The 10 Most Amazing Waterfalls in Iceland
Iceland has so many waterfalls! At the beginning of our 10-day trip, we started pulling over the side of the road for every single one (completely off the road – do not stop just on the side!). But by the end, we became pretty complacent because Iceland has so many of them!
From the biggest one in Europe – Dettifoss, to tiny ones that simply run down the centre of rocks by the side of the road, and anywhere in between! Iceland’s waterfalls are beautiful and not something you get to see every day. We have hundreds of photos of waterfalls in Iceland but wanted to share our personal favourites.
I've done a map of all the waterfalls in Iceland I have listed, so you can see where they are on the map and plan for when you visit!
Hraunfossar and Barnafoss
Hraunfossar and Barnafoss are two separate waterfalls right next to one another. It can become very full with tourists but is still beautiful and amazing. There is a little story about how children fell in the water and they then decided to build a proper bridge.
This has since been demolished and there is a pedestrian bridge across the other side to the top of Hraunfossar and you can see all down the river which is pretty cool. The rocks are formed from lava rocks (since Iceland is all lava rock!) and multiple points along the top where water escapes into the river below.
Barnafoss is literally just next door. You don’t have to go anywhere and really, I didn’t think there was much differentiation between the two waterfalls but great all the same. There is a car park just next to the waterfalls.
The Bottom of Bottom of Snaefellsjokull
The problem is, we don’t even know the name of this waterfall, or if it even has one! We spent an entire morning driving all the way up to the top of Snaefellsjokull mountain in Snaefellsness peninsula and stood at the top of the mountain at about 1600m and ran in the snow! In the middle of summer!
On the drive back down on road F570, there was this waterfall by the side of the road. We stopped and got out and admired the waterfall from the top. You can also walk further down and Ed decided to skim some stones in the river.
One of the best things was that it was absolutely deserted and we didn’t see any cars for a while. This was such a peaceful experience since Iceland tourism is increasing every year, finding peace can often be difficult
A great place to admire Iceland all alone and why I included it in my list of the best waterfalls in Iceland.
Kirkjufellsfoss
Whenever you type in Iceland on google and go onto photos, Kirkjufell is one of those iconic images which you’ll always see. The tall peaked mountain behind the lovely waterfall. This was also pictured on Game of Thrones north of the wall! Which is cool.
The one thing that ruined this for us, was that some people found it appropriate to go under barriers and go nearer the waterfall then you weren’t meant to. The one thing I don’t understand is why some individuals find it ok to do that, that they’re better than to abide by the rules.
The reasons the barriers were there, is due to human erosion, and giving the ground some chance to recover.
These wonderful sites won’t exist in Iceland forever as human erosion will destroy it. So why accelerate this process? So please be respectful of the environment. Lecture over!
You can walk all around to the top of the waterfall and obviously take your photos as we did. Its beautiful from all angles
Godafoss
Godafoss was definitely one of the most popular waterfalls in Iceland and definitely one of the largest. You can walk either side of the waterfall and admire the ridges in the cliff sides that the water has created. There are rock pools you can cross to get a bit closer which lots of people did, just have to be careful with your footing and wear waterproof shoes!
It also had a souvenir shop which I loved. Since up to this point, in the north of Iceland past Akureyri, we hadn’t bought any souvenirs! Which I am an absolute sucker for, so bought some magnets and badges for my bag.
Jokasell Glacier
This one isn’t a waterfall as such. In the south-east of Iceland, we drove up F985 road up to the top of Jokasell Glacier which is in the Vatnajokull National Park.
When driving up this road it was awfully scary! Roads were one car wide, and over the edge was a few hundred metres drop. But the drive up to the top was absolutely incredible, there were waterfalls all the way up from the melting glacier and you could see all the way down the valley and see the meandering rivers.
A site I still can’t believe, it was truly amazing. But remember you can only drive up F roads in Iceland with a 4x4. To be honest, we wouldn’t want to not as even driving in our Suzuki Jimny It was still tough at times.
Skogafoss
Skogafoss is a waterfall you need to be prepared to get wet for. It’s a big waterfall with a drop of 60m.
The bottom of the drop is at your height, so all of the mist goes all over you! The fact that when we went it was raining did not help. But a nice waterfall to go see but we were soaking, so be covered!
Seljalandsfoss
Seljalandsfoss has to be in our top 3 waterfalls in Iceland. It is in the south of Iceland, therefore not far from the capital, and is near Skogafoss too.
This waterfall is very iconic as you can walk behind it. You can get amazing photos through the waterfall as you walk around the back, and if you’re lucky you will be able to see the sun shining through it, and looks amazing.
When visiting here they now charge to park. It used to be free everywhere however with the increasing number of tourists it’s becoming more and more popular to charge for parking.
Dettifoss and Selfoss
Both Dettifoss and Selfoss are a short walk from one another, and both amazing in their individual ways.
Dettifoss is the biggest waterfall in Europe. I don’t think you realise how big it actually is until you're there. It's humongous.
You can only see a small section of where the water goes over the edge because there is so much mist from the drop of the water.
Selfoss is a small walk from Dettifoss and is made up of lots of smaller waterfalls all the way along rocks. It was quite similar to Hraunfossar but on a much larger scale. You can get back in your car and drive back down road 862 and back up 864 to walk around the other side and see Selfoss from the opposite side, which from the side of Dettifoss you can't see as well.
Gullfoss
Gullfoss is the biggest waterfall in the golden circle. If you’re driving the Golden Circle and want to check out other cool stuff to see and do, see my ultimate and complete guide to the Golden Circle.
It is one of the most popular waterfalls for the simple fact its an amazing natural structure but it also isn’t far away from the capital and lots of people can easily travel there. There is a walkway running along next to the waterfall/river so you can view it from different places.
Iceland’s amazing natural structures due to lava rocks and glaciers means there are thousands of waterfalls around. Some tiny by the side of the road, and some of the largest waterfalls in Europe!
Ed and I stopped a few times to take photos and drone footage of some amazing waterfalls by the side of the road. But there are also some huge waterfalls. Please enjoy the amazing sites, but also respect the environment.
Don’t want to sound boring, or that I’m preaching, but the number of times we saw tourists doing what they’re not meant to, e.g walking under barriers and flying drones when you’re not meant to, just ruins it for other people.
Maybe in a few years, this means that these amazing structures won’t be there anymore. And that would be extremely sad
