Dettifoss
The powerful Dettifoss waterfall
Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe, is found in North Iceland, in the northernmost part of the Vatnajökull National Park (the largest National Park in Iceland). It is fed by the powerful glacier river Jökulsá á Fjöllum, which flows from Vatnajökull glacier, the biggest ice cap in Europe.
The name “Dettifoss” means “The Collapsing Waterfall” and, when you stand in front of it, you can understand why. The waterfall drops down into a canyon as if it was collapsing, but despite its name, it is completely safe as long as you follow the safety precautions.
Photos don’t do it justice but the power of the water as it thunders over the falls and the mist rising from the canyon are mesmerising
There are two routes to see Dettifoss; one from the west side and one from the east. We have visited the west side as the road is better and it is open for more of the year, although I do want to go back and see Dettifoss from the east side too. You do need to take account of what time in the year you are going as the roads on both sides are closed from January to March so it’s not possible to visit at all during these winter months. However, for the rest of the year the better (paved) road on the west side is accessible and leads to a large car park (with loos) from which you can walk to see the waterfall.
If visiting the east side you have to be prepared to drive along an unpaved gravel road, eventually reaching a much smaller car park which doesn’t have any toilet facilities. This road is closed from mid-October through to the end of May so it is only accessible in the summer months.
We have visited twice so far, in mid-May and in July and the difference was incredible. When we first went in May 2021 there was still snow and ice everywhere and the walk was a little bit tricky due to it being iced over. There were also sections of the pathway around the viewing points that were closed off due to the weather.
Mid-May and there is so much ice it was impossible to get near the edge of the waterfall
In July of last year it was a very different experience; much easier access and also much much busier which was a bit of a shock. Of course, the first time we went we were still in Covid times and there were very few visitors to Iceland. Now the huge car park on the west side tends to be completely full during the summer months – I think we saw more visitors here than anywhere else in Iceland, with the exception of the Golden Circle.
Although you can’t see the whole of the drop from this side, the people on the path give an indication of the scale of this mighty waterfall
The walk from the car park to Dettifoss itself is not long, only about 800m, and when it’s not icy it is a very easy walk. There are a couple of viewing points and we tried both. The lower viewing point gets much closer to the waterfall itself and you really feel the power of Dettifoss from here as it thunders over the drop to the river below. It is quite terrifyingly powerful when seen up close. Funnily enough, we got far wetter though when we went up to the higher viewing point as, although further away from the waterfall itself, it gets all the spray from it. We got absolutely drenched when we went up to see Dettifoss from here – which only added to the fun! Apparently, the mist from the falls is visible from several miles away – which of course increases the opportunity to see rainbows in the mist if the sun is out.
Perhaps it’s not surprising that the Dettifoss mist can be seen from so far away when you consider the sheer volume of water flowing over the falls; the thunderous fall has an average water flow of 193 cubic metres per second (6,186 cubic feet). It is 100 metres (330 feet) wide and drops 45 metres (150 feet) down into the Jökulsárgljúfur Canyon. But in the summer the fall is at its mightiest, with an average water flow of 400 cubic metres per second, which is just staggering! No wonder when you get close the roar of the water is deafening. And no wonder Dettifoss gets called ´The Beast' in comparison to 'The Beauty' of Goðafoss. These two waterfalls are the mightiest in the north of Iceland and regularly are referred to as The Beauty and the Beast!
Standing near the falls - deafened by the roar!
We spent ages at the edge of Dettifoss, just mesmerised by the sheer power and the sight of this roaring torrent, but there is even more to be enjoyed in the Jökulsárgljúfur Canyon than ‘just’ Dettifoss. There are two more impressive waterfalls a little way up the canyon from Dettifoss, called Selfoss and Hafragilsfoss and they are also well worth a visit.
Although nowhere near as powerful as Dettifoss, Selfoss is just lovely and more than makes up for its lack of power by its pretty appearance. This wider, gentler waterfall is beautiful, with its numerous smaller waterfalls.. From the west side it is impossible to see the whole of it, but instead you can see several pretty falls down into the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river. If you walk along the eastern bank of the river however, you can see the full stretch of Selfoss. It is shaped like a horseshoe and the water falls gracefully in several drops along this very long edge.
The pretty Selfoss waterfall(s)
Likewise, Hafragilsfoss is apparently best seen from the east side and there is a small car park for Hafragilsfoss just a 5 minute drive north of the Dettifoss car park. Very few people go on to this one, so there will be nothing like the crowds that can gather at Dettifoss. From the car park there is a trail that in just a few minutes leads to a spectacular viewpoint over Hafragilsfoss and the Jökulsárgljúfur Canyon.
A view back along the Jökulsárgljúfur Canyon towards Dettifoss from Selfoss
Even from the west side, it was an amazing sight, but it is impossible to see it all, so a trip to the east side is a must for next summer. This whole area is amazing and we found we stayed for far longer than we had imagined we would need as there is so much more to see than just the main attraction of Dettifoss, wonderful though that is. It’s an amazing place and I can’t wait to go back.
