Skogafoss is a waterfall in Iceland which is part of the Golden Circle. In fact, it’s one of the wonders of Iceland, things to do at Skogafoss Waterfall include;
- Skogafoss Waterfall viewing and photographing
- Aerial viewpoint of Skogafoss Waterfall
- Filming location of Thor – Dark World
- Crashed DC 3 Plane Wreck
If you wish to sleep where a Thor movie was made then there are a few hotels nearby.
Skogafoss Parking
There is complimentary Skogafoss parking as well as complimentary viewing of the waterfall. You’ll also find bathrooms and a restaurant, however, the fee to use the bathroom is over $2 which I got a huge thrill out of not paying.
Skogafoss Waterfall
Skogafoss waterfalls are part of the famous Golden Circle of Iceland. There are 2 main viewing points of the falls. Firstly, from the directly in front of it. Lastly, you can climb up the Skogafoss stairs to the aerial viewpoint. Where is the best place to photograph the falls from? I would recommend visiting both viewpoints, however, the lower viewing point is definitely the best. In addition, it’s much better to photograph the falls at sunset or sunrise for 2 reasons. There’ll be much more color but more importantly, fewer tourists. Alternatively, if you’re very lucky you could photograph the falls at night with the Northern Lights in the background.
Skogafoss Waterfall Viewing Platform
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. Additionally, the platform is not in a great position for viewing. In fact, it’s quite small and there are lots of tourists fighting for space. Having said all this, you can witness a 25 meter wide river dropping 60 meters off a cliff edge which is a sight to behold. Despite the fact that the waterfall view is not as good as below, I still recommend you climb up.
Skogafoss Stairs
It can be a stress getting up and down the Skogafoss stairs as there are lots of tourists. It’s a narrow metal staircase which climbs 60 meters. Unfortunately, a lot of the tourists are quite unfit and will either walk slowly or block the route. Finally, at the top is a small viewing platform which is quite a distance from the falls.
Skogafoss Panoramic
Do you need another reason to climb those Skogafoss stairs? Maybe the panoramic sea view will persuade you! An interesting fact about the cliffs of Skogafoss is that they used to be the cliffs of the former coastline.
DC3 Plane Wreck
A short drive from Skogafoss waterfall is a crashed DC 3 plane. This plane has become an iconic landmark of Iceland in itself. As a matter of fact, photographers visit at night to shoot it with the Northern Lights as a backdrop. The plane is located on a black sand beach called Solheimasandur. To reach it you must walk 4 km from the route 1 DC 3 Plane parking area. 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. Today, it remains abandoned and only the fuselage remains. This is a top Instagram spot in Iceland and you can climb on as well as inside the plane to pose!
How to get from Skogafoss to Seljalandsfoss
If you’re part of an organised tour, you’ll be taken between Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss. This is extremely convenient but the negative is that you’ll arrive with several people and leave together with them. If you travel independently, you can visit long after the tourists have gone home. As a result, you’ll have much better photos as well as a more peaceful Skogafoss experience. The drive between Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss takes only 30 minutes on Iceland Route 1, enjoy the scenery!
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…