Five days before our trip, I was scrolling through my Iceland-heavy Instagram feed and found a waterfall I’ve never seen before, posted by a photographer, @photos_by_mabu. After messaging the photographer, he generously shared with me the location of the waterfall–a stone’s throw away from the famous Skógafoss.

But how could that be?! With two trips to South Iceland under our belts and dozens of searches, we had missed this gem all together. Thankfully, the photographer gave me directions to this hidden beauty, Kvernufoss. It definitely made my top 3 Icelandic waterfalls list….maybe even my #1!

Ali’s vote is in though, ““The most beautiful waterfall of my life.”

If you’ve visited Skógafoss, you’ve shared your experience with hundreds of tourists. But just a mile east, at Kvernufoss Waterfall, we only saw about five people! And for the rest, we’ll just let the photos take you there.

How to get to Kvernufoss Waterfall:

Just a mile east of Skógafoss is the Skogar Museum. Park here (perhaps even towards the back of the lot to be out of the way for museum visitors). Walk behind the museum, traveling east through a small field, full of tall grass and decrepit farming equipment. A small ladder leads hikers over a fence. From parking lot to this ladder is only a few minutes. From here, keep following the path about 10-15 minutes. You won’t miss her.