Svartifoss black waterfall

The Svartifoss waterfall is one of the most charming and interesting waterfalls in Iceland. It is located in Iceland’s Skaftafell National Park. The waterfall gained its charm mainly due to the fact that its background is formed by basalt prisms resembling the pipes of an organ.

The waterfall is 20 meters high, which is not too high for Icelandic giants. Some of Iceland’s waterfalls reach a height of one hundred meters or more. But that doesn’t take anything away from its beauty. It is located in a rather inconspicuous landscape. It stands out all the better in it.

The basalt walls around the waterfall drew the attention of a number of Icelandic architects, who used them as inspiration for buildings such as the Hallgrimskirkja church and the ceiling of Iceland’s National Theater Harpa.

Sometimes this natural phenomenon is also called the Black Waterfall. This is because there was originally a crater here. Subsequently, water began to flow down its basalt wall, which today forms this waterfall. An interesting backdrop to the waterfall is a wall formed by a number of hexagonal basalt prisms. Together, they create an interesting image of an organ that even closes upwards. Their black coloring indicates at first glance that they are basalt.

It is interesting that Icelandic architects were inspired here when building the Harpa National Theater in Reykjavík. The waterfall is formed by the river Stórilækur, which falls here from a height of 20 meters. A hiking trail leads to the waterfall from the large campsite and parking lot. The route to it is about 2 kilometers long and along the way you will see at least two other waterfalls (Magnúsarfoss and Hundafoss).