Stjórnarfoss is located near the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur (often shortened to Klaustur) in South Iceland, reached from the Ring Road by turning onto Geirlandsvegur (road 203/F203), roughly a couple of kilometres from town.

Its position matters: you are still in the “South Coast corridor,” but you’ve stepped slightly aside from the main flow of traffic, which is why this waterfall often feels calmer than the better-known giants further west.

Physically, Stjórnarfoss is not a single dramatic plunge from a towering cliff. It is better understood as a shaped waterfall—defined by the geometry of the rock lip and the way the river spreads into multiple narrow streams. Sources vary on the height, commonly describing it as about 10 m while others give around 15 m; the difference is largely about whether you measure only the main drop or include the upper tier/overall fall line.

In practice, it often reads as “short and wide,” with a rounded edge that makes the water fan out as a curtain into a clear pool.

That rounded, dome-like shape is not an aesthetic accident; it is a clue to the bedrock and erosion style. The cliffs around the waterfall are volcanic, and the scene communicates the classic Icelandic tension between hard rock structure and persistent water action—water shaping, polishing, undercutting, then re-routing itself into multiple channels.

Access, land context, and what the visit is (and isn’t)

From a destination-planning perspective, Stjórnarfoss is valuable because it behaves like a “high reward for low time” stop. You can park nearby and reach the waterfall with a short walk, making it realistic even on a busy Ring Road day.

That said, the setting is not a built attraction—no grand platforms, no heavy infrastructure—so the experience relies on your own field sense: watching footing near the river, respecting vegetation, and reading conditions (wind and spray can turn rocks slick fast).

Stjórnarfoss is next to Kleifar, described as an ancient regional assembly site by the river Stjórn.

Why it photographs so well (and why it stays “under the radar”)

Stjórnarfoss is often called a “hidden gem,” but the more accurate phrasing is that it is structurally photogenic while being slightly off the mainline itinerary.

The waterfall’s shape encourages composition: the curved lip creates a clean horizontal element, while the falling water breaks into many vertical lines. In photography terms, it gives you both order and texture—perfect for long exposures, but also strong at faster shutter speeds where you can freeze the separate streams.

Several descriptions emphasize that Stjórnarfoss has a two-stage character (an upper and a lower tier).

if you only shoot the obvious lower tier from the pool edge, you get a classic “curtain” image; if you step back and work the landscape, you can hint at the upper tier and show how the river arrives, drops, and then spreads into the basin. It’s not a waterfall that demands one iconic angle—it rewards small changes in position.

Finally, Stjórnarfoss sits near Kirkjubæjarklaustur, a natural base for exploring this section of the south coast. So it works well as either:

a short stop when driving east or west, or

a quiet evening/morning shoot when you’re staying locally and want softer light and fewer people.

• Local placement: Stjórnarfoss is by Kleifar, described locally as an ancient assembly site near the river Stjórn.
• Close to town: It’s roughly 2 km from Kirkjubæjarklaustur via Geirlandsvegur (203/F203).
• Height depends on definition: Common figures range from ~10 m to ~15 m, reflecting different ways of describing the tiers/overall drop.
• Two-stage look: Many visitors describe it as a two-tier waterfall (upper and lower).