Snapshot: Drinking in the beauty of the Svartifoss Falls

It makes a mesmerizing sight, a silver stream cascading down an imposing wall of dark columns. The Svartifoss, or the Black Falls, is named after the dark lava hexagonal basalt columns that it’s surrounded by and is tucked away at the Skaftafell National Park in Iceland.

Most visitors take a leisure hike to the waterfalls from the visitor information center 1.5km away.  You’ve got to work a little to witness all that beauty- the climb there is on an incline, but that means the hike back is a piece of cake. The Svartifoss’s basalt columns isn’t the first of its kind, there’s also the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland and the Devil’s Tower in the United States but it’s definitely one of the most popular. The charm of this Black Falls lies in its location and that stately waterfall.

The falls is surrounded by gorgeous landscape- enveloped by mossy hills with a glacier and around four other waterfalls.  The falls itself is almost 20 meters, with the water descending into an amphitheater-like pool made of geometrical basalt columns. It has been said that the beauty of the falls is so great that it inspired Icelandic architecture. The architectural style of the famous Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavík was said to be inspired by the Svartifoss.

Tip: there are more than one hiking trails in the Skaftafell area, so if you’re looking to embark on one than one hike, you can buy a map at the visitor center. You can check out more hiking trails at the  Vatnajokulsthjodgardur national park website.