Gufufoss Parking and the Short, Flat Walk to the Falls

• Top choice Puffin & Gufufoss Tour from US$229 Duration5 hours^[5]Rating4.63 from 270 reviews^[5]GuideLive tour guide: English^[5]CancellationCancel up to 24 hours in advance^[5]StopsHafnarholmi, Lindarbakki, Gufu Waterfall Check availability
• Vök Baths Entry from US$61 Duration1.5 hours^[6]Rating4.69 from 386 reviews^[6]GuideHost or greeter: English, Icelandic^[6]CancellationCancel up to 24 hours in advance^[6]StopsVök Baths See this tour
• Stuðlagil Canyon Tour from US$229 Duration5 hours^[7]Rating4.46 from 336 reviews^[7]GuideLive tour guide: English^[7]CancellationCancel up to 24 hours in advance^[7]StopsStuðlagil Canyon, Gufu Waterfall See this tour

Gufufoss parking and where the falls sit

Gufufoss stands beside the mountain pass road that climbs from Egilsstaðir over the moor to Seyðisfjörður, out on the high ground of East Iceland. Most travellers meet the waterfall on that drive, either on the way down towards the fjord or on the way back up over the pass, and the parking area sits right beside the road. The water drops around 88 feet (27 meters) into a narrow, mossy gorge.^[2] Nothing about the stop is complicated. You pull in, you look, you carry on.

Because it is a roadside stop rather than a trailhead, you can visit in almost any weather and at almost any time of day. Cars come and go quickly, so you are unlikely to wait long for a space. Take a short while for photos from the car park, or a little longer if you want to stand near the base, listen to the water and watch the light move across the gorge. Moss and spray on dark rock make the scene feel older than the road running beside it.

The walk from the car park

The walk from the Gufufoss car park to the waterfall is no more than 150 meters long and takes a minute or two, being completely flat.^[1] That is the entire approach. There are no stairs to climb and no rough trail to follow, which makes this one of the gentlest waterfall stops you can make in the Eastfjords. Families with small children, travellers who use a walking stick and anyone short on time can all manage it without thinking about it.

Think of this as a gentle gufufoss hike rather than a proper trek. Grippy shoes are still worth having, because the ground can be damp and the grass slick after rain, and gravel at the verge shifts underfoot. If you would like a longer gufufoss waterfall hike, continue along the valley road after your stop and look back at the falls from further away. The gorge reads differently from a distance, and the river valley opens out behind you, so the return is never just a repeat.

The main things to watch are the traffic on the road behind you and the spray underfoot. Stay on firm ground beside the path, keep an eye on small children near the water, and the whole visit fits comfortably into a break between two longer drives.

Spray, moss and dark rock, with the pass road running right beside the falls.

What you actually see at the falls

The water comes over a rock lip in a broad curtain, breaks into spray on the way down, and gathers in a pool at the bottom of the gorge. Mossy walls rise on both sides, and the rock behind the curtain stays dark and wet, so the palette is green, grey and white rather than anything brighter. It is a compact, close-up waterfall rather than a distant one. You stand near enough to feel the cool air coming off it.

The falls change character with the weather. After heavy rain they run full and loud, throwing spray across the path and making waterproofs worthwhile. In drier spells the flow thins into separate strands and you can see more of the rock face behind. Light matters as well. A low sun catches the spray and makes the whole fall glow, while an overcast day flattens the gorge into soft greys. Either version is worth the stop.

Getting to Gufufoss from Seyðisfjörður

The mountain pass road links Egilsstaðir and Seyðisfjörður, and the waterfall sits along that route. If you are arriving by sea, the Norrona ferry, run by Smyril Line, is the ferry that docks in the small town of Seyðisfjörður.^[8] From the harbour, the road climbs up away from the fjord, and the falls are one of the landmarks on the way towards the high moor.

Driving over the pass is straightforward in good conditions, but the weather up there is its own thing. Mist, wind and sudden showers can arrive while the town below is calm, so check conditions before you set out and be ready to turn back or wait. If you are on foot or would rather not drive, shore tours from the port include the falls as one of their stops, which takes the road conditions out of your hands.

From the town the drive over the pass is a short one, and the waterfall is easy to spot once the road levels out on the high ground. Coming from Egilsstaðir you approach from the other side, and the falls appear as the road begins to drop towards the fjord. The stop works in both directions, so you can save it for the way back if the weather looks better then.

Puffins at Hafnarhólmi and the turf house

Atlantic puffins nest at Hafnarhólmi in Borgarfjörður Eystri every year from the middle of April to the beginning of August, which sets the timing for any puffin-focused day out in the northeast.^[4] The birds gather on the grassy slopes and rock ledges near the harbour, and they are used to people watching them from a respectful distance.

On the same loop, Lindarbakki is a colourful turf house in the village of Bakkagerði, and it is the kind of building that makes people stop the car.^[3] Combine it with your waterfall stop and you have a full day of Eastfjord scenery without much driving between the pieces. Back in Seyðisfjörður, Rainbow Street, lined with old historic houses, ends at the church usually called Bláa kirkjan, or the Blue Church, and visitors come year round for selfies there.^[10]

When to go and what to pack

July is a summer month in Seyðisfjörður, and average daily temperatures then range from a high of 51°F (11°C) to a low of 43°F (6°C).^[9] Mild, in other words, but not warm, and the pass is usually colder and windier than the town. Layers work better than one heavy coat. A base layer, a fleece and a windproof shell will cover most summer days, with a hat and gloves for the wind on the moor.

Rain is part of the scenery here and it is what keeps the moss green and the falls full, so do not plan around staying dry. A waterproof jacket beats an umbrella, which the wind will turn inside out. Shoes with grip handle wet grass and gravel, and a dry bag or plastic sleeve keeps your phone alive if you want to stand close to the spray.

Seeing the falls on a tour from the port

If you are arriving by ship and would rather leave the driving to someone else, the Puffin & Gufufoss Waterfall Tour from Seydisfjordur Port runs for 5 hours with a live tour guide in English and costs from US$229.^[5] The listed stops are a bus or coach ride, the Northeastern Region, Hafnarholmi, Lindarbakki and Gufu Waterfall.^[5] You can reserve now and pay later, and cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.^[5]

Other shore options from the same port include entry to the Vök Baths, which is wheelchair accessible and costs from US$61, and the Stuðlagil Canyon shore excursion, which stops at Stuðlagil Canyon and Gufu Waterfall.^[6][7] Whichever you pick, the flat walk to the falls stays the easy part of the day, so you can spend your energy on the puffins, the canyon or the hot water instead.

On a port day your hours ashore are fixed, so it is worth booking ahead and choosing a tour that fits the time you have. All of these options leave from Seyðisfjörður itself, which keeps the logistics simple and leaves the mountain road to the driver.

The stop, step by step

1. Pull in

   Leave the main road at the pull-off beside the falls and park clear of the traffic lane.

2. Walk the flat path

   From the car park the path to the falls is no more than 150 meters and takes a minute or two.^[1]

3. Stand at the base

   Get close enough to feel the spray, then look up at the curtain of water and the mossy walls.

4. Look back down the valley

   Before you leave, turn around and take in the river valley and the road climbing over the pass.

5. Drive on to the puffins

   Puffins nest at Hafnarhólmi from the middle of April to the beginning of August each year.^[4]

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