Route km 128 South Coast
Seljalandsfoss — Walking Behind Iceland's South Coast Waterfall
A 60-metre waterfall you can walk fully behind — the single most photographed stop on the South Coast, and the one where dry clothes matter more than anywhere else on the loop.
- Minimum stop
- 30–45 minutes
- Route 1 access
- Short signed turn-off
- Nearest fuel
- Hvolsvöllur
- Bring
- Rain jacket, grip shoes
Stop logic / 01
Why the path behind it is the point
Most Icelandic waterfalls are viewed from in front. Seljalandsfoss drops from a 60-metre cliff with enough clearance behind the curtain of water that a path circles fully around it — you end up looking out through falling water rather than at it, which is the reason this specific stop outranks several taller falls on the loop.
You will get wet
Spray carries well past the waterfall itself, especially in wind. A proper rain jacket with a hood beats an umbrella, and shoes with real tread matter — the path is uneven rock, often slick, not a paved walkway.
Nearby / 02
Gljúfrabúi, a few hundred metres north
A second waterfall, nicknamed the "secret waterfall," sits hidden inside a narrow rock canyon a short walk from Seljalandsfoss. Walking behind Seljalandsfoss in an anticlockwise direction and continuing along the trail brings you to a stream and a gap in the rock face — Gljúfrabúi is visible through it. Stepping fully inside the canyon means standing in shallow water, so a dry change of shoes or socks is worth carrying if you plan to go all the way in rather than just look through the gap.
Timing / 03
Where it sits in a South Coast day
Seljalandsfoss is usually the first major stop out of Reykjavík on the way south, roughly two hours' drive with the Golden Circle skipped, or added onto the end of a Golden Circle day. It gets crowded from mid-morning through late afternoon in summer — an early departure from Reykjavík buys a noticeably quieter path behind the falls.
Keep moving / 04