Seljalandsfoss: A Deep Dive
Few waterfalls let you stand behind them and look out through the falling water at the landscape beyond. Seljalandsfoss, on Iceland's south coast, is the most famous that does. A narrow river spills off a tall, undercut cliff, leaving a path that loops right behind the curtain of water and out the other side. Combined with its easy access just off the Ring Road, this is one of the most photographed and most visited waterfalls in Iceland — and one of the most magical to experience from the inside.
The drop and the cliff
Seljalandsfoss drops about 60 metres in a single, fairly slender plunge over a cliff that was once the edge of Iceland's coastline. The Seljalandsá river pours over a hard rock lip, but the cliff beneath is undercut — eroded back into a shallow cave — so the water falls clear of the rock face, leaving the gap behind it that gives the falls their fame. A path runs along this hollow, allowing visitors to walk a full loop behind the cascade.
A former sea cliff
The cliff over which Seljalandsfoss falls marks an ancient shoreline. In the distant past, the sea reached the foot of this escarpment; over millennia the land rose and the coast retreated several kilometres south, leaving a long line of cliffs running across the south of Iceland. Many of the region's famous waterfalls — including Skógafoss a short drive east — pour over this same former sea cliff, where rivers draining the highland glaciers reach the edge and fall to the flat coastal plain below.
Fed by a glacier
The Seljalandsá river is fed by meltwater from Eyjafjallajökull — the ice cap and volcano that became globally famous in 2010 when its eruption sent an ash cloud across Europe and grounded air travel for days. The glacier's melt gives the falls a reliable flow that swells in summer with stronger melting and after rain, and drops in the cold of winter. The glacial source also means the river can carry a milky, sediment-laden tint when melting is at its peak.
Walking behind the water
The path behind Seljalandsfoss is the heart of the experience. It loops from one side, into the hollow behind the curtain, and out the other — a short but unforgettable walk. From behind, the water becomes a shimmering, roaring veil, and the green Icelandic landscape glows through it. Be warned: the spray is constant and heavy, so waterproofs are essential and cameras need protection, and in winter the path is often closed because the spray turns the rocks to dangerous ice.
Gljúfrabúi: the hidden neighbour
A few hundred metres north along the same cliff, a second waterfall hides in a slot canyon: Gljúfrabúi, "the canyon dweller." Most of this roughly 40-metre fall is concealed inside a narrow cleft in the rock, and to see it you must wade up the shallow stream into the canyon, where the water thunders down into a mossy, mist-filled chamber open to the sky above. Far less crowded than its famous neighbour, Gljúfrabúi rewards those who make the short, wet detour with a secret, cathedral-like space.
When to visit
Seljalandsfoss is spectacular year round, but the experience changes with the seasons. Summer brings the strongest glacial flow, long daylight, and green surroundings — but also the biggest crowds. Winter can coat the falls and cliff in ice and offers the chance of northern lights overhead, though the behind-the-falls path is usually closed for safety. At sunset, especially in summer, the low sun shines through the water and lights it gold, which is why so many of Iceland's most famous waterfall photographs are taken here.
Photographing Seljalandsfoss
This is one of the great waterfall photography subjects in the world. The classic shot is from behind or beside the falls at sunset, with the sun glowing through the water; the looping path offers angles few waterfalls allow. A wide lens captures the cliff and the curtain together, and a tripod with a slow shutter smooths the water — though the relentless spray means you will be wiping the lens constantly. For Gljúfrabúi, a wide lens and good waterproofing are essential in the tight, misty canyon.
On the south coast trail
Seljalandsfoss sits at the start of Iceland's most travelled tourist route, the south coast. Within a short drive lie Skógafoss, the black-sand beach at Reynisfjara, the glaciers of Sólheimajökull and Eyjafjallajökull, and eventually the great glacier lagoon of Jökulsárlón. For most visitors, Seljalandsfoss is the first great waterfall of the journey — the one where, before driving on, you walk behind a 60-metre wall of falling glacial water and look back out at Iceland through the spray.
Explore on the map
Seljalandsfoss, its hidden neighbour Gljúfrabúi, and the other waterfalls of Iceland's south coast are plotted on the interactive map — explore it to plan a Ring Road journey along the former sea cliff.