Stjórnarfoss
Stjórnarfoss is a landscape in South Coast, Iceland — about 259 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
A small waterfall in the southern part of Iceland. Stjórnarfoss waterfall is one of the hidden and seldom visited falls. However, it is a beautiful place and located not far from the main road.
Stjórnarfoss is one waypoint of many — you can load all 62 landscape viewpoints before you leave signal.
Notes on this location
Compiled from published sources rather than a visit. Sources are listed below.
About 15 m on the Stjórn, a ten-minute drive from Kirkjubæjarklaustur off Route 203, with a campsite beside it. Two tiers — and a dome-shaped cliff that hides the upper one from anyone standing close to the water.
- Height
- About 15 m
- River
- The Stjórn
- Structure
- Two tiers, upper and lower
- The catch
- The dome-shaped cliff makes the lower tier the prominent one; the upper tier is hardly visible from close to the water
- Getting there
- About a ten-minute drive from Kirkjubæjarklaustur, off Route 203
- Beside it
- The Tjaldsvæðið Kleifar campsite
The source is unusually specific about a mistake to avoid: stand close and the upper tier disappears behind the dome of the cliff, so the fall photographs as a single drop when it is actually two. Backing off is the whole technique here. A campsite at the foot also makes this one of the few locations in the catalog you can shoot at both ends of the day without driving.
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (63.800, -18.061). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- June: sun up 02:50–23:36 (20.8 h). Evening golden hour 21:46–23:36, light coming from the NNW.
- Winter
- December: only 4.4 h of daylight (10:55–15:19), but the sun never climbs above 2.9° — the entire day is golden hour. Sunrise bears SSE, sunset SSW.
- Aurora
- Aurora-grade darkness Sep–Mar, peaking at 12.9 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
Stjórnarfoss is a landscape in South Coast, Iceland, approximately 259 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Landscape map.
The recommended season for Stjórnarfoss 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 — Stjórnarfoss can be visited year-round, though winter conditions may require a 4x4 or storm-tolerant plans.