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Overview

There are plenty of reasons why Kirkjufellsfoss is a photographers dream location to visit and capture moments from. Located near the town of Grundarfjörður on the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland, this waterfall has an amazing backdrop whichever way you look at it and is very easy to get to. During the winter, this attraction draws many travelers chasing the northern lights to get a glowing shot of the legendary Kirkjufell.

Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss

Quick Facts

Time Spent1 hour
Best Time to Visit?Early Morning or Sunset
Bathroom Available?No
Cost for EntryFree
Worth It?Must Go
Seasonal?Year-Round

Attraction Tips

When putting in directions, set destination to Kirkjufellsfoss

Make sure to set your directions to take you to Kirkjufellsfoss. If you put in Kirkjufell, it will lead you down a road that dead ends at a private road, which doesn’t offer great views. When you arrive at Kirkjufellsfoss, we also recommend parking at the second parking lot across the bridge closer to the beach.

Walk down the path on the other side of the waterfall

To get the best pictures of both the Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss, walk down the path that looks back up to the waterfall and mountain.

Visit First Thing in the Morning or at Sunset

Since this is a very popular attraction, there are swarms of people that visit. In order to avoid people from getting in your pictures, you’ll want to arrive at a time with low visitor traffic. The best times for this are early in the morning or towards the end of the day at sunset. Separately, if you visit on a clear night during peak northern lights season, you’ll have an unforgettable experience. 

How to Get There & Parking

Address:

Kirkjufellsfoss
WMGQ+FC
Grundarfjörður, Iceland
 

Parking: Free

Parking is a bit tough, since this is a very popular attraction, and there are two parking lots. We would recommend parking beyond the bridge in the second lot closer to the beach so you can do a full walking loop around the waterfall.

Attraction Details

When making your way here, make sure to input Kirkjufellsfoss into Google Maps – not Kirkjufell. We made this mistake initially and it will take you to the wrong area. There will be plenty of cars, and there aren’t too many places to park, so our recommendation is to pull in just beyond the bridge and walk the long way around the lake. It offers a beautiful view of the mountains toward the south and also offers an incredible mirror image of the mountain over the lake.

We stayed 45 min to walk around, take pictures and really admire the waterfall. To get the best pictures, walk down the path on the right side of the waterfall as you are looking at the mountain, as this offers a view that gets both Kirkjufell mountain and Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall in the same shot.

Afterwards, we kept walking around the lake, down the left side of the waterfall and did a full loop before walking along the road to get back to our parking spot. 

It’s worth noting that you can’t actually climb up Kirkjufell mountain, since there is a private road that blocks you from getting too close. Your best bet is to just visit the waterfall and soak it all in.

During the winter months, this is a popular spot for northern lights photos. Be sure to bring a tripod for maximum exposure!

Attraction Details

When making your way here, make sure to input Kirkjufellsfoss into Google Maps – not Kirkjufell. We made this mistake initially and it will take you to the wrong area. There will be plenty of cars, and there aren’t too many places to park, so our recommendation is to pull in just beyond the bridge and walk the long way around the lake. It offers a beautiful view of the mountains toward the south and also offers an incredible mirror image of the mountain over the lake.

We stayed 45 min to walk around, take pictures and really admire the waterfall. To get the best pictures, walk down the path on the right side of the waterfall as you are looking at the mountain, as this offers a view that gets both Kirkjufell mountain and Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall in the same shot.

Afterwards, we kept walking around the lake, down the left side of the waterfall and did a full loop before walking along the road to get back to our parking spot. 

It’s worth noting that you can’t actually climb up Kirkjufell mountain, since there is a private road that blocks you from getting too close. Your best bet is to just visit the waterfall and soak it all in.

During the winter months, this is a popular spot for northern lights photos. Be sure to bring a tripod for maximum exposure!

Featured Images

Kirkjufellsfoss
Kirkjufell Mirror
Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss
Kirkjufellfoss Mountain
Kirkjufellfoss View
Kirkjufell Rainbow

Featured Videos

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Kirkjufell & Kirkjufellsfoss are featured in the following itineraries:

Kirkjufellsfoss

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