Skógafoss
South Coast · Waterfall
Stand before a broad waterfall below the old coastal cliffs, then climb the stairs for a different view if conditions allow.
- 50 min visit
- 28 km from Vík as the crow flies
The treasure that kept its secret
Beneath Skógafoss, folklore hides Þrasi’s golden chest—and tells of the ring that was all anyone recovered.
According to folklore, the settler Þrasi concealed a chest of treasure beneath Skógafoss. In one telling, three men tried to retrieve it around 1600. They caught a ring on the chest and pulled, only for the ring to break away and the treasure to remain behind the falling water.
The story connects that ring with the church at Skógar; Skógasafn presents the associated artifact and its tradition. From the waterfall viewpoint, it is easy to see why the hidden space behind a curtain of water would invite such a tale. Enjoy the legend from the visitor paths: it is folklore, not evidence that a recoverable chest is waiting beneath the falls.
Sources: ust.is, skogasafn.is
A waterfall fit for dragons
Skógafoss became a dragon landing place in Game of Thrones. The waterfall supplies the drama long before any visual effects.
In season eight of Game of Thrones, Jon Snow and Daenerys arrive on dragonback at a landscape filmed at Skógafoss. The characters and dragons belong to the series’ fictional world; this broad curtain of water is the South Coast landmark beneath the old sea cliffs.
For a different way to look at the falls, spend a moment imagining a frame around the water, rock and spray. Then widen your view to the surrounding landscape. A film turns a place into one carefully chosen image; a visit lets you notice everything that continues beyond its edges.
