Las 10 Best Icelandic Waterfalls You Must Visit When Traveling The Golden Ring Road
Iceland is one of the most beautiful places to visit when it comes to waterfalls, Its climate and location are especially suitable for waterfalls due to frequent rain and snowfall, combined with the numerous glaciers that melt during the summer; you can find more than 10,000 waterfalls throughout the country. In this article we will list some of the most iconic waterfalls that can be reached by car or tour bus; some are just a day trip from the country's capital, Reykjavík. Most of these places offer beautiful hikes, wonderful photo opportunities, either during the day or at night with the auroras during the winter months.
The beautiful blue waterfall Bruarfoss, hidden in the western countryside of Iceland. Brúarfoss translates as ‘Bridge Falls’. This waterfall is relatively small compared to many other Icelandic counterparts (with peaks of less than 3 meters high). However, What it lacks in size it makes up for in its icy blue, fast-moving waters.. Brúarfoss is approximately one hour and twenty minutes east of Reykjavik. with a good walk 25 minutes to reach the waterfall from the main road. Labeled as “the bluest waterfall in iceland”, It is one of Iceland's hidden gems.
Kirkjufell It is located on the northern coast of the Snæfellsnes peninsula, in west iceland. It is located about 115 miles from the capital of Iceland, Reykjavík, a 65 miles of the city of Borgarnes already 235 miles of Akureyri.
Kirkjufell está a unas 2 hour and a half drive from Reykjavik, making it an easy visit for a day trip. This iconic mountain is known as Church Mountain due to its conical shape. Kirkjufell is made up of different types of lava and rock. due to the television series game of thrones, Kirkjufell is one of the most popular photography locations in Iceland.
Seljalandsfoss, It is one of the most notorious waterfalls in Iceland, located on the south coast of Iceland, this stunning natural beauty falls around 65 meters in a pool below. Seljalandsfoss is one of the most famous places in Iceland, due to the fact that the waterfall can be seen from a view of 360 degrees thanks to a hidden path that takes you behind the waterfall, giving you the opportunity to experience its magnificent fall.
It's fantastic to walk behind Seljalandsfoss, since it creates excellent photographs, however, a raincoat is essential, since you will get soaked with the drizzle of water.
Seljalandsfoss waterfall is located on the south coast, at some 74,5 miles de Reykjavík.
Litlanesfoss y Hengifoss Located in the eastern region of Iceland, outside Egilsstaðir, you can find this set of majestic waterfalls. Both are unique with incredible geological formations with magnificent vertical basalt columns, several meters long. These formations were created after an eruption, hardened lava rock takes a significant time to cool and, as a result, These hexagonal structures form perpendicular to the cooling surface. Due to these formations, Thousands of tourists travel every year to visit these waterfalls. The walk to see these wonders begins near a bridge that crosses the Lagarfljót River and climbs approximately 850 feet along 1,8 miles along the Hengifossá River to one of the highest waterfalls in Iceland.
Hengifoss It is the third highest waterfall in Iceland, con 128 metros. Surrounded by basaltic strata with red layers of clay between the basaltic layers.
Skógafoss, It is one of the largest waterfalls in Iceland with a drop of 62 meters and a width of 25 metros. Powerful, beautiful with so many photographs, makes Skógafoss one of the most popular and visited waterfalls in Iceland. The mist of water falling into the pool below is sometimes overwhelming, so you should prepare to get wet if you want to get close. There are some 370 steps on the side of the waterfall that will take you to the viewing platform on the right above Skógafoss. From the platform you can see an upstream part of the Skógá River that has many more smaller waterfalls. You get a wonderful point of view of this large and beautiful waterfall that can be seen both below and above.
Godafoss, nicknamed the waterfall of the gods, It is located in the northeastern part of the bypass from Iceland, which makes it one of the most visited waterfalls. The large horseshoe-shaped drop has a drop of 39 feet and 100 feet wide. Goðafoss is a very photogenic waterfall and has two distinguishable viewing areas, one on each side of the falls. To reach these panoramic points, need a few minutes by car, viewing areas are right next to the parking lots, therefore, visiting both viewing areas is quite easy.
Svartifoss or the “Black Waterfalls”, It is known to fall on a black vertical wall of basalt columns, hence its name. The waterfall is fed by water from the Vatna glacier. To get to this waterfall, the walk is approximately one mile from the visitor center, the walk is uphill and will take about 90 minutes round trip. On the way to Svartifoss, You will encounter other waterfalls and make this a wonderful photo hike.
Waterfall Dettifoss, considered the second most powerful waterfall in Europe after the Rhine Falls in Switzerland. Dettifoss is located in Vatnajökull National Park in northeast Iceland. With a height of 144 pies o 45 meters and 100 meters wide, Dettifoss is a majestic site with wonderful trails that can get you very close to the waterfall and allow you to experience its great power. There is a large viewing platform from the viewpoint (faces the fall and is not suitable for long exposure photography) with view of the fall and the field. The platform is extremely wet due to the mist created by the waterfall, so it is suggested to bring a raincoat.
About the authors
Raúl Marín and Andrés Moline are both professional photographers for Boreal Expedition. All photographs in the article were taken during the visit to the places; All of our content is based on our own first-hand travel experience and all photographs are property of Boreal Expedition.