Iceland Waterfalls

Southeast Iceland Road Trip Guide

Southeast Iceland Road Trip Guide

Iceland is the land of the midnight sun, the land of fire and ice, the land of Game of Thrones, and most importantly, the land of epic road trips. The most popular road trip in Iceland is unquestionably the Ring Road (Iceland’s Route 1), which circles the island. While Iceland is not one of the larger countries on the planet, completing a circuit of the Ring Road takes at least five days, and because Iceland is one of the countries on the planet with the largest scenery, one cannot fully appreciate the beauty of the Ring Road without taking at least ten days or longer. Unfortunately, in 2016, not everyone has a full ten days or longer to devote to exploring everything that Iceland has to offer. Fortunately, some of Iceland’s best and most iconic features can be explored in the course of a single day road-trip through Southeast Iceland.

Seljalandsfoss

Seljalandsfoss

Iceland is unquestionably the land of ice and fire. It is also the land of the Northern Lights, the land of stunning vistas, and among many other things, the land of waterfalls. Although Iceland has many amazing waterfalls, it has only one waterfall that visitors and hikers can walk behind. That waterfall is Seljalandsfoss, and is perhaps the most well-known, or depending on whom you talk to, the most beautiful waterfall in all of Iceland.

Skogafoss

Skogafoss

In addition to its myths and legends, Iceland is also the land of spectacular waterfalls. These waterfalls are some of Europe’s most powerful because of the precipitation that the island receives along with seasonal glacial and snow melt. One of the largest and most powerful of these falls is Skogafoss, which is located slightly outside of the town of Skogar in Southeast Iceland. Skogafoss means “forest waterfall” in Icelandic; and while there are no trees around the waterfall today, the waterfall itself is a spectacular classic rectangular waterfall that cascades down the former sea cliffs. At twenty five meters wide (75 feet) and sixty meters (180 feet) in height, the fall is an impressive sight that can be seen from a far distance.