Iceland is the land of waterfalls and you’ll see them all around the country. There are so many and distinct waterfalls in the country that it is really hard to pick the best ones, so instead we decided to showcase all the Iceland waterfalls we visited during our multiple trips there.
Currently, we have 17 waterfalls with an individual description and a map with all their locations plus a few others. There’s no order or ranking here, just some of the best Iceland waterfalls for your enjoyment. And there are several more! We’ll keep updating this article as we visit new ones.
Start planning your trip to Iceland and add your favorite waterfalls. If you’re a keen nature lover and photographer, be ready, Iceland is definitely for you and you’ll enjoy seeing these waterfalls.
Háifoss

Háifoss
Háifoss ranks amongst the top 3 highest Iceland waterfalls with a drop of 122 m and still is one of the least visited ones due to its remote location on the edge of the highlands. Access is not very easy and usually not suitable for smaller cars yet this waterfall is well worth the effort of a short detour off road 32 on the Þjórsárdalur valley.
Urriðafoss
Urriðafoss is located in the river Þjórsá, southwest Iceland. It’s quite easy to find, just off road 1 near the bridge over the river Þjórsá, between the towns of Selfoss and Hella.
Svartifoss
Svartifoss is known as the Black Fall and is a unique waterfall due to the dark lava columns surrounding it. It’s located in Skaftafell and part of Vatnajökull National Park. In order to reach Svartifoss, a 2-hour round-trip hike is necessary.
Svartifoss inspired the famous Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavík.
Þjófafoss
Þjófafoss is located in the river Þjórsá. It can be accessed from a gravel track off road 26. The mountain Búrfell dominates the background.
Hraunfossar

Hraunfossar
The beauty of Hraunfossar is due to the many small waterfalls coming from the lava field Hallmundarhraun. The waterfalls then go into the river Hvítá.
Hraunfossar is located near Reykholt on road 518.
Skógafoss
Skógafoss is one of the big and famous Icelandic waterfalls. It has a width of 25 m and a height of 60 m. Highly recognizable from many pictures, it certainly lives up to expectations. It’s located in Skógar, very close to road 1.
It’s really easy to get very close and completely drenched! Also, a staircase on the right-hand side leads to the top of the waterfall (amazing views!) and gives access to a hiking trail.
Hundafoss
Hundafoss is a smaller waterfall located in Skaftafell, on the hiking trail that leads to Svartifoss.
Hjálparfoss
Hjálparfoss is a double waterfall located in South Iceland. It can be reached from road 32.
Seljalandsfoss
Seljalandsfoss is another super famous Icelandic waterfall. Its best-known feature is that you can go behind it. What a unique perspective! The waterfall drops 60 m from river Seljalandsá.
It’s located very close to road 1, Southwest Iceland.
Foss á Siðu
Foss á Siðu is located in the South of Iceland, very close to a farm and road 1. Its beautiful and slim water flow is very picturesque.
Gluggafoss
Gluggafoss is located in the South of Iceland and is also known as Merkjárfoss and Window Falls. It’s one of the several waterfalls coming out of river Merjká. It’s located next to road 261, a very off the beaten path location.
The upper of the waterfall is very nice and almost seems like the water is behind a window. A small path allows to see it from very close.
Goðafoss
Goðafoss is known as the Waterfall of the Gods and is also quite famous. It has a width of 30 m and height of 12 m.
It’s located in the North of Iceland, on road 1 between Akureyri and Mývatn.
Gullfoss
Gullfoss is known as the Golden Falls and is probably the most visited waterfall in Iceland. It’s part of the Golden Circle, a group of natural attractions close to Reyjkjavík. It can be reached via road 35.
There are a few different viewing angles, each one equally spectacular. When the water of the river Hvítá drops into a 30 m deep crevice, it seems to disappear.
Lots of water spray if you get too close!
Dynjandi
Dynjandi is a group of waterfalls located in the Westfjords. It’s a very remote area of Iceland and thus not as visited, but with a total drop of around 100 m, Dynjandi is pretty impressive!
A trail allows walking alongside it all the way to the top waterfall.
Dettifoss
Dettifoss is the most powerful Icelandic waterfall and you can find it at Vatnajökull National Park, Northeast Iceland. It can be seen from the West (road 862) and East (road 864) sides, both beautiful and worth seeing.
The power of Dettifoss is immense and needs to be felt right there. It drops 45 m into the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon.
Kirkjufellsfoss

Kirkjufellsfoss
Kirkjufellfoss and Kirkjufell, the mountain behind the waterfall, probably one of the most photographed landscapes in Iceland. And for a good reason. This place is amazing for photography and very easy to access on the outskirts of Grundarfjörður, a small fishing town in the Snæfellsnes peninsula.
Bruarfoss
Bruarfoss is a hidden gem of a waterfall that not a lot of people know, yet it is located within easy reach when doing the popular Golden Circle tour, just before Geysir. The unique blue color and shape of Bruarfoss make it one of the best waterfalls in Iceland.
Iceland waterfalls map
If you’re going to visit Iceland and plan on chasing some of these waterfalls, this map of Iceland waterfalls will come in handy.
Iceland waterfalls highlights in video
Nothing better than seeing some amazing waterfalls in action. See our short video to get a better perspective of these nature wonders!
Ready to head outdoors and explore Iceland’s waterfalls? Don’t forget to gear up.
31 Comments
Awesome pics. I’m off to Iceland next year, so pretty excited after checking this out.
Thank you, Amanda. Wait until you see these for yourself. You’re going to love it 😉
Stupendous…. out of this world.
Amazing, isn’t it? 🙂
Truly!!!
Videos are Awesome . Thanks for your sharing .
Our pleasure 🙂
I totally agree! I had the same impression, there are so many of them and all are amazing!
Oh yeah! Going back next year again to discover more waterfalls 🙂
Iceland is in my travel plans for 2016. Your waterfall photos are stunning. Every photo I see of Iceland seems better than the last! Can’t wait to check some of these out.
Thanks Jackie! You’ll love it out there. Waterfalls are just one of the many reasons to visit!
Some of those are breathtaking, especially the Skógafoss waterfall. Love the video – nice touch 🙂
Really like Skógafoss! Cheers Stefan 😉
I loved seeing the different waterfalls in Iceland. My favourite was Gljúfrabúi, a hidden waterfall near Seljalandsfoss that we found out about from our minibus driver.
Cheers! We’ve been to Gljúfrabúi as well. It’s on the video! We’ll try to capture it next year 😉
Wow! Just wow! I’ve always heard that people go to Iceland for the aurora and landscapes but I didn’t know its waterfalls would be enough of a reason to go there! Beautiful!
It’s yet another reason to visit. For us, one of the best!
So much wanderlust! I need to get over there one of these days. Thanks for more inspiration.
You must 😉
I had a brief stopover in Iceland, but I didn’t really get out of Reykjavik. I need to go back and explore a bit. Your photos are gorgeous.
To see these beautiful waterfalls, you need to get out Reykjavík! Some are actually quite close 🙂
You weren’t kidding about Iceland being the land of waterfalls! Goðafoss looks amazing! We’ve heard some airlines are opening up cheaper flights from North America to Iceland…may be that a trip there is in order!
No kidding here! And there are more.. we shall write about them soon.
Wow air had a really nice promo going on from what I’ve heard. Also, Icelandair’s stopover is also quite popular! Look into it.
I heard about it! That there’re so many waterfalls that whatever kind of a waterfall you like you’re going to find it there.
Personally, I like the photo of Seljalandsfoss most 🙂
Exactly! Iceland is the place to go for waterfalls.
Thanks you, Monica. Seljalandsfoss is quite amazing 🙂
Loved the post!
Thank you, Siddhartha!
I love love love Iceland! I was fortunate enough to visit a few years ago and saw some of these beautiful waterfalls up close. So magical!!
Welcome to the club of Iceland lovers!
Indeed, these waterfalls are both beautiful and magical.
Absolutely stunning! Iceland is high on my list, although I haven’t been there yet. One day! 🙂
Thanks! It’s well worth it traveling to Iceland 🙂