is included in the $141.71 price, along with thirty minutes at the farm, the animals and a small gift shop.
How long do you get at Dynjandi on these tours?
Forty-five minutes on the farm tour and fifty on the horses tour. That covers the 15-minute climb to the base of the main fall and the walk back down. If you want longer, the bus-only day trip gives ninety minutes and no country stop.
Which farm do the tours visit?
Gemlufell, a working farmstead on Dýrafjörður, on the $141.71 BusTravel trip. The cheaper $121.26 tour does not visit a farm: it stops at a roadside viewpoint with Icelandic horses and a small country church, and includes horse candy for feeding them.
Can you feed the Icelandic horses?
Yes, on both. The horses tour includes horse candy in the price and lists the feeding stop in the itinerary. At Gemlufell reviewers describe feeding horses and holding sheep. Follow the guide's instructions rather than offering anything you brought yourself.
Are these tours suitable for children?
They are the best pick of any Dynjandi trip for families. Reviewers travelling with kids single out the animals on both. The waterfall path is the limiting factor: 100 metres of climb on uneven wet stone with no railing at the top. You can stop at the lower viewpoints and still see the fall.
What else runs from Ísafjörður?
Trips that swap the farm for a fishing village, a six-hour route north to Bolungarvík, or a private superjeep.
What Travellers Wrote
What a great short tour! We were picked up on a large comfortable bus and the first stop was the farm tour. What a quaint farm we got to hold sheep and feed the beautiful Icelandic horses. We were greeted with delicious slices of wedding cake and hot coffee and hot chocolate. There was a small gift shop and the hosts were a lovely family.
The tour was great. The farm we visited was a cute little stop before the waterfall. The tour is short enough to be a little bit longer. Half an hour more at the Dynjandi waterfall would surely be much appreciated.
Excellent tour guide, very interesting and informative along the way. Plenty of time at each stop. Kids loved feeding the horses candy.