For any visitor to Iceland, one of the top things on the agenda is seeing waterfalls. Iceland is known for its jaw-dropping natural beauty, and the island is covered in spectacular waterfalls. In fact, there are so many amazing waterfalls, it can be hard to choose which ones to visit. I did a lot of research before going to Iceland, and while I’m sure I missed some amazing waterfalls, I feel pretty confident that this list covers many of the best ones. Some of these waterfalls are extremely popular; others are less well known. All of them are easily accessible for travelers on the Ring Road, but may involve a little bit of hiking. These waterfalls are in no particular order, and each one offers something special. So without further ado, here is my list of the best waterfalls in Iceland.
Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfuràrbui
Seljalandsfoss is, without a doubt, Iceland’s most famous waterfall, and you’ll certainly find it on any list of things to do in Iceland. Located on the south coast, Seljalandsfoss is immediately accessible from the Ring Road, making it an easy and popular stop. The most fun thing about this waterfall is that there is a small cave that allows you to actually walk behind it (as long as you don’t mind getting a little wet!)
Right next to Seljalandsfoss, only about a ten minute walk, is another cool waterfall, so if you stop here, you get two waterfalls for the price of one! This second waterfall is called Gljúfuràrbui, and while the waterfall itself is not as scenic as Seljalandsfoss, it does involve a climb through a small canyon to actually see the waterfall, which is hidden in the cliffs.
Bruarfoss
Bruarfoss was definitely one of my favorite waterfalls in Iceland. This waterfall (or waterfalls, maybe I should say) is a little different because it is not particularly tall, but is instead very wide, with lots of small waterfalls all coming together to form one beautiful scene. It is also known for the color of the water, which is an icy blue. This waterfall is located off the Golden Circle route, near Reykjavik, and we were easily able to squeeze it into our itinerary on the same day we visited the three famous sites of the Golden Circle. This waterfall does involve a short hike, around 2.5 miles each way, but it is very easy walking, and you get to see a few other waterfalls along the way.
Haifoss
Haifoss is a spectacular waterfall, and the fourth highest in Iceland. This waterfall involves a little more effort to get to than some of the others, and requires driving about 40 minutes on a gravel road. We visited Iceland in the summer, and made it to Haifoss in our teeny tiny rental car going very slowly and carefully, but in bad weather, you would definitely need four-wheel drive to make it out here. The viewpoint right next to the parking lot is very cool, but the best part about this waterfall, in my opinion, is hiking down to its base, where you can truly get a sense of just how powerful this waterfall is. The hike is not very long, but it is pretty steep, so be prepared.
Gullfoss
Gullfoss is another of Iceland’s most popular waterfalls. Its location on the Golden Circle, which is Iceland’s most popular road trip route, means that pretty much every visitor to Iceland stops here. But this is one of those things that is popular for a reason. While not as tall as some of the other waterfalls, it is massive, with 140 cubic meters of water flowing over the falls per second!
Kolugljúfur
Kolugljúfur Canyon is home to another waterfall that took my breath away not because of its size, but because of its sheer beauty. There are a few waterfalls that line up along the river, and you can see all of them by walking just a short distance along the edge of the canyon. Kolugljúfur is located in North Iceland, and makes a great stop on the Ring Road between Reykjavik and Akureyri.
Skógafoss
Another of Icelands most famous and most impressive waterfalls is Skógafoss. Skógafoss is located in South Iceland, once again immediately off the Ring Road, making it extremely popular. The huge, sheet drop of the waterfall makes is incredibly scenic. The parking lot is located a short walk from the base of the waterfall, and you are able to climb a staircase up to the top of it for another unique view.
Goðafoss
Located just outside Akureyri in North Iceland, Goðafoss is a beautiful, wide waterfall. There are two different parking lots, allowing you to view the waterfall from either side. The name of this waterfall means “waterfall of the gods,” because supposedly, when the leader of the region converted to Christianity, he threw his pagan idols into the falls.
Glymur
Glymur is one of the less popular waterfalls in Iceland, despite the fact that it is the second tallest. This is perhaps because the hike to get to Glymur is a little more strenuous than many of the other waterfalls on this list. This hike is quite an adventure, and involves crossing a log bridge and scrambling up and down steep paths. After viewing the waterfall, you can turn around and return to the parking lot the way you came, or, if you are feeling adventurous, you can cross the wide, narrow river at the top of the falls and hike back along the other side. The whole hike is about 4.5 miles. This hike was a blast! We could barely even see the waterfall because there was so much fog on the day we visited, and we still loved it!
Öxarárfoss
Located within Thingvellir National Park, Öxarárfoss is easy to reach, and very pretty. While not the most dramatic waterfall, it is easy to put this one on your itinerary, since you’ll most likely be visiting Thingvellir anyway.
Kirkjufellsfoss
Kirkjufellsfoss is mostly famous for its scenic location, right in front of Kirkjufell Mountain on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. The view of this waterfall with this mountain in the background has become the most iconic sight in Iceland. I’m sure you’ve seen advertisements with this view, and photographers especially will want to visit this spot. Truthfully, this was not one of our favorite stops, but mostly because there were a couple of guys blatantly walking where they weren’t supposed to and ruining everybody’s pictures. Besides that, while the waterfall itself is beautiful, it’s really the view of the waterfall with the mountain that draw people to this location.
Bonus: Svartifoss
If that’s not enough waterfalls for you, the only waterfall on my list that we didn’t manage to get to was Svartifoss. This waterfall is located in Skaftafell National Park, and is surrounded by basalt columns that look insanely cool! We really wanted to squeeze in the hike to see this waterfall, but just ran out of time. Just another reason to go back to Iceland someday!
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