Kvernufoss Waterfall - the less visited Neighbour of Skógafoss in South-Iceland

Kvernufoss waterfall is a beautiful 30-meter high (98 ft) waterfall that is half-hidden away in a gorge in South Iceland, yet very close to the ring-road.

It is located on the east side of the popular Skógafoss waterfall and used to be overlooked by travellers. 

I first visited it back in 2010 but had often ogled it from the ring road when driving east after visiting Skógafoss waterfall.

Kvernufoss Waterfall 

I decided to write a travel-blog about my visit to Kvernufoss to see if it would catch on, and it sure did :) I have been writing travel-blogs for 12 years now for Guide to Iceland and wrote this travel-blog many years ago, thus the quality of the photos and video

I will go back soon to take better photos. 

It is possible to hike into the gorge to visit Kvernufoss, and the hike takes only some 20 minutes by the river. It is an easy hike and only in a couple of places, one has to climb up rocks while looking down into the gorge.

There used to be some loose gravel in some places, but in 2022 a new path was laid to Kvernufoss, due to increased traffic into the gorge. 

Steps/stiles leading over the fence. It was so dark during our November visit, hence the quality of this photo

The hike starts from behind Skógasafn museum and in one location you step on stiles to pass a fence. Not far from the fence, the hike leads us into a gorge, Kvernugil, by a lovely river, Kverna or Kvernuhólsá river, which runs from Skógaheiði heath.

See also:

Skógasafn Museum - An Excellent Regional Museum & Turf House in South Iceland

Note that the river is called Kverna and not Kverná, but Kverná river is located in Grundarfjörður on the Snæfellsnes peninsula and the waterfall in that river is called Kvernárfoss. 

This is Kvernárfoss waterfall in Grundarfjörður on the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland

In that gorge, you will find the largest concert hall of the Elves in Iceland. I have noticed some confusion regarding these two rivers, which almost have the same name.

It is not possible to visit Kvernárgil gorge, but you can stand on top of the gorge and have a look into it from the other side.

See also:

The Concert Hall of the Elves on the Snæfellsnes peninsula

Kvernufoss waterfall

Now, back to Kvernufoss waterfall in South Iceland:

You cannot see the Kvernufoss waterfall unless you stand right by the river and look into the gorge, that is why it was overlooked by so many.  

You can see it from the ring-road though, but most people didn't notice it, until all of a sudden it became very popular.

It is possible to walk behind Kvernufoss in the summertime and standing behind it you will feel how powerful the waterfall is, even though it doesn't look big when you see it drawing closer during your hike.
I took a short video of Kvernufoss with a small camera back in 2013, during a winter visit:

Standing behind the waterfall, you will get a unique perspective of the gorge. I have seen some amazing photos that people have taken from that angle.

I love walking behind waterfalls, it is so mystical somehow. Bring a raincoat as there is a lot of drizzle coming from the waterfall.

30 km west of Kvernufoss you will find the most popular of the waterfalls, which you can walk behind, Seljalandsfoss waterfall. 

Seljalandsfoss in the summertime

Seljalandsfoss is much bigger than Kvernufoss and you can walk behind it in the summertime.

See also:

The beautiful Waterfalls of South Iceland; Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss & Gljúfrabúi

Seljalandsfoss is so popular that you will find crowds by it, whereas Kvernufoss used to be less visited.

Behind Kvernufoss waterfall

I also want to show you what the Kvernufoss waterfall looks like in the wintertime. I usually only travel in South Iceland in the summertime, but I was once guiding friends of mine in November on the south coast heading towards Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon. 

We made the usual stop by my favourite childhood waterfall, Skógafoss, and then headed into the gorge to have a look at Kvernufoss. 

See also:

A Winter Visit to the South Coast of Iceland - all the way to Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon

Icelandic horses by Kvernufoss

Horses, in their winter outfit, were grazing in the golden winter sun while we were hiking to the waterfall, which made it much more magical.

It was very cold, windy, and icy, so the hike took longer than usual as we did not want to slide into the river. There was a strong icy flurry, which at one point almost blew me into the gorge. 

It is not possible to walk behind this waterfall in the wintertime when there is ice and snow as it is way too slippery - plus a great risk of icicles falling on one's head!

We saw several icicles falling from the cliffs during our visit.  

It was -10 degrees C plus wind, and I was all red in the face, as my cheeks were frozen

My friend and I sat down in front of Kvernufoss and admired it. We are both crazy about waterfalls and are in 7th heaven when we see "new" waterfalls.  We can just sit by them for the longest time in awe. 

It was her first time by the waterfall and we sat there alone totally mesmerized by it. Yet we were so close to hundreds of travellers visiting Skógafoss.

It was calm at the end of the gorge, but all of a sudden Kvernufoss changed and became triple in size, scaring us so we jumped up and ran away.  

Kvernufoss waterfall doubled in size so we ran away

There must have been a sudden swirl-wind that changed the appearance of Kvernufoss making it look huge!  We did not want to get wet in such cold weather, so this was the end of our visit on this frosty November day.

This is a lovely area to visit, do pay Skógar museum and Skógafoss waterfall a visit as well. Here you will also find restaurants and lodging.

I have stayed several times at the Hotel Edda at Skógar and also at Hotel Skógar, about which I have written another travel-blog.

You can find a selection of the best hotels and accommodations here:

Hotels and accommodation in South Iceland

The beautiful Skógafoss and the troll

To reach this area on your own you can rent a car in Reykjavík and drive there in a couple of hours. There are many beautiful sights on the way.

Skógasafn Museum is approximately 148 km southeast of Reykjavík, accessible by following ring-road 1 south, then driving up a road named Skógar. Turn right for Skógasafn Museum and you will find the beginning of the hike to Kvernufoss behind the museum.

Here you can see the location of Kvernufoss on the map - GPS: 63° 31'44"N, 19° 28'53W.