12 Stunning Waterfalls in Iceland You Must Visit

During our three-week camping adventure around the Ring Road, we were captivated by the diverse and breathtaking waterfalls in Iceland. Each new waterfall offered a unique natural beauty, making our journey both enriching and unforgettable.

Our family road trip around the Ring Road took us to iconic Iceland waterfalls such as Skógafoss, famous for its mesmerizing rainbows in the mist, and Gullfoss, renowned for its multi-tiered cascade into a rugged canyon.

Our tour of the top waterfalls in Iceland took us to a waterfall where we could walk behind the falls! We also experienced Europe’s most forceful waterfall, and many very enjoyable hikes along the way.

Each of these waterfalls contributed to our deep appreciation of Iceland’s natural wonders and created lasting memories for our family.

12 Must-See Waterfalls in Iceland

1. Skógafoss Waterfall

Region: South Iceland

Made famous in the movie Walter Mitty, the Skógafoss Waterfall is quite possibly the most beautiful waterfall in all of Iceland. I can’t quite describe why – it’s not the highest, or most powerful, nor does it have any cascades, but it’s incredibly beautiful none-the-less.

I think it’s the simplicity of Skógafoss which makes it beautiful – it’s a wide and mighty waterfall which does a simple plunge straight from the top into the misty river below. It must be seen to be properly appreciated.

When we arrived at Skógafoss at 8:30 AM there were not many people at base of falls. This gave us a rare opportunity to soak in the majesty of this top Icelandic waterfall without the hordes of crowds found later in the day. A lack of crowds also made it easy to get family pictures without anyone else in them.

Once we finished our Skógafoss visit at the bottom of the waterfall, we climbed the long set of stairs to the upper viewing platform. It’s worth the climb to witness the power and beauty of the waterfall as it begins.

One of the most popular waterfalls in Iceland, the Gullfoss Waterfall is the biggest waterfall in Europe by volume. There are two sightseeing walkways at the Gullfoss Waterfall. An upper walkway is flat and provides excellent aerial views of this magnificent Icelandic waterfall in the Golden Circle.

We always take the lower walkway as it gets you right up close to the waterfall. On our first family trip to Iceland, one of our family pictures was published in the Icelandair inflight magazine. We couldn’t resist taking the same picture of them on our repeat visit to Gullfoss, six years later.

Be prepared to get a little wet as the wind ripping through the valley can blow the spray from the lower waterfall right onto the trail. It all depends on wind direction – our first visit we got soaked, but the second time we stayed mostly dry.

We loved spending time at the viewing area at the end of the lower platform. The natural rock viewing area gets you incredibly close to the Gullfoss waterfall. You’ll get to appreciate the raw power and beauty of this waterfall and all of its many levels.

It was the 17th day of our family trip to Iceland when we visited Dynjandi Falls. By this time, we had seen A LOT of waterfalls in Iceland, so was getting harder and harder to be impressed by new ones.

The moment we saw the Dynjandi Falls from the road, we all went “Wow!!” and our jaws hit the floor. I’m not kidding…

The seven-tiered Dynjandi Falls is a truly special waterfall and easily deserves a spot in the list of Iceland’s best waterfalls. The entire waterfall is amazing, but it’s the upper tier that really sets Dynjandi Falls apart.

The upper tier of Dynjandi Falls is likely the widest waterfall we’ve seen in Iceland. It doesn’t free fall, but rather flows down the side of a very steep cliff in a bridal veil sort of way. It gets wider as it falls, and the result is remarkable.

There’s a walking trail all the way along the path of the river, stretching all the way to the base of the upper tier of Dynjandi Falls. This is a great spot for some family pictures!

Seljalandsfoss isn’t as dramatic as Skógafoss, but it does have a really cool pathway behind the waterfall!! It’s so fun to walk behind the Seljalandsfoss waterfall. It’s such a rare opportunity to walk behind such an amazingly beautiful and powerful waterfall.

There’s nearly endless opportunities for family photos, so budget a decent amount of time. And yes, you’ll get wet, so dress accordingly, and protect your phone or camera equipment.

There are several other waterfalls within easy walking distance of Seljalandsfoss. The pathway between them is lined with an incredible number of wildflowers.

The final waterfall (Gljufrabui) is a must see. You actually can’t see it from the pathway – you must enter the mouth of a tight canyon and walk on a series of stepping stones on top of the stream. It’s only 25 – 50 feet of balancing on these rocks before you make it to the foot of the powerful waterfall.

Again, plan to get soaked here, but what an amazing opportunity to be at the foot of such a natural wonder. There’s a large boulder at the base of the Gljufrabui waterfall, which is perfect for exciting family photos, which captures the wild nature of your Iceland family vacation.

There are three viewpoints for the Dettifoss waterfall: one as you approach the waterfall, one which takes you really close to the waterfall and one from up high. The Dettifoss waterfall is an extremely powerful waterfall, but it falls at a weird angle to the river, so it’s hard to see the full extent of the falls. We visited all three viewpoints and felt we got a good experience as a result and we recommend you do as well.

After visiting the amazing Dettifoss waterfall, we walked about 1 km / 0.6 miles to the Selfoss waterfall. It’s nice enough, but it’s nothing compared to Dettifoss. If you wish to visit both Dettifoss and Selfoss, we recommend visiting Selfoss first.

The natural setting for the Háifoss waterfall is truly breathtaking. It’s actually a collection of 6 very tall waterfalls, each falling into a deep ravine below. Háifoss is the tallest and most powerful of the bunch, but the rest are quite beautiful too, including a powerful, cascading waterfall immediately to the right.

You don’t need to go on a hike to enjoy the Háifoss waterfall with your family. From the car park, there’s an easy trail to a series of 3 – 4 viewpoints. The view from each viewpoint is slightly different, allowing you to enjoy many angles of this natural wonder.

We had visited the Kirkjufellsfoss the first time we visited Iceland with kids 6 years ago, and were excited to visit this natural wonder again. I’m happy to report it’s every bit as magical as the first time.

It’s a short walk from the car park to the Kirkjufellsfoss waterfalls which serve as the foreground to the Instagram-famous pictures with Kirkjufell mountain in the background.

The hike begins with amazing views of the Skaftafell Glacier and it’s meltwater lake. There are many beautiful icy blue icebergs floating in the water, which is quite an exciting sight.

After 3 km / 2 miles of moderate uphill climbing to the viewpoint, you’ll be rewarded with an incredible view of the full length of the Skaftafell tongue and the Vatnajökull Glacier beyond. It took my breath away and I’m sure it will yours as well.

From the glacier viewpoint, the hike continues to the Svartifoss Waterfall through a mostly treeless meadow. The views of the surrounding mountains are beautiful, but I found it hard to take my eyes off the Vatnajökull Glacier, which is also visible in this direction.

The Svartifoss Waterfall is famous as it flows over some 6-sided basalt rock formations, which is really quite amazing to look at. We could have gotten closer via a little side trail to a nearby bridge, but we needed to get going or risk being late for our upcoming iceberg boat tour.

A classic horseshoe shaped waterfall (similar to Niagara Falls), the Goðafoss waterfall is beautiful indeed. Given how close it is to the major cruise ship port of Akureyri, it’s also an extremely busy waterfall.

As with many waterfalls in Iceland, the only way to see Valagil Falls is by enjoying a beautiful hike first. Standing in the parking lot looking into the lush green river valley, you can see tall waterfalls in all directions. We were all wondering which one we’d be hiking to.

Most of the first half of the hike is through a beautiful flat meadow along the valley bottom. As usual, there are sheep grazing in the meadow – our daughter especially loved the cute little lambs.

The trail crosses a river on a bridge, and then without warning, the massive, beautiful Valagil Falls appear in a hidden ravine in the right. What an incredible surprise as these towering, multi-tiered falls were not visible until this moment! This was a real “wow!!” moment.

If you are a fan of waterfalls in Iceland, you’ll be happy to know you can keep hiking for more. From the Valagil Falls, the hiking trail follows the path of a tranquil stream into the belly of the valley towards two waterfalls.

Near the end of the hike, the trail begins to climb up through some rocks towards the waterfalls. The hike culminates with an impressive up-close view of a lower tier of one of the waterfalls we’d been hiking towards.

Looking backwards, the views towards the fjord are also pretty amazing, with towering green mountains in all directions.

The waterfalls on this family-friendly Iceland hike were really beautiful, but the best part is that we barely saw another soul. A rare opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Iceland nature without the crowds!

You can find this beautiful waterfall in Iceland by using the Valagil Falls hiking map on AllTrails.

11. Grundarfoss Waterfall

Region: Snæfellsnes Peninsula

As we were driving to the Kirkjufellsfoss Waterfall, we noticed a powerful, towering waterfall along the way. It was just a few minutes back down the highway from Kirkjufellsfoss, so we decided to circle back and check it out.

The short hiking trail to the Grundarfoss Waterfall begins through a meadow, but then sets up with the river downstream of the falls. We loved following this charming river as we got ever closer to the towering waterfall.

Up close the Grundarfoss Waterfall is really impressive. One of the tallest waterfalls in Icelend, the water falls freely, with just one minor bump near the top. The Grundarfoss Waterfall was clearly visible from the highway, but up-close we were pleasantly surprised by the basalt columns behind the waterfall, and a second, nearly invisible, wispy waterfall off to the side.

As far as waterfalls go, Grundarfoss Waterfall is more impressive than its more famous neighbor a few minutes away. If you have the time in your family Iceland itinerary, why not visit both like we did?

12. Svöðufoss Waterfall

Region: Snæfellsnes Peninsula

The Svöðufoss waterfall is a real charmer. It’s a tall and wide waterfall which free falls at the beginning. Then after a short interlude, a second tier forms below the first. Adding to the perfect Icelandic waterfall scenery are a row of basalt columns behind the falls.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my list of the 12 must-see waterfalls in Iceland! We really enjoyed visiting all of these waterfalls on our family trip to Iceland, as we hope you do too!