Photo spot in Þingvellir
Öxarárfoss
The waterfall that pours over the rift wall into a boulder pool — a short boardwalk from the gorge path, graphic basalt on both sides, and winter ice sculptures around it.
About Öxarárfoss
Get directionsÖxarárfoss is where the Öxará river tips over the edge of the Almannagjá gorge — not huge, but perfectly formed: a white ribbon dropping between dark basalt walls into a pool of rounded boulders. A boardwalk and viewing platform put you straight in front of it, a few minutes off the main gorge path.
The gorge holds the falls in shade for much of the day, which is good news: the even light lets you shoot toward the water without blown highlights, and a slower shutter turns the ribbon silky while the couple stays sharp on the platform rail. In winter the spray builds ice cascades over the boulders and the falls sometimes frame in blue-white completely — bring traction spikes for the boardwalk, which ices over.
It is the single most-visited point inside the park after the viewpoint, so the platform gets a steady rotation of visitors from mid-morning; early or late, you can have it alone for minutes at a time. The boulder field in front of the pool looks tempting for a closer stance — it is wet, rounded and genuinely slippery, and the platform frame is better anyway.
Best time to shoot
Early morning or evening; shaded even light most of the day
Tips
A slower shutter silks the water — brace on the platform rail. In winter the boardwalk ices over; traction spikes make the difference.
Recent work in Þingvellir
Portfolio shots by photographers covering this area
Photographers who shoot at Öxarárfoss
Hand-picked professionals working in Þingvellir
Real reviews from Þingvellir photoshoots
Marly G.
I have done a few photoshoots with Smári and always have had a great experience. He is a great photographer and has such a good eye for great locations for the kind of photoshoot I had in mind. I am always surprised at how good the photos…
Johann K.
Photographer
Gísli F.
I am a part of a choir in Iceland, and we played a part in a JCS (Jesus Christ Superstar) production at Harpa in Reykjavík, Iceland. I asked my friend Johann Smári to attend the dress rehearsal and feel free to take some photos. The…
Johann K.
Photographer
Other spots in Þingvellir
Almannagjá — the walk between the plates
The path through the great rift where the North American plate wall towers on one side — dark basalt, mossy ledges, and the rift valley opening below.
Þingvallakirkja and the old farmhouse gables
A small white church with a black roof and the five-gabled parliament farmhouse beside it, alone on the green floor of the rift valley — Þingvellir's quietest frame.
Peningagjá, the coin fissure under the footbridge
A crack in the lava filled with meltwater so clear it looks empty, a small footbridge across it, and a bed of coins glinting metres down.
Ready to book?
Our concierge team will hand-pick 2-3 photographers who know Öxarárfoss — free of charge.
