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Svartifoss Waterfall, Vatnajokull National Park

4.6
#2 of 15 in Things to do in Vatnajokull National Park
Waterfall · Nature / Park
Svartifoss 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. Other well-known columnar jointing formations are seen at the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, Devil's Tower in Wyoming, United States and on the island of Staffa in Scotland. There are also similar formations throughout Iceland, including a small cave on the beach of Reynisdrangar.
The base of this waterfall is noteworthy for its sharp rocks. New hexagonal column sections break off faster than the falling water wears down the edges.
These basalt columns have provided inspiration for Icelandic architects, most visibly in the Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavík, and also the National Theatre.
With our custom trip planner, Vatnajokull National Park attractions like Svartifoss Waterfall can be center stage of your vacation plans, and you can find out about other attractions like it, unlike it, near it, and miles away.
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Svartifoss Waterfall reviews

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TripAdvisor traveler rating
TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.5
757 reviews
Google
4.7
TripAdvisor
  • By laylalae
    Quite an easy 1 hour walk from the campground will get you to this waterfall and as this is one of the nearest and easiest walk here in the area of Skaftafell, be prepared for more people on this...  more »
  • By ARbookworm
    We took the S2 trail which was rather busy but not too difficult. The waterfall itself was nice, but there were simply too many people at the base of the falls taking pictures for us to be able to...  more »
  • By diegorL9770SC
    A waste of time, at the same place you could go to see the glacier, this is a waterfall like there are many in the world nothing special  more »
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Google
  • By Steven Griffin
    A fantastic reward at the end of a moderately short hike. Take advantage of some of the other areas of this national park as well! The falls can get a bit inundated with tourists so if you can find an off time to visit, I'd recommend it.
  • By Rasmus Ankarskär
    Not the biggest but definitely one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland! The walk to get there is pretty easy and don't take long! Fully recommended
  • By Alex Videmark
    Beautiful and different waterfall due the significant shape of the rocks. Nice easy hike to the waterfall. Plan to use approximately 1,5-2 hours there
  • By Benjamin Jönsson
    Quick and easy hike, the information say you need 35-45 minutes to reach and the same time back. We did It there and back in just 47 minutes with some stops to take pictures. Well worth it
  • By Stephan Kennedy
    The basalt columns are the most interesting. Easy path but some height involved. Can be quite full.
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