Seljalandsfoss
Seljalandsfoss is a waterfall in South Coast, Iceland — about 128 km from Reykjavik and reached by a drive to the trailhead and a short walk in (footwear and weather check). Shoot it year-round, though winter wind, ice, and short daylight rework the shot list, then use the GPS coordinates, parking notes, and nearby waypoints below to fold this stop into a longer photography route.
Overview
Seljalandsfoss is a waterfall in Iceland. Seljalandsfoss is located in the South Region in Iceland right by Route 1 and the road that leads to Þórsmörk Road 249
Seljalandsfoss sits inside all 43 waterfall locations, alongside the other spots worth routing a day around.
Notes on this location
Compiled from published sources rather than a visit. Sources are listed below.
A 60 m drop on the Seljalands River, fed from the Eyjafjallajökull glacier. It falls over an old sea cliff — the coastline moved out as relative sea level dropped after the last glaciation — and a path runs behind the water into a small cave.
- Drop
- 60 m (the Katla Geopark gives about 62 m)
- River
- Seljalands River, rising in the Eyjafjallajökull glacier
- The cliff
- A former sea cliff, formed during and after the last glaciation and left inland as relative sea level fell; a lava layer topped with palagonite tuff and breccia
- Behind the falls
- A path runs behind the water into a small cave
- Roads
- Off Route 1, on Road 249 toward Þórsmörk
The layered cliff is why the cave exists at all: softer rock under a harder lava cap undercuts, and the walk-behind space is the result. That composition points back out through the water, so the shot depends on what is behind the falls in the sky rather than in front of them. A glacier-fed river also means flow tracks melt rather than rainfall.
SourcesSeljalandsfoss — Wikipedia, Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi — Katla UNESCO Global Geopark
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (63.616, -19.989). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- June: sun up 03:01–23:40 (20.6 h). Evening golden hour 21:52–23:40, light coming from the NNW.
- Winter
- December: only 4.5 h of daylight (11:00–15:30), but the sun never climbs above 3.1° — the entire day is golden hour. Sunrise bears SSE, sunset SSW.
- Aurora
- Aurora-grade darkness Sep–Mar, peaking at 12.8 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
Seljalandsfoss is a waterfall in South Coast, Iceland, approximately 128 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Waterfall map.
The recommended season for Seljalandsfoss is All. 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.
Yes — Seljalandsfoss can be visited year-round, though winter conditions may require a 4x4 or storm-tolerant plans.