Svartifoss Waterfall (Skaftafell Iceland) – Hike + Tips + Photos

Want to stop driving around and walk for a while? Discover the Svartifoss hike that leads you to the black waterfall in its amphitheater of basalt columns. The walk to the Svartifoss waterfall Iceland also offers nice views towards the sea and takes you to the other Skaftafell waterfall of Hundafoss. Below is my guide to help you plan your visit.

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Located near the South Coast of Iceland, the Svartifoss waterfall offers an intriguing shape : the water of river Stórilækur drops 20m inside an amphitheater of geometrical basalt columns (30m wide). The trails allows you to walk quite close and admire this geological wonder. Some say that it inspired Icelandic architecture, such as the Reykjavik cathedral.

The Svartifoss name means the Black Waterfall because of the black basalt columns.

It was not my favorite waterfall but I appreciated the whole hike. ​

Svartifoss is located in the Skaftafell National Park. If you look at a map of Iceland, you will notice a huge section with a glacier called Vatnajokulsthjodgardur. Skaftafell merged into that major national park in 2008. It is situated on its South side. Its landscape is fascinating with a glacier tongue, waterfalls and views over the flat black sand area at its foot.

How to get to Svartifoss & Skaftafell National Park 

• Located on the South Coast of Iceland (see my Region Guide)
• Reykjavik to Svartifoss / Skaftafell - 4h drive
• Vik to Svartifoss / Skaftafell - 1h45 drive
• Skaftafell visitor centre - Approximately 67 km east of Kirkjubæjarklaustur on the Ring Road or 54 km west of the icebergs at Jökulsárlón, turn north on Route 998 (Skaftafellsvegur) and continue 1.5 km to the visitor centre parking.
• If you are doing a road trip on your own - head to my guide on driving in Iceland

• The Skaftafell visitor centre has many interesting displays and sells a hiking map. But if you are only doing the Svartifoss walk, do not worry it is properly indicated.
• They can inform you of the conditions of the trail and the expected weather conditions
• They can show you more hiking trails in Skaftafell - visit the Vatnajokulsthjodgardur national park website. 

Where to start the Svartifoss waterfall hike

There is no way to reach the waterfall by car. Some walking is involved.

• You start the hike from the Skaftafell Visitor center carpark.
• or you can reach an upper carpark closer to Svartifoss  to avoid the major climb of the hike to Svartifoss there is an alternate car park ** Currently closed** . Continue driving on the park road west past the Visitor Center. The road narrows into an almost single-lane road and climbs steeply up until reaching the small car park.

Svartifoss Hike - options

• There are 2 options to hike to the Svartifoss waterfall:
• Long Svartifoss hike - From the visitor centre, Svartifoss is a 3.4km round trip. Plan for 2 hours as a big part of it is quite steep - On the way you will also be able to admire the Hundafoss waterfall - see a few pictures below
• Short Svartifoss hike - ** Currently closed** - From the alternate car park mentioned above, it is 1.5km return. The beginning is easy but at the end to get closer there are many steps. 
• In any case, wear proper walking shoes

After the steep section of the hike, it is still not over.
The walk to Svartifoss first continues gently with a good path quite flat :

Then the path is a little bit more natural. And you reach a big staircase. Steps are large and well maintain but there are no rails:

As you hike from the parking lot, the waterfalls plays Peekaboo. You can see it appearing in the distance...

Then I walked down to the foot of the waterfall, looked at it from the bridge. Many photographers come to photograph this waterfall and we had to take turns since part of the bridge does not have a good angle.

Getting closer to Svartifoss Iceland

And you can approach it on the right side. There is a limit to how close you can get but some people do jump the rope to get even closer. I even saw 2 guys removing all their clothes (yes all of them) and going for a swim. It was annoying as they were right on my photographs and I had to wait. But it did not last long... the water must have been very cold 🙂

As you can see here the basalt columns are more important at the top of the fall. This is quite surprising. The setting is really impressive.

The other Skaftafell waterfall - Hundafoss

Along the hike from the visitor center to Svartifoss, you can explore other areas, just walk around other trails to Enjoy the views from the plateau over the black flat area and towards the sea:

And at the top of the steep portion of the trail, you can admire the waterfall of Hundafoss.
You can hear it loudly before you see it.  There are signs, so don't worry, you won't miss it!
Here is what it looks like:

I am sorry I did not take many sections of this part of the Svartifoss waterfall hike. I was quite tired.
The trail was rocky and steep in some sections. With difficulty and help, our 70 year old co-traveler, managed to go down, so it is not too difficult either.

The views were great: 

Other Activities to enjoy in Skaftafell National Park

From the visitor center you can also walk to get a closer views of the Glacier tongue - it is an easy path :

But they also organize activities on the glacier such as:

or Skaftafell Ice Climbing 

Enjoy a hike on a glacier plus the climb of an ice wall. Departure from Skaftafell visitor center.
Reserve your spot

Accommodations near Skaftafell Iceland

If you are looking to stay close to the Skaftafell national park, consider the following accommodations with excellent ratings:

• Right at the visitor center - the closest option is the Skaftafell hotel with comfortable rooms and easy access to the magnificent landscapes at sunset and when northern lights are out - check out photos and latest prices
• Stylish and close by - The Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon offers luxury accommodations with large windows and great views  - check out photos and latest prices
• Charming - The Lækjaborgir Guesthouse cabins allow you to feel close t nature with all the comfort you need - check out photos and latest prices
• You can camp at the Skaftafell Camping ground (May to September)

Want to see more of Iceland's beauty?

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