Located in Southern Iceland, the Skogafoss waterfall has been one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in all of Iceland. The name comes from ‘skogur’ meaning forest and ‘foss’ meaing falls. This waterfall is one of the biggest in the country with a width of 82 feet, and a 200-foot drop-off. Because of its broad width and large amounts of falling water, the spray from the base of the waterfall consistently creates a double or single rainbow on sunny days. This is also one of the few handful of waterfalls in the world where you can walk behind it, due to mountain formation and shifting glaciers. This humbling waterfall is quietly nestled in a town near the southern coast of Iceland in between two snow-capped mountains.
According to legend, the first viking to ever settle near Skogafoss waterfall, named Þrasi Þórólfsson, buried a treasure behind the waterfall, likely due to the fact that there’s always a treasure at the end of a rainbow. Years later locals attempted to pull the chest out of the spray of the waterfall, yet the handle of the chest broke off, dropping the chest. The treasure chest has never been found since, yet the handle was allegedly given to the local church. The ancient church door ring is now in a museum. Whether the folklore holds true is debatable, though.
The river below the falls is home to many salmon and char, a great fishing destination for many locals. This stretch of beautifully flowing water hosts one of the most alluring hiking trails in all of the world. The path follows the river upstream as it is said to have dramatically extravagant waterfalls parallel to the hiking trails. Apparently, the farther and higher you ascend up the hiking trail, the more beautiful and humbling the view becomes.
Iceland has always been an intriguing nation for me. With such a rich history, beautiful landscape, complex language, and overall peaceful economic and political procedures, this is one of the most unique countries in the world. Iceland is home to countless natural beauties as the nation takes pride in preserving the natural landscape that has taken millions of years to form. Skogafoss waterfall is only one example of the countless natural wonders the lay within the Icelandic borders.