DettifossWaterfall Tours
Dettifoss Tours›Gallery Updated 2026-08-28

Dettifoss Gallery

Hours, prices and access verified by the Dettifoss Tours team — last checked 2026-08-28

Photographs from the canyon: Dettifoss itself, Selfoss a kilometre upstream, the national park signpost that sends you to each, and the river valley on the way in. They are captioned for what they show, because at a glance the two waterfalls are easy to confuse and most of the internet confuses them.

Dettifoss seen from above, the falls dropping the full width of the canyon with the braided glacial river below
Dettifoss seen from above, the falls dropping the full width of the canyon with the braided glacial river below
The wall of spray at Dettifoss rising above a rim of bright green moss
The wall of spray at Dettifoss rising above a rim of bright green moss
A rainbow standing in the spray at Dettifoss on a clear day
A rainbow standing in the spray at Dettifoss on a clear day
Dettifoss from the west rim in autumn, the water pouring over a long straight lip of basalt
Dettifoss from the west rim in autumn, the water pouring over a long straight lip of basalt
Dettifoss under a low arctic sun, with the mossy slope of the west rim in the foreground
Dettifoss under a low arctic sun, with the mossy slope of the west rim in the foreground
The lip of Dettifoss close up, showing how much glacial silt the water carries
The lip of Dettifoss close up, showing how much glacial silt the water carries
Selfoss under a dark sky, its many separate strands pouring off the basalt ledges
Selfoss under a dark sky, its many separate strands pouring off the basalt ledges
Selfoss spanning the canyon, with columnar basalt in the foreground
Selfoss spanning the canyon, with columnar basalt in the foreground
Selfoss from low down in the canyon, the river running away between basalt walls
Selfoss from low down in the canyon, the river running away between basalt walls
Walkers crossing the basalt pavement on the path between Dettifoss and Selfoss
Walkers crossing the basalt pavement on the path between Dettifoss and Selfoss
Selfoss with snow still lying on the canyon rim
Selfoss with snow still lying on the canyon rim
The national park signpost on the west side: Dettifoss 0.2 km one way, Selfoss 0.6 km the other
The national park signpost on the west side: Dettifoss 0.2 km one way, Selfoss 0.6 km the other
A gravel path dropping toward a braided glacial river in a shallow canyon
A gravel path dropping toward a braided glacial river in a shallow canyon

Telling the two waterfalls apart

Dettifoss is one curtain: a hundred metres of water going over a single straight lip, forty-four metres down, grey-brown with glacial silt. Selfoss is the opposite shape — ten metres high and much wider, made of many separate strands pouring off stepped ledges on both sides of the canyon. If a photograph shows a horseshoe of small falls, it is Selfoss, whatever the caption says.

Every image here was taken on the west side, which is the rim that every Dettifoss day trip from Akureyri uses. The map page shows where each viewpoint sits relative to the car parks, and what is nearby covers the rest of the canyon.

For the trips themselves, Dettifoss Tours lists every guided departure with the minutes it gives you at each waterfall.

Tours that give you time to photograph both falls