Reykjavik - Day 8 - The Waterfalls

Our last couple of stops on the South Shore were waterfalls. One of which you could actually go behind and take pictures looking out, another was a little treacherous in that you had to hike through a very narrow opening in the rocks to get to the waterfall behind it. I discovered that my Idlewild snow boots were actually waterproof! Whew!

SKOGAFOSS WATERFALL

The Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in the country, with a width of 25 metres (82 feet) and a drop of 60 m (200 ft). Due to the amount of spray the waterfall consistently produces, a single or double rainbow is normally visible on sunny days. There are 500 steps built into the hillside to get to the top of Skógafoss.

According to legend, the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, buried a treasure in a cave behind the waterfall. The legend continues that locals found the chest years later, but were only able to grasp the ring on the side of the chest before it disappeared again. The ring was allegedly given to the local church. The old church door ring is now in the Skógar museum.

The following verse is witness to this legend and has been passed down through the generations:

The chest in Prasi’s secret lair
Under the Skogar waterfall
Rewards the one who ventures there
With endless riches, great and small

Skogafoss has been used in movies and streaming series so you may have seen it and not know it!

The waterfall was a location for the filming of the Marvel Studios film Thor: The Dark World, as well as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The waterfall has been used as one of the locations of song "Gerua", in the 2015 Bollywood movie Dilwale featuring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol.

The official music video of "I'll Show You" features glacial lagoons and rivers in South Iceland, including the waterfall Skógafoss.

In season 5 of the History Channel series, Vikings, the character Floki witnesses Skógafoss when he discovers Iceland.

In season 8 of the Game of Thrones series, Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow fly to this waterfall with her dragons and kiss in front of it.

SELJALANDFOSS WATERFALL

There’s a somewhat slippery very wet path that leads behind the waterfall. You will get wet, but it’s worth it for the spectacular view from behind the waterfall.

GLJÚFRABÚI WATERFALL

The name means ‘Dweller in the Gorge’ and what a fitting name because the second waterfall in this area is isolated behind a fissure. We walked on rocks in the water that runs through the fissure to get to this waterfall. The echoing of the water rushing from above is quite amazing.Read more