Skogafoss Waterfall Iceland: An Awesome Wonder You Must See
A rainbow at the base of the magnificent Skogafoss waterfall in Iceland.
Skógafoss waterfall is a natural wonder in a country boasting spectacular landscapes and natural phenomena. After two trips to Iceland, here’s my recommendations for the best ways to explore and photograph Skógafoss.
Skógafoss is an awesome sight. With a drop of 200 feet (60 metres) and a width spanning 49 feet (15 metres), it’s one of the premier tourist sites in Iceland. Situated on the Skógá River, the cliffs that created this gigantic waterfall were once part of the coastline, now around 3 miles (5 km) away.
With the exception of the COVID-19 pandemic, Iceland has experienced a massive growth in tourism since 2010. As a consequence, Skógafoss has become an extremely popular location for most tourists visiting Iceland.
However, despite the crowds, Skógafoss (foss means waterfall in Icelandic) is absolutely worth a visit and it's still possible to make really good photos of this most mighty waterfall.
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Take a look at this image of a tiny rainbow forming at the bottom of Skógafoss waterfall. As you can see there’s a lot of spray being generated by the waterfall.
The good news is that, outside times of extremely high rainfall, when the river’s likely to rise, it’s possible to walk along the stony, but quite flat side of the Skógá River until you’re almost at the base of Skógafoss.
It’s an exhilarating experience that offers the opportunity to create really dramatic photos.
Just be aware that, if you walk right up to the base of the waterfall, you’re going to get wet. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to wear a raincoat and waterproof hiking boots and to keep a change of clothes in the car.
I made the image by finding some shelter underneath a rock overhang by the side of the falls. While water spray continually settled on my lens, I was able to mop it up between photos with a camera lens wipe.
Notice the careful composition which, despite my secluded position, allowed me to show almost all of the waterfall while still including important areas of rock, moss, water and sky.
Notice too the highly textured surfaces across the image, including the waterfall.
It’s a tricky decision as to whether waterfalls should be photographed in such a way that blurs the water or records it at varying degrees of sharpness.
In this case, I opted for a shutter speed that produced a degree of texture in the waterfall that’s something like what’s visible in the rock face, distant moss covered slope and clouds.
Skógafoss Waterfall Facts
Here’s some interesting facts about Skógafoss:
It has a drop of 200 feet (i.e., 60 meters) and a width of 49 feet (i.e., 15 meters).
There are 438 steps by which you can ascend from the bottom to the top of Skógafoss. It’s a workout, to be sure, but it’s possible to pause along the way to catch your breath.
Skógafoss generates an absolutely enormous spray.
Sunlight often produces lovely rainbows in front of the waterfall.
It's not uncommon to see double rainbows appearing at Skógafoss on a sunny day.
There are restrooms at Skógafoss. You'll find them on the right hand side of the entrance to the car park. Just be aware it costs money to use the toilets at Skógafoss.
The spectacular Skógafoss waterfall has featured in several motion picture films, including the following:
Thor: The Dark World
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty
Skógafoss also appears in Season 5 of the spectacular History Channel series Vikings.
You may remember the epic scene when the character Floki, played by Swedish actor, Gustaf Skarsgård, discovers Skógafoss after arriving in what he believes is the dwelling place of the gods, referred to in Norse mythology as Asgard.
Given the number and variety of epic landscape locations throughout Iceland, it’s no wonder many of them appeared in the Game of Thrones series.
In fact Skógafoss featured in Episode 1 of Series when John Snow and Daenerys Targaryen land dragons next to a fantastic, two-stage winter waterfall.
Skógafoss was used as the inspiration for that setting, though the height of the waterfall and the upper cascade were added digitally to create the waterfall that appeared on screen.
Experience Skógafoss by walking, though the mist, to the waterfall base.
Skógafoss: How to Get There?
Skógafoss is around 97 miles (150 km) from Iceland's capital city, Reykjavík.
You should allow at least 2 hours for the drive between Reykjavík and Skógafoss.
It's a fun and highly interesting drive, but allow plenty of time as there’s so much to see and photograph along the way.
As well as being a busy road, with lots of tourists, the drive between Reykjavík and Skógafoss passes through some very beautiful country. Please take your time, driving slowly and carefully, while taking in the scenery.
It’s my view that the best way to explore Iceland is by renting a hire car. However, there's also lots of day tours and longer, boutique photography tours to consider.
As most Iceland tours are concentrated along the country's south coast a visit to Skógafoss is almost certainly going to be on the itinerary.
Access to the waterfall is via a fairly flat track of between one and two hundred meters from the carpark.
As you see in the warm tone, black and white photo directly above, the amount of spray and mist produced under the falls is significant.
I really like the photo because of the transient quality it exhibits. We expect a lot of information in photos, but sometimes it’s more important to obscure detail as a way of introducing mystery into an image.
It’s a technique that encourages the viewer to look longer and, in doing so, make up their own story, interpretation or meaning as to what the photo’s about.
Things To See And Do Around Skógafoss
One of the reasons I’d recommend a 2-day stay is the abundance of things to see and do around Skógafoss.
The other reason, unfortunately, is the likelihood of inclement weather, even in the middle of summer.
It can rain at any time in Iceland, and the coastal town of Vik, only 21 miles (34 km) or a half an hour drive from Skógafoss, just happens to be the wettest coastal town in Iceland, receiving 89 inches (2,250 mm) rainfall annually.
Other Waterfalls To Explore Near Skógafoss
One of the great advantages of making a trip to Skógafoss is that it’s located quite close to two other Icelandic waterfalls.
Seljalandsfoss, another famous waterfall in Iceland, is an 18 mile (29 km) drive from Skógafoss. You should expect the drive to take around 30 minutes.
It’s a 197 foot (60 metre) drop from the top of Seljalandsfoss. But the highlight is to walk behind the falls and, with the aid of a wide-angle lens, to photograph through the waterfall, including the spectacular landscape on either side.
With good technique, and the kind of luck that only great light can bring, you’ll end up making a highly creative and epic photo which will serve as a brilliant memory of your Iceland adventure.
After a short 0.35 mile (560 metre) walk from Seljalandsfoss you’ll reach Gljúfrabúi Waterfall, also know as Gljúfrafoss. The waterfall is located, just moments from the path, and accessed by a narrow slot canyon.
The waterfall creates quite a lot of spray and, together with the limited places to stand, it’s actually difficult making decent photos of Gljúfrabúi Waterfall.
Nonetheless, you’ll likely only be inside the slot canyon for a couple of minutes, and I found the experience of visiting and photographing Gljúfrabúi Waterfall to be exhilarating.
Why You Should Include Skógar Village in Your Itinerary
Located in gorgeous surroundings, and just 1 minute drive from Skógafoss (also known as the Skógar Waterfall), is the tiny Skógar village.
Skógar, which translates as forests, has a population of only 25 people. It’s well worth a look and some exploration, particularly if your visit to Skógafoss has been foiled by inclement weather.
If you have the time, why not take a walk in the forest. It’s lovely and contains some historic remains.
Skógar Museum: What A Lovely Surprise
The village of Skógar houses the Skógar Museum.
With a substantial cultural heritage collection, housing 18,000 regional folk craft artifacts, Skógar Museum comprises 6 historical buildings and the following 3 museums.
Skógar Folk Museum
Skógar Open Air Museum
Skógar Technical Museum
Enthusiastic photographers will particularly enjoy the opportunities to make great photos of traditional Icelandic houses and buildings on display at the Skógar Open Air Museum.
The comfortable Skogakaffi Cafe, located inside the Technical Museum, is a pleasant place that serves good quality snacks.
During the busier spring and summer tourist seasons soup of the day and freshly baked bread is added to the menu at the Skogakaffi Cafe.
Yummy! Surely that’s reason enough to visit the Skógar Museum.
Skógafoss Accommodation
While Iceland is spectacularly beautiful, it's a very expensive country to visit.
Food and accommodation are particularly expensive, which is what you can expect to find around Skógafoss.
Unless you're planning to head back to Reykjavík, you could spend the night in the nearby towns of Vik or Selfoss.
However, if you’d like to stay closer to the waterfall, there are numerous accommodation options nearby.
Hotel Skógafoss
For example, the secluded 2-star Hotel Skógafoss is located close to the foot of the Eyjafjallajökull Glacier.
The hotel is only a 5-minute walk from Skógafoss waterfall.
Skógasafn Folk Museum is only 2 km away.
Hotel Skógá
Likewise the 3-star Hotel Skógá is located in a fantastic setting.
Just remember to consider your accommodation options carefully as finding a bed for a night or two is quite expensive near Skógafoss.
Having said that, Hotel Skógá looks good and I may well stay there on my next visit to Skógafoss.
Umi Hotel
For those that can afford it, the 4-star Umi Hotel looks great. Located about 6 miles (10 km) or around a 15 minute drive from Skógafoss, the facilities and food at the Umi Hotel look fantastic.
Skógafoss Camping
There are several camping options very close to Skógafoss. Reviews vary and, as I haven’t stayed at any of these sites, I’m not able to make any recommendations.
Nonetheless, by being located so close to the waterfall, the convenience of these sites is undeniable.
Your camping options near Skógafoss are as follows:
Skógar Campsite
Skógafoss Camping
Hamragardar
One or more of these Skógafoss camping options may well be worth checking out, particularly if you find yourself stuck for accommodation.
Skógafoss Restaurants: Where To Eat
You’ll find the following restaurants conveniently situated near the mighty Skógafoss waterfall.
Mia’s Country Van
Hotel Skógafoss Bistro and Bar
Restaurant Hotel Skógar
Again, prices are high. If you’re traveling on a budget, you might want to stock up in Reykjavík before you embark on your Iceland adventure.
Either way, it’s always a good idea to carry plenty of food and drinks along with you on a road trip. That’s particularly the case in Iceland where cold and wet weather, not to mention hiking, can really build up an appetite.
Likewise, during those wonderfully long summer days traveling around Iceland, you can expect to do lots of driving. With all the wonderful hikes on offer, it’s likely you’ll be putting your body under quite a bit of physical stress.
Please be sure to look after yourself by keeping up your fluid and calorie intake.
Spectacular Skogafoss waterfall as I climb the steps to the top.
Making the Most of Your Skógafoss Adventure
Most folks pull into the carpark at Skógafoss, get out of the car and kick back while taking in the views.
Some even take a few extra minutes to take the short walk to the base of the waterfall to experience the tremendous spray, up close and personal.
It's quite an experience which I recommend, though make sure you're properly attired if you choose to do so.
I also recommend an extended stay of, at least, an hour or two at Skógafoss. This will give you the opportunity to explore and photograph the location from a variety of different viewpoints.
To begin with, you should photograph the waterfall from different distances and with both wide-angle and telephoto focal lengths.
You'll find an interesting viewpoint that extends from the lovely Skógá River all the way up to the top of the waterfall.
You can then walk along the river bank, all the way to the base of the waterfall. If the sun's out you'll likely see one or more rainbows forming around the bottom of the waterfall.
The closer you get to the base of the waterfall the more clearly visible those rainbows will appear.
From my experience, the awesome power of Skógafoss is best experienced by walking along the bank of the Skógá River and continuing, though the mist, towards the base of the waterfall.
Just be prepared for a soaking as Skógafoss is famous for the amount of mist and spray it generates.
I’d advise you wear a waterproof jacket and sturdy, waterproof walking boots.
With so much spray generated, it gets pretty slippery around the base of the waterfall.
That's the case at anytime of year, but particularly so during winter when water, snow and ice can make your exploration quite precarious.
If you're traveling to Iceland during winter, and expect to be visiting waterfalls, ice caves and glaciers, then you really should bring crampons with you.
When venturing into the landscape, even when it's just a few minutes walk from the car, it's important to be properly attired.
Why risk ruining your Iceland adventure through injury that, with the right clothing and footwear, you may well have prevented?
View from the mighty Skógafoss waterfall to the carpark and Skoga River.
How to Photograph Skógafoss
The fact that Skógafoss is set back from the carpark provides plenty of space for folks to find interesting vantage points for their photos.
Standing back will allow you to fit the whole waterfall into your viewfinder while using the river as a compositional device to lead the viewer's eye, through the frame, towards the waterfall.
For a unique view, not to mention a quick workout, climb the steep stairway to the top of Skógafoss Waterfall for an interesting vantage point that follows the course of the river on its journey over the waterfall, across the fields and down to the sea.
You’ll find the way up to the top of the falls on the right hand side of Skógafoss. It's a path for some of the way and then metal steps for the rest of the climb.
On the way up you'll want to stop and, while pretending to admire the view, catch your breath. I know I did.
Fortunately, it's only a five to ten minute climb to the top of Skógafoss.
Actually there are several great spots to stop along the way up and make photos. Scroll up a little way and you’ll see a photo I made about half way up the steep stairs.
I framed the composition in a way that emphasizes the lush, green foliage that’s being continuously nourished by moisture from the waterfall.
It really is worthwhile taking some photos on the way up as they’ll serve to place the waterfall in the surrounding landscape and also tell the story of just how many tourists this place gets.
Once you've reached the top of your climb, there's a platform from where you'll have the ability to photograph across the top of the waterfall, up river or back down towards the car park and sea.
The views across the top of the waterfall and up river speak very much to the beauty of nature.
Contrast that with the black and white photo above that showcases the view along the Skógá River and down towards the sea.
Now we get a sense of the difficultly of the climb and the high level of tourism that descends upon Skógafoss. And this photo was made outside of peak season.
We’re able to tell so many different stories through the photos we make. The reality we create in these photos, therefore, has a lot to do with two very simple principals:
What you include in the photos you make.
What you exclude from the photos you make.
Keeping Camera Equipment Safe and Dry At Skógafoss
Just do what you can to keep your camera equipment dry. It would be terrible if water damage caused your camera to stop working, particularly near the beginning of your own, epic Iceland adventure.
Fortunately, I have a simple trick that I use to protect my camera and lens from rain or water spray emanating from a cascading waterfall.
I wrapt my camera inside a fleece beanie. While it won’t provide a totally waterproof environment for your camera, it has served me well in the past, particularly when it’s not practical to continually move my camera in and out of a water resistant backpack.
You also need to be careful about creating an environment that’s significantly more humid than the conditions you’re making photos under.
By quickly moving your camera from own environment to another, moisture can form inside the camera and/or lens in question.
Moisture forming on the front of a lens or the back of your camera’s eyepiece isn’t a problem, as it will clear away in time.
However, moisture forming inside a camera or lens can result in malfunctions and require servicing by an appropriately qualified camera technician.
Fortunately, a fleece beanie is open at one end.
By inserting your camera into the beanie you’re be able to squeeze the open section together in a way that provides good protection for a small to moderately sized camera and lens combination.
The chance of a build up of humidity inside this temporary environment is reduced due to air entering through the partly open end of the beanie.
I’ve seen other options, like camera cases made of neoprene, but, from memory, you had to remove the camera each and every time you wanted to use one of these generic camera cases.
I tried to do so in a camera store and I found the process to be a bit of hassle.
It’s worth looking at a range of options to protect your camera gear from the adverse affects of moisture and humidity. But if you find yourself without any fancy pants way of protecting your camera, a water wicking fleece beanie might just save the day.
The Skogafoss hike begins near the lush top of Skogafoss waterfall.
The Spectacular Skógafoss Waterfall Hike
The Skógafoss Waterfall Hike is a spectacular 10 mile (16 km) hike that follows a loop trail, from the top of the Skógafoss waterfall.
I'm yet to undertake the Waterfall Hike, though I understand it includes 25 smaller waterfalls and cascades, some of them spectacular in their own right.
Likely to take 4-6 hours, and probably best rated as moderate on the difficulty scale, the Skógafoss Waterfall Hike is best undertaken between the months of April and October.
I'm told the hike starts off quite flat but, after a time, it changes and you'll find yourself having to traverse some fairly steep and, often, muddy paths.
Word is that the views near the end of the trail are particularly spectacular.
The next time I go to Iceland, unless it's in the middle of winter, the Waterfall Hike will definitely be included on my itinerary when I visit Skógafoss.
By the way the folks over at Earth Trekkers produced a very informative blog post on the fabulous Skogafoss Waterfall Hike which you might be interested in checking out.
Conclusion: Is A Visit To Skógafoss Worth It?
If it's your first visit to Iceland I'd definitely recommend a visit to Skógafoss.
It’s an extremely accessible location with plenty of car parking and the added advantage of being one of the most magnificent and visually powerful sites in all of Iceland.
The above photo, made across the top of the waterfall, showcases the lush and geographically interesting landscape surrounding Skógafoss.
It's such a well known location and there's always plenty of water flowing over the falls to make it a stunning place to photograph.
Due to its size and the massive amounts of spray it generates, Skógafoss can be quite an exciting place to visit.
However, Skógafoss is by no means Iceland's most beautiful waterfall.
If you’re pushed for time and you’ve already visited this location on your first trip, you might be better off choosing one or more other waterfalls next time around.
Alternatively, consider visiting Skógafoss either very early or very late in the day when, with luck, you’ll experience more beautiful lighting and far less people.
If you have a tripod and a neutral density filter, a more creative approach to photographing Skógafoss, involving a very long exposure time, would be well worth the effort.
I've had the good fortune to photograph Skógafoss on two separate trips. Will I revisit on my next trip?
That depends on my itinerary, the time of year and how long I have in the country. But now that I know more about the Skógafoss Waterfall Hike, I’d really want to include yet another visit as part of my next Iceland adventure.
While I’d probably be unable to attempt the hike during Iceland’s winter months, I’d still want to photograph Skógafoss because, at that time of year, it’s likely that at least part of the waterfall would be covered in ice.
Adding a snow covered landscape into the mix means there’s a good chance amazing photos would result.
Due to its rural location, Skógafoss would also be great to photograph at night, either under a full moon or, alternatively, on a clear night with millions of stars glittering overhead.
And then, of course, there’s the opportunity to photograph the Northern Lights, dancing their way across the sky, over the top of the waterfall. Now that would be incredible.
It looks like Skógafoss hasn’t seen the last of me yet.
