Hvítá
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There is more than one river called Hvítá in Iceland. This is because most Icelandic rivers, which originate from glaciers, have a light colour. "Hvítá" means "white river" in Icelandic.
The best known rivers by this name are:
- Hvítá (Borgarfjörður) in the west of Iceland, near the Reykholtsdalur (see Hraunfossar),
- Hvítá (Árnessýsla) in the south.
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[edit] Hvítá (Western Iceland)
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[edit] Hvítá (Southern Iceland)
This river has its source in the glacier lake Hvítárvatn at Langjökull glacier in the highlands of Iceland at . The river flows for 40 km (25 mi) before dropping down into a narrow gorge at the waterfall Gullfoss.
After this, the river flows between the Biskupstungur and Hrunamannahreppur districts. Here, one can find the confluence of Hvítá and three other rivers: Tungufljót, Brúará, and Stóra-Laxá. The river now contains double the amount of water compared to its capacity at Gullfoss. The river now runs down through the flatlands near Grímsness and behind the mountain Ingólfsfjall. Just norh of the town Selfoss it combines with the river Sog, and after that it is called Ölfusá as it flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
Because of the danger of flooding, especially in the wintertime, it has the reputation of being the most dangerous river of Iceland.
There are organised rafting excursions on parts of this river.
