Kirkjufoss
Kirkjufoss is a waterfall in East Iceland, Iceland — about 703 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
Kirkjufoss is a waterfall in the river Jökulsá á Fljótsdal and is about 40 meters high. Kirkjufoss is located in the east of Iceland near mount Snæfell.
As a photography stop, Kirkjufoss is a waterfall in East Iceland, roughly 703 km from Reykjavik, reached by a drive to the trailhead and a short walk in (footwear and weather check). Plan the shoot during the summer window, when light, road status, and crowd levels line up for photography. The downloadable Waterfall map pins exact GPS coordinates, parking, and nearby waypoints so you can fold it into a wider route instead of hunting for the pull-off on arrival.
Planning more than one stop? Open the waterfall photography map for Iceland to put Kirkjufoss on the same offline layer as everything nearby.
Notes on this location
Compiled from published sources rather than a visit. Sources are listed below.
The highest fall on the Jökulsá í Fljótsdal circuit near Snæfell, its name meaning church waterfall. The river was developed for hydroelectric production and the source states the falls it fed have lost volume since.
- Name
- Kirkjufoss — church waterfall
- Height, disputed
- The same page gives about 20 m in its text and 40 m in its specification table, and does not resolve the two
- Reduced flow
- Until the Jökulsá í Fljótsdal was developed for hydroelectric production it fed a number of powerful waterfalls; the source states their volume has since diminished
- Where
- East Iceland near mount Snæfell, in Fljótsdalur
- Getting there
- Road 931 from Egilsstaðir along Lagarfljót, then road 910 (Austurleið) for 34 km. The source states road 910 is 4WD only and carries a warning for dangerous river crossings. About 2.5 km on foot from the road to the river
- The circuit
- The route passes Gjögurfossar, Faxi, Kirkjufoss — the highest — then Hrakstrandarfoss and Eyjabakkafoss
Two things here change the plan more than the light does: a 4WD-only road with river crossings, and a river that no longer runs as it did. Photographs made before the hydroelectric development are not a guide to what will be standing there now, and that is worth knowing before committing a day and a vehicle to it.
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (64.871, -15.343). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- 21.7 h of daylight in June and the sun barely sets, dipping only 1.8° below the horizon — effectively continuous golden light through the small hours.
- Winter
- December: only 3.8 h of daylight (11:03–14:50), but the sun never climbs above 1.8° — 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
Kirkjufoss is a waterfall in East Iceland, Iceland, approximately 703 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Waterfall map.
The recommended season for Kirkjufoss 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.
Kirkjufoss is best visited during Summer. Outside that window, expect limited access, weather closures, or significantly different photographic conditions.