Epic Travel → Europe → Iceland → Southern Iceland → Svartifoss

Location: Skaftafell, Vatnajökull National Park, Southern Iceland

Time Required: 1 hour

Distance: 3 km (1.9 miles) roundtrip

Elevation Gain/Loss: 450 feet

Red Tape/Notes: You’ll need to pay for parking at the Skaftafell visitor center, but otherwise there’s no cost to enter the park. The trail is well-marked, and starts just outside the visitor center; there are also options for extending the hike to further locations or adding a little distance to do a loop – none of these trails were open when we were here in March due to icy conditions but I hear they’re nice!

What’s Nearby?: Vatnajökull, Skaftafellsjökull, Fjallsárlón, Jökulsárlón, Black Sand Diamond Beach, Ice Caves

Svartifoss may be the most well-known waterfall in Iceland that actually requires some effort to see. Understandably, people are willing to make the effort since it’s a very pretty waterfall in a rather remarkable location, plunging 20 meters (60 feet) down a black columnar basalt cliff (its name means “Black Falls”, because of the black cliff). The hike to see it is uphill until the very end, but was surprisingly easy. You’ll pass several other smaller waterfalls on the way and have some nice views as you climb higher, so the trail passes very quickly. Once you reach the peak of the hike, you can see the waterfall a short distance away, and then it’s downhill from there to the falls. This section of the trail can get very icy in the winter, so bring spikes if there’s any concern about safety. There’s a viewing platform at the bottom, and you can hike closer to the bottom of the falls along the rocky river bank below, just be mindful if there are people trying to photograph from the viewing platform, since you’re probably ruining their shot.

Epic Travel → Europe → Iceland → Southern Iceland → Svartifoss