“The black basalt columns framing Svartifoss inspired the design of Hallgrimskirkja, the church on the Reykjavik skyline. A remote waterfall shaped the capital's look.”
About Svartifoss
The columns formed as a thick lava flow cooled slowly and cracked into regular hexagonal pillars, the same process that built the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. In the early 20th century, as Iceland searched for a national architectural style, Gudjon Samuelsson looked to natural forms like these basalt steps, carrying them into Hallgrimskirkja and other landmark buildings.
Svartifoss
Svartifoss, the 'Black Falls', is a waterfall in Skaftafell, part of Vatnajokull National Park, framed on both sides by a wall of dark, geometric basalt columns. The water drops over the edge of a cliff hung with these hexagonal pillars, and the contrast of white water against black, organ-pipe rock is the reason for the name and the fame.
Svartifoss, the 'Black Falls', is a waterfall in Skaftafell, part of Vatnajokull National Park, framed on both sides by a wall of dark, geometric basalt columns.
The Falls That Shaped a Skyline
Those basalt columns are not just a backdrop. They directly inspired some of Iceland's most important modern architecture. The architect Gudjon Samuelsson drew on the stepped columns of Svartifoss when designing Hallgrimskirkja, the great church that dominates the Reykjavik skyline, and the National Theatre. So the look of the capital traces back, in part, to this remote waterfall.
The Experience
Reaching the falls is a steady uphill walk of about forty-five minutes from the Skaftafell visitor centre, through birch woods with glacier views opening behind you. The falls themselves are modest in size but unforgettable in setting, the water spilling between the dark columns into a rocky bowl. The walk back gives the wide views over the sandur plains.
Why It Matters
Svartifoss is a rare case of a natural feature directly shaping a country's built environment. The basalt-column motif it inspired runs through Iceland's signature buildings, making this quiet waterfall a hidden source of the national style.
Svartifoss is a rare case of a natural feature directly shaping a country's built environment.
Why Visit
Worth the moderate hike for the most architecturally significant waterfall in the country and the wider Skaftafell scenery on the way. The round trip takes one to two hours.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
Allow one to two hours round trip for the uphill walk from the Skaftafell visitor centre.
- 2
Wear proper footwear; the trail is steady but rocky and can be slick.
- 3
Look back on the climb for glacier and sandur-plain views, not just the falls.
- 4
Note the basalt columns, the same form that inspired Hallgrimskirkja church in Reykjavik.
