Skogafoss (Skógafoss) Waterfall
Skogafoss (Skógafoss) Waterfall
Skogafoss, 60m high and 25m wide, is the most impressive waterfall on the south coast and forms a splendid shimmering curtain of water.
The river Skoga is not glacially fed and usually runs clear but following the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajokull, ash washed down in the river sometimes makes the water look grey.
The soft palagonite rock surrounding the waterfall has been eroded into intricate cliff formations while the grassy slopes are extraordinarily green in summer.
During the Ice Age, when sea levels were higher due to the weight of the ice on the land, these were sea cliffs and the foot of the waterfall was the seabed.
From the car park, you can approach the foot of the waterfall and hear and feel how powerful it is.
Sheets of spray are likely to soak those who go too close but with the right clothing, this is all part of the fun!
If you're feeling energetic, you can climb the 370 steps up to the top of the waterfall. The path continues following the Skoga upstream past many other waterfalls, each seemingly more spectacular than the last. (Please note that the staircase is currently closed for maintenance - 19th January 2017).
According to an ancient legend, the first settler in the Skogar area buried his treasure chest behind the waterfall.
The legend led people to try to retrieve the chest. Apparently, someone managed to hook the chest's metal handle but as the wood had perished the ring broke off, leaving the treasure chest behind.
The ring is now on show at the Skógar museum and the treasure - well it must still be there!
Skogarfoss is a very popular site so you'll be sharing it with a number of other admirers. But there is another secret waterfall not far away.
From the Skogar Folk Museum follow a footpath east over a fence for about 15 minutes until you meet a river.
Follow it upstream for a short way and you will come to another waterfall and with luck, you may have it all to yourself.