Dettifoss Falls

Visitors watching the torrential Dettifoss Falls as it crashes over the Angel Falls canyon side, Jökulsárgljúfur National Park, Iceland
Visitors watching the torrential Dettifoss Falls as it crashes over the Angel Falls canyon side, Jökulsárgljúfur National Park, Iceland

NEED TO KNOW

LOCATION Dettifoss Falls lies in Jökulsárgljúfur National Park in northeast Iceland, near to Mývatn Lake

MAXIMUM HEIGHT 144 ft (44 m)

DAYTIME TEMPERATURES

Jan: 28°F (-2°C); Apr: 32°F (0°C); Jul: 46°F (8°C); Oct: 37°F (3°C)

Situated in a remote area of northeast Iceland, almost 200 miles (320 km) from Reykjavík, Dettifoss Falls is nature at its wildest and most elemental. A great sheet of foaming water plummets dramatically into an enormous canyon, surrounded by a volcanic landscape of bleak basalt plains, where eruptions continued until as recently as 1984.

This majestic waterfall sits on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river, which is fed by water from Iceland’s largest glacier, the Vatnajökull icefield, and boasts a staggering average flow of 7,060 cubic ft (200 cubic m) per second, making it the most powerful river in Europe.

Practical Information

Getting There Fly to Reykjavík, then take a bus or internal flight to Akureyri (there are also occasional direct international flights to Akureyri). Travel by bus or car from here to Mývatn, and then on to Dettifoss by car.

When to Go Visit between May and August. Temperatures can be bone- crunchingly cold during the rest of the year.

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