Skógafoss is a waterfall in Iceland which is part of the Golden Circle. Skógafoss offers the following points of interest for tourists and photographers;
- Skógafoss waterfalls – upper and lower viewing platforms
- Filming location of Thor – Dark World
- Camping
- Crashed DC 3 Plane
If you wish to sleep where a Thor movie was made then there are a few onsite hotel options. The advantage of staying on site is that you’ll be able to photograph the falls at off peak times when there are no tourists around.
Parking is free at Skógafoss and it’s free to see the falls from both viewpoints. You’ll also find bathrooms and a restaurant. The fee to use the bathrooms at Skógafoss was $2 which I got a huge thrill out of not paying.
Skógafoss, Iceland
Skógafoss waterfalls are part of the famous golden circle in Iceland. There are 2 main viewing points of the falls, from the bottom (above) or you can climb up the metals stairs to the top. Where is the best place to photograph the falls from? I photographed it from very close with the fish eye which didn’t really work because spray was hitting the lens. The reason I chose this angle was because there were hundreds of tourists stood right behind me, any other angle would have included lots of tourists. I would say it is best to photograph the falls from quite a distance where the tourists will become dots and it’s probably better to photograph them in summer, with greenery, a blue sky and maybe a rainbow. My picture came out black and white as it was a dull day with lots of snow, it’s definitely not Instagram worthy!
Skógafoss, Iceland
I have to be honest with you, the view from the upper viewing platform is not so brilliant as you cannot see the falls right to the bottom. The platform is not in a great position for viewing, is quite small and there are lots of tourists fighting for space. It’s also a stress getting up and down the stairs as there are a lot of unfit people blocking the route. Having said all this, you can witness a 25 meter wide river dropping 60 meters which is quite rare. The upper viewing platform is a must even if the view doesn’t tempt you, you should climb the stairs for the exercise before you get back in the car and fill up on unhealthy snacks.
Skógafoss, Iceland
An interesting fact about the cliffs of Skógafoss is that they used to be the cliffs of the former coastline.
On the beach, virtually straight across from Skógafoss there is a crashed DC 3 plane. The plane is located on a black sand beach called Sólheimasandur which you walk to after parking 4 km away on route 1. The plane is actually the United States Navy Super Douglas Super DC-3 airplane and had to crash land on the beach after suffering from severe icing. The plane was later abandoned and only the fuselage remains. This DC 3 plane has become a famous site in Iceland.
Definitely save this post because I’m heading Iceland soon! I plan to visit Golden Circle as well, and Skógafoss totally catches my eye with your post. Can’t wait to go there and experience all of these.
Iceland fascinates me! Along with the Faro Islands, this mystical island is definitely on my list!
I do think however, as you said, that there are gonna be too many tourists for my taste, with all those new cheap fights with Wow Air.
I hope it remains authentic.
And those waterfalls are beautiful! It can be such a struggle sometimes to capture the essence of nature sometimes, but I think in the end you did a great job 🙂
Iceland is an absolutely beautiful place, and I’m hoping to visit it soon. But since it’s still very popular with a lot of people, maybe I’ll hold off on my visit for a few years to let it all calm down first. Your photos of Skogafoss are stunning – I’m definitely adding it to my bucket list.
Love the photos and map. I keep hearing about the Golden Circle tour and it’s great to get a look at what this actually means. Thank you for sharing this and bringing a little bit of Iceland into my day.
How to non-Icelandic people even attempt to pronounce Icelandic place names?! The language seems so difficult!
I laughed when I read about you getting a th
sent too soon!
*thrill out of not paying to use the bathroom!
I went here 10years but I have always wanted to go back and explore again and see if it has changed much. That is a really cool fact to about the cliffs of Skógafoss being the former coastline.
Iceland is so fascinating and so, so, so beautiful! I’d love to spend some time exploring and the Golden Circle tour would be at the top of my list. And to see the cliffs that used to be the coastline – and how the land has changed!
Iceland has been high on my list since I was a little girl. I kind of wish I had gone years ago before it became such a popular tourist destination. Trying to photograph waterfalls without getting water all over your lens is also challenging. I just had that experience at a waterfall nearby.
The more you write about Iceland, the most miserable I feel that I couldn’t visit the country when I was in Europe! But then, since I missed, thanks for the virtual tour. Too bad that the view of the falls from atop wasn’t really awesome! The crashed plane is intriguing…