Seljalandsfoss
A 60-metre curtain you can walk behind in summer. The first wow of the South Coast — and the easiest pullout from Route 1 you'll ever appreciate.
Why this place matters.
Seljalandsfoss falls from a cliff that was Iceland's coastline before the land rose. The river behind the cliff is fed by a glacier you cannot see — but you can hear it from the path behind the falls.
Most travelers spend 20 minutes. Stay 45: walk behind the curtain, then continue about 600 metres north along the cliff to Gljúfrabúi — a hidden second waterfall inside a slot canyon. Most people skip it. You can stand directly under it in a partial cave.
South Coast · 30 km west of Skógafoss.
First major waterfall pullout east of Reykjavík on Route 1.
Worth visiting — read the fine print.
Honest, not cynical. These are the things returning visitors tell first-timers.
Spray reaches the parking lot on south wind days. Rain shell, waterproof shoes, lens cloths. No exceptions.
It usually closes in autumn once the spray freezes into icicles and stays shut while icy; rockfall has closed parts of the loop too. The frontal view stays open year-round.
Walk about 600 m north along the cliff base. There's a hidden cascade in a slot canyon. Almost no buses stop here.
ISK 900 for a car of up to five seats since 1 June 2026, valid for the day; stays under 10 minutes are free. An unpaid fee is billed to the vehicle owner's online bank with ISK 100 added, so a rental company passes it on (checkit.is).
Sun moves behind the falls 4pm – 7pm summer. Rainbow in the spray on clear days.
Before 10 or after 5 is dramatically quieter. Sunrise is empty in summer because of the 4am start.
When the place is itself.
- Jan, score 5 of 10
- Feb, score 5 of 10
- Mar, score 6 of 10
- Apr, score 8 of 10
- May, score 9 of 10
- Jun, score 10 of 10
- Jul, score 10 of 10
- Aug, score 10 of 10
- Sep, score 9 of 10
- Oct, score 8 of 10
- Nov, score 6 of 10
- Dec, score 5 of 10
Frontal view is year-round. The path behind the falls (the famous angle) closes when icy, usually from autumn until the thaw, and has no fixed dates.
Light, shaped by ice.
Sun moves behind the falls 4–7pm summer. Spray rainbow on clear days. Long lens compresses the silhouette.
The famous angle. Tripod + ND for silk water. Bring lens cloths — the spray is constant.
Jan – Mar. Ice rings around the basin. Don't approach close — the rocks are sheet ice.
Slot canyon waterfall about 600 m north. Wide-angle low. Wade in if your boots are waterproof.
Getting there, calmly.
The place, four ways.
Within an hour.
- GljúfrabúiHidden slot-canyon waterfall
- Skógafoss60-m curtain · always-on rainbow
- SólheimajökullGlacier tongue · easy walk-up
- ÞórsmörkBirch valley + glacier
- VíkLast fuel before the Sand
It lives on these routes.
Read this place differently.
What the place is doing right now.
Make Seljalandsfoss part of your expedition.
Open it inside the Explorer to see it in context with terrain, season, and conditions — or plan a route that passes through.