10 Best Waterfalls in Iceland with Family (The Beautiful Ones You Shouldn’t Skip)

Iceland has one of the highest concentrations of waterfalls in the world. In Iceland waterfalls kids will enjoy as much as their parents are not hard to find.

On our last Iceland family road trip, our teen tried counting them and lost track after a few days.

Visiting the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland with family is such an easy win. There’s no shortage of them, but with a limited number of days you’ll want to know which ones actually earn a stop. Because Iceland has more to offer.

We’ve visited Iceland several times as a family and have chased our fair share of falls, from 5-minute stops next to the car park to steep uphill hikes that turned into full family outings.

And none of the falls come with an admission fee, which makes them one of the best budget-friendly things to do in Iceland.

Having visited Iceland multiple times made it easy to come up with the 10 best waterfalls to visit, as well as some hidden gems worth a visit if you have more time. 

A waterfalls map will help you where to find them so you can add them to your Iceland itinerary.

We only saw a fraction of them across a 3-week Iceland family road trip. Most sit along the famous Ring Road (Route 1) or along the Golden Circle, and you can visit them all year round, weather permitting.

None of them charge a cent to visit either, and most sit a short walk from the car park, which makes it easy to visit with wobbly walking toddlers.

Others, like Svartifoss, make you work for it a little. So it’s a great mix of quick stops and hikes.

Some waterfalls require a 4×4 to get there, I’ll note that if that’s the case.

Now let’s start sharing our top 10 kid friendly waterfalls in Iceland!

1. Gullfoss

Many consider Gullfoss to be Iceland’s most beautiful waterfall. Gullfoss translates to Golden Falls and is probably the most famous waterfall in Iceland. It’s where the Golden Circle got its name from.

The fall gets thousands of visitors per year because of its near proximity to Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik.

Reykjavik offers lots for families, so combining a visit to Reykjavik with Gullfoss and the rest of the Golden Circle makes perfect sense.

If Gullfoss is one of a few waterfalls you get to see on your trip through Iceland, I get that you’d label it the most beautiful one. But it’s in fact impossible to label any waterfall in Iceland as the most beautiful. Iceland simply has too many amazing waterfalls.

But let’s get back to Gullfoss. This iconic waterfall sits about an hour from Reykjavik and is part of the Golden Circle. It has 2 stages, the first drop 11 meters and the second drop 21 meters.

Out of the 3 sites within the Golden Circle, this one gets the most visitors.

Here’s a story most visitors never hear: in the early 1900s, an investor wanted to dam Gullfoss for hydropower. A local farmer’s daughter, Sigríður Tómasdóttir, fought the lease in court for years to stop him, walking to Reykjavik on foot to make her case.

She won, and there’s a small monument to her near the falls today. Worth pointing out to older kids as a real story of a person that was able to protect one of Iceland’s natural wonders.

2. Goðafoss

This waterfall sits near Mývatn and is one of the highlights when exploring the Diamond Circle with kids, along with 3 other sites: Ásbyrgi, Dettifoss and Lake Mývatn.

The Diamond Circle is the northeastern answer to the Golden Circle in the west.

Water from the river Skjálfandafljót drops about 12 meters. With an impressive 30 meters width, split into a few sections by rocks, it’s a gorgeous sight to see.

Goðafoss means Waterfall of the Gods. Legend has it that in the year 1,000 AD, Iceland’s lawspeaker Þorgeir declared Christianity the country’s official religion, then came home and threw his statues of the old Norse gods into these very falls.

Historians now think that detail was added centuries later, but it’s still a fun one to tell the kids while you’re standing right where it supposedly happened.

3. Kirkjufellsfoss

IIn the Snæfellsnes Peninsula you’ll find Kirkjufell Mountain, one of the most beautiful mountains in Iceland and definitely the most photographed one.

On the other side of the road you’ll find Kirkjufellsfoss. It has a small drop and if it weren’t for its dramatic surroundings, not a lot of people would pay much attention to it.

But from all angles you can get gorgeous shots of the falls with either Kirkjufell in the background or with smaller mountains directly behind the fall.

Route 54 in west Iceland takes you right to this waterfall. You can’t miss Kirkjufell, and once you’ve approached the mountain you can park your car right next to the road and check out both Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss.

Once you’ve seen this fall you know that size doesn’t matter. At least not in this case. The whole scenery makes this waterfall a must-see.

This is also why lots of photographers hunting for Northern Lights in Iceland travel to Kirkjufell mountain to take a picture of the mountain with the Aurora Borealis as a background.

So if you’re in the area from late August to early April and there’s a high chance of seeing the lights, keep this tip in mind.

Here’s a fun one for younger kids: what looks like a single waterfall is actually 3 small falls flowing through the same river, all sharing the name Kirkjufellsfoss. See if they can spot where one ends and the next begins.

4. Seljalandsfoss

The one you can walk behind. It almost sounds like the title of a Friends episode, but it’s not.

Seljalandsfoss isn’t just a gorgeous waterfall where the water drops from a towering cliff. The main reason it gets almost as many visitors per year as Gullfoss is because you can walk behind it. And that makes for some real family fun.

Since this waterfall is a tourist favorite, you’re not the only visitor there. It’s definitely high on everyone’s Iceland’s must see waterfalls list.

Unless you visit it early in the morning or around 5:00 pm, you’ll be part of a long line of people, all wanting to check out what’s behind the waterfall. But don’t worry, it’s still very much worth it.

Fun fact for the car ride there: the water tumbling down Seljalandsfoss comes from Eyjafjallajökull, the same volcano that grounded flights across Europe for days back in 2010.

You’re looking at meltwater from a genuinely famous troublemaker. 

Brings back memories for us, because my eldest and I were supposed to fly to Iceland and the flights got cancelled because of the eruption.

Bring your raincoat, because you’ll get wet. And mind your step, because it’s extremely slippery. But don’t let that scare you off.

A visit to Seljalandsfoss is a cheap family-friendly activity that everyone will enjoy. There’s a parking fee of around kr 1,000 (about €7/$7.50 USD), but the waterfall itself remains free to visit.

5. Dettifoss

Dettifoss is one of the most powerful waterfalls in Europe when you combine its height and volume.

While it’s not so high, it’s almost 100 meters wide. The sound of the water thrusting down is one you’ll not soon forget.

Dettifoss sits near Mývatn in northern Iceland. You can get there via roads 862 and 864. If you don’t drive a 4×4, make sure to take the 862.

The 864 is a former F-road only suitable for 4wd vehicles. Once you’ve parked your vehicle it’s only a 500-meter walk to get to Dettifoss.

Here’s one for the kids to try: put a flat hand on the rock near the viewing platform. Dettifoss hits the canyon with so much force that the ground actually vibrates.

6. Selfoss

While you’re at Dettifoss, don’t forget to visit another waterfall: Selfoss. 400 meters from the same parking lot you make a right, and almost immediately after, you’ll see the most amazing view. 

Also about 100 meters wide, but only 10 meters high and curved like a horseshoe: Selfoss is its name.

Keep your children away from the edges. There are no fences of any kind to prevent you from dropping down. And since you’re right next to a fall, it can get very slippery.

We never felt unsafe as long as we stayed on the marked paths, and our toddler was in the back carrier, but this isn’t one where I’d let younger kids run ahead.

Both waterfalls sit within Vatnajökull National Park and are part of the Diamond Circle route.

Look closely and you’ll notice Selfoss isn’t one single sheet of falling water, it’s actually a whole row of smaller cascades lined up side by side across the rock, which is part of what gives it that horseshoe shape.

I have to admit, we liked Selfoss even more than Dettifoss. Combining them is recommended, and it doesn’t take you a lot of extra time, since they’re located close to one another.

7. Svartifoss

Svartifoss is a personal favorite of our family. This is a waterfall you can’t find directly next to a parking lot. You have to take a hike, and it’s a beautiful one.

In the Skaftafell Nature Reserve, which is part of Vatnajökull National Park, you can take multiple hikes. Pay a visit to Skaftafell’s visitor centre to find out more about all the different hikes, including the hike to Svartifoss.

If you start at the visitor centre, your hike to the fall is a 1.5 km uphill one. It takes you through a gorge where you’ll spot multiple other waterfalls first.

Svartifoss means black waterfall. This is because the water drops down past black basalt columns.

If you’re traveling with toddlers who don’t want to ride in a back carrier, please note that the uphill climb can be tough for the smaller ones. And the rocks around the fall can be slippery, so hold on to your kid when you’re climbing over them. The rocks I mean, not the kid 😉.

Here’s a fun fact: the black basalt columns at Svartifoss inspired the design of Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavik’s famous church. If you visit Reykjavik with kids, have the kids spot the resemblance.

8. Hengifoss

The third tallest waterfall in Iceland is Hengifoss, aka the hanging waterfall. It’s almost 130 meters tall with water dropping into the Hengifossárgljúfur gorge in the Fljótsdalur valley.

The hike up to Hengifoss takes about an hour. The first 40 minutes you’ll climb uphill quite gradually. After that you’ll get your first total view of the fall and you still climb a bit, but you’ll barely notice it.

While climbing over rocks in a stream coming from the waterfall we were surrounded by sheep (how did they get here?). It was such a beautiful experience.

The surroundings are amazing. Layers and layers of black basalt sandwich red clay in between. You feel so small and (honestly) quite insignificant, staring up to the waterfall and looking at basalt layers that are about 5 million years old. It’s almost unfathomable.

My teen labeled this waterfall his number one on our family’s ranking of Iceland’s best falls. The sheep had something to do with it. 

It might also be because it’s an unexpected sight to see. You park next to the road and then up a flight of stairs. Nature mixed with infrastructure. But the last 20 minutes it’s just you and this powerful waterfall. You forget that you’re right by a road.

Keep an eye out in those layers for fossilized tree trunks. They’re proof that Iceland once had forests warm enough to support trees that can’t survive here today. We thought that was fascinating.

Litlanesfoss

An honorable mention goes to Litlanesfoss. Not part of this top 10, but it deserves a mention. After about 1.2 km into your hike up to Hengifoss, you’ll spot Litlanesfoss. Walk up to the edge of the gorge to get a good look at it.

It kinda resembles Svartifoss, because basalt columns flank it in the same way. Locals also call it Stuðlabergsfoss, which means the Basalt Column Falls.

The columns here are actually some of the tallest in Iceland, reaching up to 20 meters, even taller than the ones at Svartifoss. 

Worth the extra few minutes off the main trail to get a proper look. And you’ll see it from the trail as well, so don’t sweat that you’ll miss it.

9. Skogafoss

If you’ve seen The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, you’ve seen Skogafoss.

Skogafoss sits in the south and is one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland, standing at 60 meters tall. The waterfall comes directly from 2 glaciers, Eyjafjallajokull and Myrdalsjokull.

You can check it out from the ground by admiring it while walking right up to it. Or you can take the 400+ steps up to the top, where the view at the top makes the climb worth it.

The steps are quite steep, and if you’re not a confident walker, or your kids aren’t, then I would advise you to skip the trip up to the top.

Legend has it that a Viking settler named Þrasi hid a chest of treasure behind these falls.

Locals supposedly found it generations later but could only grab the ring on its side before it disappeared again into the water. That ring is said to be on display today at the Skógar Museum, just a few minutes down the road.

10. Öxarárfoss

A waterfall in the middle of Þingvellir National Park, a short walk from a car park will lead you to it.

Öxarárfoss is one of the most popular attractions of Þingvellir (pronounced as Thingvellir), which in turn, is one of the most popular attractions of Iceland.

Along with Gullfoss waterfall and the Geyser Geothermal Area, this national park is part of the Golden Circle route. The fall sits in the ravine Almannagjá and is rather small, only about 13 meters high. Large rocks cover the base of the fall, and you can climb on them.

The trail, only 2 km long, takes you along tectonic plates, which makes it extra interesting. Even toddlers can manage this easy hike.

Standing on these grounds, you’re standing where Iceland’s parliament, the Alþing, first gathered outdoors in the year 930, making it one of the oldest parliaments in the world.

A large crowd gathered here again in 1944 to declare independence from Denmark. 

I never heard of an outdoor parliament before, so I loved this story.

Top 5 Waterfalls in Iceland

Short on time and want to prioritize? These are the 5 most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland for families, in our opinion.

• Skogafoss takes the top spot. It’s not the tallest or the most powerful, but something about its wide, unbroken curtain of water makes it the one people remember most.
• Seljalandsfoss earns its place for the walk-behind experience alone. Few waterfalls in the world let you step behind the water itself.
• Gullfoss earns its place through sheer scale. Its 2-stage drop into a deep canyon is a highlight of the Golden Circle route.
• Kirkjufellsfoss wins on scenery, not size or power. Pair it with Kirkjufell mountain in the background and you get one of the most photographed views in the country.
• Svartifoss rounds out the list for its basalt columns alone, dramatic enough to have inspired one of Reykjavik’s most famous buildings. And the hike to get there is part of why this is in the top 5.

Other Epic Waterfalls in Iceland

This list covers 10 waterfalls, 11 if you count Litlanesfoss.

But Iceland has plenty more worth a stop if you have room in your itinerary.

Here are another 7 you can add to your itinerary:

• Dynjandi
• Kvernufoss
• Aldeyjarfoss
• Glymur
• Haifoss
• Hraunfossar
• Bruarfoss

Visiting these waterfalls in Iceland with kids is a more off the beaten path experience. It’s always great to avoid the crowds, right?

Fun fact about Iceland and its waterfalls: there used to be a secret waterfall, called Gljúfrabúi (or Gljúfurárfoss), close to Seljalandsfoss.

It’s 40 meters high and partially hidden behind a large cliff. You probably shouldn’t visit this waterfall with smaller children, the path up the cliff is steep.

Locals often call this a hidden waterfall, but it’s been on many people’s radar for a while now.

It’s an Insta favorite, so it’s not so secret anymore. But because it’s not part of any tour and it takes a steep hike to get there, you most likely have it all to yourselves.

Top Waterfall Tours in Iceland

Tips for Exploring the Most Beautiful Waterfalls in Iceland

Expect to get wet in Iceland. Bring raincoats along, and if you carry a child in a back carrier, make sure you bring along the rain cover.

Oh, and when you go in winter, the waterfalls look very different. We traveled to Iceland in October once, and they looked magnificent in a very different way.

Also, check road conditions before you head out, especially outside summer. umferdin.is and safetravel.is show real-time closures, and some routes to waterfalls become impassable or 4×4-only after a storm.

Iceland’s wind is no joke near a waterfall. Gusts can knock an adult off balance, let alone a toddler. So keep a firm grip on small hands right at the edge. We especially experienced this around Dettifoss, Selfoss and Seljalandsfoss, and at the top of Skogafoss.

And keep safe. Stay on the trails, supervise your kids, and don’t climb on or around waterfalls if there are warning signs. Not only will you prevent an easy slip, but you also protect Iceland’s vulnerable environment.

How Many Waterfalls Does Iceland Have?

Nobody knows the exact number. Ask 5 different sources and you’ll get 5 different answers, but most land somewhere past 10,000.

While the exact number of waterfalls in Iceland isn’t clear, it’s an impressive amount of waterfalls for a country this size.

Only about 200 falls have an official name. The rest just exist, unnamed, unmapped, maybe some are even never visited.

Crazy when you think about it. You could visit every year for the rest of your life and still not see them all.

FAQ

Ready to Chase Iceland’s Best Waterfalls with Your Family?

Now you know the waterfalls your family shouldn’t skip. And it’s time to add your favorites to your family trip itinerary.

Are you planning on a Ring Road trip? Then you can check out all 10,  and most of the 7 bonus falls I shared, with just a few detours to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, the Westfjords and the South Iceland Highlands. 

If you’re planning on exploring the Golden Circle Route together Gullfoss and Öxarárfoss will be the ones you’ll run into. Bruarfoss is just a short detour away, between Geysir and Gullfoss.

Driving the Diamond Circle Route? Dettifoss, Selfoss and Goðafoss are stops along the route. Aldeyjarfoss can be found near Goðafoss, but it requires a 4×4 for the final stretch.

Want to see them all and more? Check out our 3-week Iceland family road trip itinerary and add them all to your bucket list.

👉 Read the 3-week Iceland Itinerary for Families

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