Skogafoss waterfall situated on the Skógá River in the south of Iceland, is one of the biggest waterfalls in the country with a width of 25 metres (82 feet) and a drop of 62 m (203 ft) of the cliffs of the former coastline. It is the last in row of waterfalls in the river Skógá that stem from the passage of Fimvorduhals (Fimvörðuháls) situated between the glaciers Eyjafjallajokull (Eyjajallajökull) and Myrdalsjokul (Mýrdalsjökull). It has fast turned into one of the more famous sites in Iceland as it is both easily accessible and has been made famous in films like The secret life of Walter Mitty.
Easy access to Skogafoss You do not have to undertake heavy trekking to enjoy the Skógafoss waterfall as it is only two kilometres from the main highway and the parking is just few hundred meters away. Skógafoss is thus accessible by everybody all year round. From here runs a 22 km long trek along the river Skógá up Skógaheiði moors over the Fimmvörðuháls pass between the Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull glaciers to the beautiful mountain oasis of Thorsmork (Þórsmörk or valley of Thor), considered by many Icelanders to be the most beautiful place on earth. Up on hiking the trail you will now be hiking over one of the younger lava fields of Iceland as the lava from the 2010 Fimmvorduhals eruption ran over part of the trail from the newly created volcanic craters Magni and Móði. The 22 kilometers long (14 mi) trail is usually done as a day hike with a night in Thorsmork (Þórsmörk) after but can also be done in two parts with a night at the top of Fimvorduhals where there is a hut. Some like to do it the other way around from Thorsmork (Þórsmörk) up to the pass and back down in a day, this version has been named the Þórsmörk Volcano Hike.
The Skogar Museum
Skógar, the area of Skogafoss has the lovely Skógar Museum. The museum is open June, July, and August from 9 am to 6 pm and the other months from 10 am to 5 pm.
The Skógar Museum is split into 3 different parts. There is the Open Air Museum, The Folk Museum and the Technical Museum.
Skogafoss Hotel, Accommodation & Camping
Skogar, the Skogafoss area is a lovely and beautiful area to stay the night while traveling around the South Coast of Iceland. Your options for accommodation is divergent. In this it is each to his own. Some people like to camp in the camping area at Skógafoss, others like to rent a cabin near by and others like to stay at the hotel in Skógar. Camping in Iceland in winter is only for extremely well equipped and experiences people as weather can change rapidly.
Visit Skógafoss early or late if you want to avoid crowds. In summertime with light all year round visiting in the middle of the night, between 2- 4 is great. If you are looking to have Skógafoss Waterfall all to yourself you are going to want to visit first thing in the morning or right around sunset. You can visit Skogafoss Waterfall after dark if you want to get some great astrophotography or watch the Northern Lights dance over the waterfall!
A good sturdy tripod is necessary to get the most out of the flow of the water and her you can play around with both wide angel lens as well as using telephoto or zoom lens to get closer to certain areas as well as getting the feeling for the power of the water volume flowing down. Using slow shutter speed and graduate filters can add to the play with water and the surroundings.
