Favorite Waterfalls in South Iceland

Seljalandsfoss

I feel like I’ll remember our time at Seljalandsfoss forever. We visited right around sunset and I was just amazed at the beauty of this special canyon (including the nearby Glujrabui). The light was perfect and we even saw a rainbow coming out in front of the waterfall – just magic! 🌈 This is a very popular spot and we saw lots of big vans + buses of people, but it seemed to be less busy the later it got in the day. We were bummed we couldn’t hike behind the waterfall (sometimes possible at Seljalandsfoss) but still loved getting to see this waterfall!

Gljufrabui

Sharing a canyon with the famous Seljalandsfoss, Glujrabui waterfall is a short walk away, so you can see both in one outing! The falls are partially obscured by the cliff, and we were hoping to climb/hike through to see them better, but it was closed off during our trip. Apparently, sometimes, you can go through the trail to see the waterfall even closer and the pool it falls into.

 

Skogafoss

This was another popular and stunning waterfall we visited! It’s one of the biggest in Iceland at a width of 25 meters (82 ft) and a drop of 60 meters (197 ft). There’s also narrow steps leading to the top of the falls with a small viewing deck. While Skogafoss was breathtaking, we loved that once we got to the top, we could keep hiking and found SO many more waterfalls down the river. And, not a lot of people kept going down the path (most just went to the viewing deck and then walked back down), which was great for us!

Kvernufoss

Very close to to the popular Skogafoss was the Kvernufoss waterfall. The waterfall itself feels like a hidden gem that’s partially hidden from the gorge. Kvernufoss was easily one of my favorite waterfalls we saw! We walked about a half mile from the parking lot down a trail along the river to the waterfall. The walk was so pretty! And, this is apparently one of the only waterfalls you can actually go behind! I was DELIGHTED to hike behind the waterfall (and regretted leaving my rain jacket in the car because I got soaked). It was so special! FYI – you do have to pay a small parking fee (park at Skogar Cultural Heritage Museum).

Urriðafoss

We spontaneously stopped at Urriðafoss on the way to our hotel on our first day, and it was our first big waterfall we visited in Iceland! Apparently this is the ‘most voluminous’ waterfall in Iceland. It was very pretty!

 

Gullfoss

Gullfoss was our first outing on day two after our blissful jet-lagged sleep! It was rainy and windy this morning, but still breathtaking to see these falls! You actually get to see two waterfalls here, and can walk down a path along the top AND also see the falls from a lower angle. There’s also a cafe, bathrooms, and large gift shop next to the parking lot. Gullfoss is a popular spot on Golden Circle tours and closer to Reykjavik than some other waterfalls we visited/I shared here.

Faxafoss

Faxafoss is located near the popular Geysir site, and not too far from Gullfoss. It’s a small, but wide waterfall and we enjoyed walking around it and only saw a few other people here! There’s a small parking fee (less than ~$5 USD).

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