Skógafoss, the waterfall of the dragon arrival

Skógafoss is the second great waterfall on the south coast, about 30 km after Seljalandsfoss and right by Route 1. The water falls in a wide, straight curtain onto a gravel plain, and a staircase beside the drop climbs to the upper edge. It is a filming location: the South Iceland tourist office says it appears in the eighth season of Game of Thrones, when Jon and Daenerys arrive on dragonback.

What to see

Below, you walk across the plain as close as the spray lets you. Above, a viewpoint looks out over the drop and from it the trail to Fimmvörðuháls begins, following the river past one waterfall after another. A short out-and-back is enough to see another drop or two and leave the crowds behind; the full trail is already a mountain crossing.

There is nothing left from the filming: it is the same waterfall that appears on screen, with no sign or plaque.

How to visit

You park beside the waterfall; at many stops on this coast parking is paid. The short visit, below and above, takes an hour. The staircase is long and steep; with small children stay below, which is where it looks best.

Tour buses from Reykjavík arrive by mid-morning. In summer, with light almost all night, at eight in the evening it is peaceful.

Nearby, more locations

The south coast has other places from the series given by the tourist office: the beach at Reynisfjara, by Vík, which was Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, and the Mýrdalsjökull glacier, the icy landscape north of the Wall, whose Sólheimajökull tongue you can see a few minutes from the road.