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

Discover the stunning Svartifoss waterfall hike in Skaftafell National Park, Iceland.
It leads you to the black waterfall in its amphitheater of basalt columns, wit nice views towards the sea and the other Skaftafell waterfalls.
Below is my guide to help you plan your visit with tips, map, trail and photos.

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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 trail allows you to walk quite close and admire this geological wonder.
Some say that it inspired Icelandic architecture, such as the Reykjavik cathedral. And it is often listed as one of the best waterfalls in Iceland.

What is Skaftafell?

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.

All my favorite locations are included (with GPS coordinates, map of region and planning tips) in my travel guide eBook to help you easily plan your Iceland road trip (for 5 days, 7 days, 10 days, 14 days...)

How to get to Svartifoss & Skaftafell National Park 

• Reykjavik to Svartifoss / Skaftafell = 4h drive
• Vik to Svartifoss / Skaftafell = 1h45 drive
• Höfn to Svartifoss / Skaftafell = 1h40 drive
• The famous lagoon of Jokulsarlon to Skaftafell = 45min drive
• from road 1, 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

Accommodations near Skaftafell

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 availability
• Stylish and close by - The Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon offers luxury accommodations with large windows and great views  - check out photos and availability
• Charming - The Lækjaborgir Guesthouse cabins allow you to feel close t nature with all the comfort you need - check out photos and availability
• You can camp at the Skaftafell Camping ground (May to September)

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 3 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

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

In the distance

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

Bridge of Svartifoss

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

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 below, the basalt columns are more important at the top of the fall. This is quite surprising. The setting is really impressive.

Hundafoss and Magnúsarfoss - other Skaftafell waterfalls

Along the Svartifoss trail, you will see 2 other waterfalls.

Hundafoss

And not far below is 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:

Hiking in Skaftafell

Plus, 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:

Other activities to enjoy in Skaftafell National Park

Glacier Tongue Walk

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

Skaftafell Glacier Hike (Medium difficulty)

Discover the world of glacier. How they move, what they look like once you are on them. This is an impressive world.
Departure from Skaftafell visitor center - Reserve your spot

Skaftafell Ice Climbing 

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

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