Gufufoss
Gufufoss is a waterfall in East Iceland, Iceland — about 658 km from Reykjavik and reached by a drive to the trailhead and a short walk in (footwear and weather check). Shoot it during the summer window, when light, road status, and crowd levels line up for photography, then use the GPS coordinates, parking notes, and nearby waypoints below to fold this stop into a longer photography route.
Overview
Gufufoss looked to us like the largest and most striking waterfall in the Seyðisfjörður area. The falls plunged with a rectangular shape and power that made it difficult to even get close to its misty base.
Gufufoss is one waypoint of many — you can load the Iceland waterfalls GPS map before you leave signal.
Notes on this location
Compiled from published sources rather than a visit. Sources are listed below.
A waterfall beside the road over Fjarðarheiði into Seyðisfjörður, on Route 93. The name comes from the steam it throws up, and access from the road is very good.
- The name
- From the steam the waterfall emits, which wraps it in a certain mystery
- Where
- Seyðisfjörður; the road over Fjarðarheiði runs next to it
- Road
- Route 93
- Access
- Described as very good from the road
- Not in the source
- The cited page gives no height, does not name the river, and gives no distances or parking detail
This sits on the Fjarðarheiði road, which the Seyðisfjörður brief notes crosses a 600 m pass and is the first thing to close in bad weather — so the same conditions that strand the fjord also strand this waterfall, and the two are one decision rather than two. A fall named for its own steam is also a cold-air subject: the vapour that gives it the name shows in winter and largely disappears on a warm day.
SourcesGufufoss — Visit Austurland
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (65.240, -14.058). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- 22.2 h of daylight in June and the sun barely sets, dipping only 1.4° below the horizon — effectively continuous golden light through the small hours.
- Winter
- December: only 3.5 h of daylight (11:05–14:37), but the sun never climbs above 1.5° — the entire day is golden hour. Sunrise bears SSE, sunset SSW.
- Aurora
- Aurora-grade darkness Sep–Mar, peaking at 13 h a night in December. Not possible Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug — the sky never gets dark enough.
Bar height is daylight hours. Months marked • have enough astronomical darkness for aurora; the rest do not.
Questions & answers
Gufufoss is a waterfall in East Iceland, Iceland, approximately 658 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Waterfall map.
The recommended season for Gufufoss is Summer. For light, plan around blue hour and the first hour after sunrise; Iceland's long shoulder-season twilight extends usable conditions on either side.
Drive/Hike access. Bring weather-appropriate footwear and check conditions before setting out. The downloadable GPS map puts the waypoint on your phone; your own app routes you to it from wherever you are.
Gufufoss is best visited during Summer. Outside that window, expect limited access, weather closures, or significantly different photographic conditions.