Gufufoss

About Gufufoss

Gufufoss is the waterfall most people meet first when they drive down into Seyðisfjörður, and it makes a good excuse to stop before the last bends to town. The Fjarðará river drops over a dark basalt ledge into a rocky bowl, throwing up the spray that gives the falls its name, which means Steam Falls in Icelandic.

The Gufufoss waterfall sits just off Route 93, about 3.5 kilometers above Seyðisfjörður, so the drive from town takes around five minutes. From Egilsstaðir, the largest town in East Iceland, allow about 25 minutes over the Fjarðarheiði mountain pass. It is one of several waterfalls on the Fjarðará as the river follows the road down from the plateau.

There is no formal parking lot, only a small pull-off beside the road, so slow down early on the descent or you will drive past it. A short walk over rough ground takes you down to the riverbank for the full view of the falls. Plan on 15 to 30 minutes here, longer if you scramble along the boulders for photos.

Summer brings the easiest conditions and the greenest slopes, while the falls are often partly frozen in winter. Fjarðarheiði climbs above 600 meters, so it can be snowy or closed in bad weather, and checking road.is before crossing is worth the minute it takes. Cruise passengers arriving in Seyðisfjörður can see Gufufoss on a four-hour shore excursion that pairs it with the Vök Baths on Lake Urriðavatn.