Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

is unusually suited for

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

s (Icelandic: s. ''foss,'' pl. ''fossar''). This island country has a north Atlantic climate that produces frequent rain and snow and a near-Arctic location that produces large

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

s, whose summer melts feed many rivers. As a result, it is home to a number of large and powerful waterfalls.

North

Dettifoss Dettifoss () is a waterfall in Vatnajökull National Park in Northeast Iceland, and is reputed to be the second most powerful waterfall in Europe after the Rhine Falls. Dettifoss is situated on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river, which flows from th ...

is the most powerful waterfall in Iceland. * Gljúfursárfoss * Selfoss *

Hafragilsfoss Hafragilsfoss () is a waterfall in Iceland. The waterfall flows downstream from Dettifoss within the depths of the Jökulságljúfur canyon. This waterfall is also on the glacial river Jökulsá á Fjöllum Jökulsá á Fjöllum (; "glacial ri ...

* Goðafoss * Aldeyjarfoss

South

* Faxi or Vatnsleysufoss in Tungufljót river * Foss á Síðu * Gluggafoss * Gljúfrafoss *

Gjáin Gjáin () is a small valley with small waterfalls, ponds, and volcanic structures situated in Þjórsárdalur in the south of Iceland. It is to be found at about half an hour walking distance from the historical farm Þjóðveldisbærinn Stöng. ...

has many small waterfalls *

Gullfoss Gullfoss ("Golden Falls"; ) is a waterfall located in the canyon of the Hvítá river in southwest Iceland. History and description The Hvítá river flows southward, and about a kilometre above the falls it turns sharply to the west and ...

(''Golden Falls'') * Háifoss (''High Falls'') * Hjálparfoss *

Merkjárfoss Gluggafoss () is a waterfall in southern Iceland, specifically in the Fljótshlíð area. As the most prominent member of a series of waterfalls running from the river Merkjá , it is also known as Merkjárfoss ; both names are acknowledged on an ...

Ófærufoss Ófærufoss () is a waterfall situated in the Eldgjá chasm in the western part of Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland. Until the early 1990s a natural bridge A natural arch, natural bridge, or (less commonly) rock arch is a natural landfor ...

used to be noted for the impressive

natural bridge A natural arch, natural bridge, or (less commonly) rock arch is a natural landform where an arch has formed with an opening underneath. Natural arches commonly form where inland cliffs, coastal cliffs, fins or stacks are subject to erosion fr ...

which stood above the falls, but it collapsed in 1993. *

Seljalandsfoss Seljalandsfoss () is a waterfall in Iceland. Seljalandsfoss is located in the South Region in Iceland right by Route 1 and the road that leads to Þórsmörk Road 249. The waterfall drops and is part of the Seljalands River that has its origin ...

Skógafoss Skógafoss (pronounced ) is a waterfall on the Skógá River in the south of Iceland at the cliff marking the former coastline. After the coastline had receded (it is now at a distance of about from Skógar), the former sea cliffs remained, paral ...

(''Forest Falls'') *

Svartifoss Svartifoss ( Icelandic for "black waterfall", ) is a waterfall in Skaftafell in Vatnajökull National Park in Iceland, and is one of the most popular sights in the park. It is surrounded by dark lava columns, which gave rise to its name. The bas ...

(''Black Falls'') is one of the many waterfalls of

Skaftafell Skaftafell () is a preservation area in Öræfi, southeast Iceland. It was once a major farm, later being named a national park. Originally known as Skaftafell National Park, it was subsequently joined together with other nearby regions to form t ...

National Park *

Systrafoss Systrafoss (, "sisters' waterfall") is a waterfall in Iceland, found at Kirkjubæjarklaustur in Skaftárhreppur in the Suðurland region. Geography The waterfall is part of the river Fossá, which runs south from its source Systravatn. To th ...

, in

Kirkjubæjarklaustur Kirkjubæjarklaustur ( Icelandic for "church farm cloister", pronounced ; often referred to locally as just Klaustur) is a village in the south of Iceland on the hringvegur (road no. 1 or Ring Road) between Vík í Mýrdal and Höfn. It is part ...

Þjófafoss Þjófafoss (, "thieves' waterfall"; also Thjofafoss) is located on the river Þjórsá on the east side of the Merkurhraun lava fields in the south of Iceland, at the southwest tip of the hill Búrfell. A viewing point for the waterfall can be ac ...

on the Merkurhraun lava fields * Öxarárfoss, at

Þingvellir Þingvellir (, anglicised as ThingvellirThe spelling ''Pingvellir'' is sometimes seen, although the letter "p" is unrelated to the letter "þ" (thorn), which is pronounced as "th".) was the site of the Alþing, the annual parliament of Iceland f ...

National Park * Fagrifoss, near

* Morsárfoss, 228m waterfall formed from the retreat of Morsárjökull that is now Iceland's tallest. * Urriðafoss

West

Álafoss Álafoss (; ''eel falls'') is a waterfall on the river Varmá in Mosfellsbær, Iceland. In culture A wool factory of the same name has adjoined the waterfall since 1896, when a local farmer imported machinery to process wool using the energy f ...

* Barnafossar (the Children's Falls) in Hvítá river *

Glymur Glymur () is the second-highest waterfall in Iceland, with a cascade of 198 m. It was long regarded as the tallest until being surpassed by Morsárfoss, a newly measured waterfall near Morsárjökull in 2011. It is situated at the rear end of th ...

in the

Hvalfjörður Hvalfjörður (, "whale fjord") is situated in the west of Iceland between Mosfellsbær and Akranes. The fjord is approximately 30 km long and 5 km wide. The origin of the name Hvalfjörður is uncertain. Certainly today there is no pr ...

area. At 198m, it was long regarded as the tallest waterfall in Iceland until being surpassed with a new falls by Morsárjökull in 2011. * Hraunfossar (the Lava Falls) in

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 ...

woods, a stone's throw from Barnafoss.

Westfjords

Dynjandi Dynjandi (, also known as Fjallfoss ) is a waterfall located in Arnarfjörður in the Westfjords region of Iceland. It is the largest waterfall in the Westfjords and has a total height of . Below it are five other waterfalls: Háifoss, Úðafoss, ...

, sometimes called Fjallfoss.

East

Hengifoss Hengifoss () is the third highest waterfall in Iceland, 128 meters. It is located in Hengifossá in Fljótsdalshreppur, East Iceland. It is surrounded by basaltic strata with thin, red layers of clay between the basaltic layers. Fossilized trun ...

Litlanesfoss Litlanesfoss () is a waterfall in Hengifossá in Fljótsdalur, Eastern Iceland, also known as Stuðlabergsfoss . The waterfall is about 30 meters high and forms an apron in a cliff. The waterfall is in a large rock choir with an unusually regul ...

, surrounded by columnar basalt, it is on the way up to

* Fardagafoss and Onno-Óltifoss near

Egilsstaðir Egilsstaðir () is a town in east Iceland on the banks of the Lagarfljót river. It is part of the municipality of Múlaþing and the largest settlement of the Eastern Region with, as of 2020, a population of 2,522 inhabitants. Formerly Egilss ...

* Gufufoss ("Steam falls") In

Seyðisfjörður Seyðisfjörður () is a town in the Eastern Region of Iceland at the innermost point of the fjord of the same name. The town is located in the municipality of Múlaþing. A road over Fjarðarheiði mountain pass (elevation ) connects Seyðisfjö ...

* Klifbrekkufossar in

Mjóifjörður Mjóifjörður (, "narrow fjord") is a village of 7 people in East Iceland, sitting on a fjord of the same name. It is part of the municipality of Fjarðabyggð. History In the early 20th century, the village was a Norwegian whaling station. The ...

. A beautiful row of waterfalls

List of waterfalls by height

References

External links

Iceland's Best Waterfalls

Photos of Skogafoss waterfall, Iceland
{{Iceland topics, state=autocollapse

Waterfalls A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...