Svartifoss

At 20 meters tall, Svartifoss, also known as Black Falls, is one of the most popular waterfalls located in Iceland’s Skaftafell National Park. This waterfall’s claim to fame is definitely the beautiful hexagonal basalt columns that surround the falls making for an otherworldly oasis in the middle of Skaftafell National Park. The unique hexagonal columns come from basaltic lava hardening over time leading to this orderly arrangement of fractures. These columns have been known to inspire Icelandic architecture.

The trail to Svartifoss begins at the parking lot of the Visitor Center and is only a 1.25 mile round trip hike. On your way to Svartifoss, you’ll pass by two other waterfalls: Hundafoss and Magnúsarfoss. During our hike, microspikes were sufficient but be sure to check the conditions as snowshoes may be needed. Follow the slowly inclining trail and you will soon see the falls about a quarter mile away from the top of the trail and get a great sense of scale. Although these falls are flowing all year long, hiking these falls in the winter time is encouraged as we had the whole place to ourselves to explore.