Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall: frozen kingdom

Your journey along Iceland’s south coast should start at the twin waterfalls of Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi. They share a common car park and it would be a mistake to miss one of them.

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall is one of Iceland’s most iconic natural attractions. With a height of 60 metres, it impresses not only with its majesty, but also with the fact that you can walk underneath it – only in summer, that is. From October onwards, access behind the waterfall is closed due to a layer of ice.

Although access beyond the waterfall is limited, you won’t regret it. In fact, the path is completely covered in ice, making for an even better experience than if you came here in the summer. Coolness and silence around the waterfall create an unrepeatable atmosphere – a place where you feel small under the immense power of nature.

An experience in every season

Seljalandsfoss offers unforgettable experiences in every season. In summer, you will be enchanted by the lush green vegetation and colourful flowers that surround it, while in winter it becomes a fabulous waterfall surrounded by icicles and snow. Of all the waterfalls we visited, it felt the most like an entrance to a winter kingdom. However, if we hadn’t gone here in October, we would have been disappointed.

Personally, however, we believe that he is nothing special. It’s just a beautiful waterfall, like the others you’ll encounter when wandering around Iceland. Seljalandsfoss Waterfall just has good marketing because it is the most accessible. From the car park, you are at it in 2 minutes on a paved road.

Tourist trap

There are many organized tours and therefore buses heading to the waterfall. But they only focus on the Seljalandsfoss waterfall. Not that the waterfall isn’t pretty – it certainly is. However, the neighbouring Gljúfrabúi is more original and therefore more beautiful.

There are a number of waterfalls to go to in Iceland. One of them is Kvernufoss, which is much bigger and offers more beautiful scenery. From behind the waterfall, you are not looking at a car park, but at a mountainous landscape

How to get to Seljalandsfoss Waterfall?

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall is about 1.5 hours drive from Reykjavík on the Ring Road. It is right next to the road, so it is impossible to miss. There is a parking lot right next to the waterfall, but it is charged at a price of 1000 ISK. It is worth parking here and walking the 5 minutes to Gljúfrabúi Waterfall as well.

The best thing to do is to come here first thing in the morning. We stayed just 15 minutes from the waterfall in the town of Hvolsvöllur, where we could watch the Northern Lights at night without unnecessary light smog.