Best Waterfalls in Iceland

9 min readUpdated 12 July 2026Waterfalls

Thirteen falls worth planning a trip around — by region, with cited heights and honest access. Use the live map to place them near your route.

Short answer

The essential shortlist is Gullfoss on the Golden Circle, Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss on the South Coast, Dettifoss in the north, Svartifoss in Skaftafell, and Dynjandi in the Westfjords. Most sit roadside off Route 1 and need no 4WD; only the Highlands falls do.

Skógafoss — a wide 60-metre waterfall on the South Coast of Iceland — Skógafoss on the South Coast — 60 m wide and roadside off Route 1, the fall most first trips meet.

Every waterfall, on one map

Waterfalls are scattered across all eight regions. Open the interactive map, filter to waterfalls, and line them up with wherever you are staying — so you are not driving hours for one you could swap for a closer fall.

WaterfallsOpen the interactive map

Iceland has hundreds of named waterfalls — we map 454 of them — so “the best” depends on where you are and how far off the tarmac you will go. This guide picks thirteen worth planning around, spread across every region, and keeps the facts honest: heights come from our data (an unknown one shows “—”), and access is described by what the road actually is, not a made-up drive time. The short version: the famous ones cluster on the South Coast and the Golden Circle, both reachable in a normal 2WD in summer, while the tallest and the wildest sit further out.

If you only have a few days from Reykjavík, start with the waterfalls near Reykjavík shortlist instead — this page is for a longer, country-wide trip.

Iceland's best waterfalls — region, cited height, access, and whether it's worth the detour

Waterfall	Region	Height	Getting there	Worth the detour?
Skógafoss	South Coast	60 m	Roadside off Route 1 · day-trip from Reykjavík	Yes. A 60 m curtain you can walk right up to, with stairs to the top.
Seljalandsfoss	South Coast	60 m	Roadside off Route 1 · short walk	Yes. The one you can walk behind — bring a raincoat.
Gljúfrabúi	South Coast	40 m	Short wet walk beside Seljalandsfoss	Yes, if you are already at Seljalandsfoss — hidden in a canyon slot.
Kvernufoss	South Coast	30 m	Short walk from Skógar · day-trip from Reykjavík	Yes. Skógafoss without the crowd, and you can walk behind it.
Svartifoss	South Coast (Skaftafell)	20 m	~45 min hike in Skaftafell	Yes. Framed by black basalt columns — the walk is the price.
Gullfoss	Golden Circle	32 m	Paved · day-trip from Reykjavík	Yes. The Golden Circle centrepiece, open year-round.
Dettifoss	North Iceland	44 m	North Iceland · multi-day · paved west bank (Rd 862)	Yes. Europe’s most powerful by volume — go for the force, not the height.
Aldeyjarfoss	North Iceland	20 m	North Highlands edge · gravel road 842 · needs 4WD	Yes if you have the car — basalt columns against glacial-blue water.
Hengifoss	East Iceland	128 m	East Iceland · multi-day · ~2.5 km uphill hike	Yes if you are in the East — red-striped cliff, real climb.
Dynjandi	Westfjords	100 m	Westfjords · multi-day · short steep walk up	Yes. The Westfjords showpiece — a 100 m tiered veil.
Glymur	West Iceland	198 m	45 min to the trailhead + 3–4 h hike	Yes if you will hike — Iceland’s second-tallest, biggest effort here.
Háifoss	Highlands	122 m	Highlands · gravel road 332 · needs 4WD	Yes if you have clearance — one of the tallest, and remote with it.
Hraunfossar	West Iceland	—	Roadside near Húsafell · day-trip from Reykjavík	Yes. Unlike any other — water leaks from a lava field over ~1 km.

Heights are the cited drop from our waterfall data; Hraunfossar shows “—” because it seeps from a lava field with no single fall to measure. “Getting there” is the honest access band — a fall marked needs 4WD is on gravel or beyond the tarmac. Before any Highlands or hiking fall, glance at can I drive there today? and the live alerts.

The South Coast — the waterfall highway

Most first trips meet Iceland's waterfalls here, because Route 1 runs right past them. Four of the thirteen sit within an easy stretch east of Reykjavík, all on paved roads a 2WD handles in summer. Browse the whole run on the South Coast waterfalls page.

#1.Skógafoss — the wide one you can climb beside

height: 60 m dropregion: South Coastaccess: roadside, 2WD

Skógafoss drops a straight, even 60 m and is as wide as it is tall, so you can walk right to the base and feel the spray. A steel staircase climbs the east side to a viewing platform and the start of the Fimmvörðuháls trail. It is a five-minute walk from a paved car park off Route 1 — no effort, no 4WD, and a rainbow most sunny afternoons.

#2.Seljalandsfoss — the walk-behind fall

height: 60 m dropregion: South Coastaccess: short walk, 2WD

Seljalandsfoss is the one where a path loops around the back of the 60 m drop, so you stand behind the water looking out. You will get sprayed and the ground is slippery — grippy shoes and a waterproof, and expect the back path to close in winter ice. A few minutes upstream, hidden in a canyon slot, Gljúfrabúi hides behind a rock wall you wade a shallow stream to reach. Do both from the same car park.

Seljalandsfoss on the South Coast, with a path running behind the falling water — Seljalandsfoss — the walk-behind fall. The path loops behind the 60 m drop; you will get wet.

#3.Kvernufoss & Svartifoss — the two that reward a short walk

height: Kvernufoss 30 mregion: Skógar & Skaftafellaccess: walk / short hike

A few minutes from Skógafoss, Kvernufoss hides in a green gorge — Skógafoss's quieter twin, and you can walk behind it too. Further east in Skaftafell, Svartifoss drops 20 m over a wall of black basalt columns that inspired the Hallgrímskirkja church. It is a roughly 45-minute uphill walk from the visitor centre — not the tallest, but the setting earns it.

The Golden Circle

One waterfall anchors Iceland's most-driven loop, and it is the one most travellers picture first.

#4.Gullfoss — the Golden Circle centrepiece

height: 32 m in two tiersregion: Golden Circleaccess: paved, 2WD, year-round

Gullfoss is the glacial Hvítá river folding over two stepped tiers into a deep canyon — a 32 m total drop, but the width and the volume are what land. It is about 90 minutes from Reykjavík on paved roads and open all year, which is why it pairs with Geysir and Þingvellir on the classic day out. Decide between this and the coast with our Golden Circle vs South Coast guide.

Gullfoss — the two-tier waterfall on the Hvítá river, anchor of the Golden Circle — Gullfoss folds the glacial Hvítá over two tiers into a canyon. Paved access, open all year.

The North and East

Cross to the far side of the country and the falls trade polish for scale — raw power in the north-east, real height in the east. Both are multi-day territory from Reykjavík; see the North Iceland waterfalls page for the rest.

#5.Dettifoss — Europe's most powerful by volume

height: 44 m tall, ~100 m wideregion: North Icelandaccess: paved west bank (Rd 862)

Dettifoss is the one you feel before you see — a glacial river 44 m tall and about 100 m wide, widely called the most powerful waterfall in Europe by average volume. It is loud and muddy-grey rather than pretty, and that is the point. The west bank (road 862) is paved and the easier approach; the east bank is rougher gravel. Nearby Selfoss and Hafragilsfoss share the trail.

#6.Hengifoss & Aldeyjarfoss — the striped cliff and the basalt one

height: Hengifoss 128 mregion: East & Northaccess: hike / gravel

In the east, Hengifoss drops 128 m down a cliff banded red and black with layers of clay and lava — a roughly 2.5 km uphill walk each way. Back toward the north Highlands, Aldeyjarfoss sets a 20 m drop against a wall of basalt columns and glacial-blue water; the gravel approach on road 842 wants a 4WD.

Dettifoss — a wide, powerful glacial waterfall in north-east Iceland — Dettifoss — 44 m tall, ~100 m wide, and the most powerful in Europe by volume. Force over prettiness.

The Westfjords and West

The remote north-west and the accessible west hold two of the country's tallest — one a showpiece at the end of a long drive, one a hike within reach of Reykjavík.

#7.Dynjandi — the Westfjords showpiece

height: 100 m tieredregion: Westfjordsaccess: short steep walk up

Dynjandi fans out to 100 m down a stepped rock face, widening as it falls like a bridal veil — the defining sight of the Westfjords. From the car park it is a short but steep climb past a chain of smaller falls to the base. The reward matches the drive, and the drive to the Westfjords is long: this is a multi-day-trip fall, not a detour.

#8.Glymur — the tall one within reach, if you'll hike

height: 198 m — 2nd tallestregion: West Iceland (Hvalfjörður)access: 45 min drive + 3–4 h hike

Glymur is Iceland's second-tallest at 198 m, and the drive to the Hvalfjörður trailhead is only about 45 minutes on paved road — but the fall is a proper hike, 3 to 4 hours round trip with a cave passage, a log-and-cable river crossing and a steep climb. Cross the river in the morning before snowmelt lifts it, wear real shoes, and skip it in bad weather.

Dynjandi — a wide tiered waterfall spreading down a rock face in the Westfjords — Dynjandi widens as it falls down a stepped face — the Westfjords' defining fall, at the end of a long drive.

The Highlands

The interior holds the tallest and the most remote, reached on gravel and F-roads that open only once summer clears them — which is where a 4WD stops being optional.

#9.Háifoss — one of the tallest, and remote with it

height: 122 m dropregion: Highlandsaccess: gravel road 332, 4WD advised

Háifoss plunges 122 m into a canyon near Þjórsárdalur, with its neighbour Granni beside it — one of the tallest in the country. The approach is gravel road 332, rough enough that a 4WD is the sensible call, and the road opens only in summer. Check Highlands road status before you commit.

Háifoss — a tall, narrow waterfall plunging into a Highlands canyon in Iceland — Háifoss drops into a canyon near Þjórsárdalur — one of Iceland's tallest, on a gravel road that opens only in summer.

When to go, and getting there

Waterfalls run hardest in late spring — May and June, when snowmelt peaks — and summer gives the easiest access, because the gravel and F-roads to the Highlands falls (Háifoss, Aldeyjarfoss) only open once cleared, usually from late June. Winter freezes many into part-ice: dramatic, but paths get treacherous and daylight is short. The roadside South Coast and Golden Circle falls stay reachable year-round in a 2WD, as long as you have the winter tyres the law requires from November to mid-April.

Because the falls span the whole country, plan them against your route rather than chasing a list. Open the interactive map, filter to waterfalls, and see which sit near where you are already staying. Before any Highlands fall or hike, check can I drive there today? for a live route verdict and the F-roads status — an open-in-summer road is not a guarantee on any given day.

Frequently
asked questions

What is the most famous waterfall in Iceland?

Gullfoss is the most famous — the two-tier drop on the Hvítá river that anchors the Golden Circle, about 90 minutes from Reykjavík on paved roads. Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss on the South Coast run it close, mostly because they sit right beside Route 1 and almost every first trip passes them.

What is the biggest or most powerful waterfall in Iceland?

By sheer force it is Dettifoss in the north-east — often called the most powerful waterfall in Europe by average water volume. It is 44 m tall and about 100 m wide, fed by a glacial river, so it is loud and muddy rather than pretty. For height instead of power, Glymur (198 m) and Háifoss (122 m) are among the tallest.

Can you walk behind Seljalandsfoss?

Yes. Seljalandsfoss is the well-known walk-behind fall on the South Coast — a path loops around the back of the 60 m drop. It gets slippery and you will get sprayed, so wear grippy shoes and a waterproof, and keep cameras covered. The path can close in winter ice. Nearby Kvernufoss and the hidden Gljúfrabúi can also be walked behind.

Do you need 4WD to see Iceland’s waterfalls?

For most of them, no. Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Gullfoss, Dettifoss’s west bank and Hraunfossar are all reached on paved or well-graded roads a 2WD handles in summer. You do want 4WD for the Highlands falls — Háifoss on gravel road 332, and Aldeyjarfoss beyond the tarmac — and for anything on an F-road. See our do-I-need-4WD guide for the honest split.

When is the best time to see waterfalls in Iceland?

Late spring is peak flow — May and June, when snowmelt is at its heaviest. Summer gives the easiest access and the Highlands falls open once their gravel and F-roads are cleared, usually late June onward. Winter turns many into part-frozen ice, which is dramatic but access is limited and paths ice over. Check live road status before any Highlands or hiking fall.

How many waterfalls are worth visiting in Iceland?

There is no single number — Iceland has hundreds of named falls, and we map 454 of them. This guide picks 13 that are worth planning a trip around, spread across every region. Use the interactive map to filter waterfalls near wherever you are staying, so you are not driving hours for one you could swap for a closer one.