Waterfall · North Iceland

Dettifoss

The most powerful waterfall in Europe by volume. The east and west access roads have very different surfaces and seasons.

prices and departures checked 24 Oct 2026

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The short version

  • 34 tours in our catalogue stop at Dettifoss — 21 of them day tours from a single base, 13 as part of a longer package.
  • A seat on a day tour here typically costs €285, from €183 at the cheapest. Private tours are priced per vehicle and sit outside that figure.
  • 11 different operators run here, so a cancellation rarely means the day is lost.
  • Departures in our next 360 days fall in October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September.
  • Seasonal here: Midnight sun (May–July), Lupine in bloom (June–July).

The facts

Type
Waterfall
Region
North Iceland
Tours that stop here
3421 day tours · 13 multi-day
Day tour, cheapest
€183
Day tour, typical
€285median of 15 per-person fares
Operators
11
From Reykjavík
320 km (200 mi)straight line — the road is longer
Coordinates
65.8147, -16.3846

Daylight through the year

Iceland's daylight swings further than almost anywhere people holiday, and it decides what a tour can actually show you. Times are for the 15th of each month at this spot.

MonthSunriseSunsetDaylight
January10:5815:304 h 32 min
March07:2919:0111 h 32 min
June01:2600:4523 h 19 min
September06:2219:3913 h 17 min
December11:2614:353 h 9 min

What is seasonal here

None of these have fixed dates, so each one says what its real dates depend on.

Midnight sun

May–July

True midnight sun only above the Arctic Circle — Grímsey. The mainland gets civil twilight all night, which looks much the same.

Lupine in bloom

June–July

Introduced, controversial and impossible to miss when it flowers. Peaks a fortnight later in the north than the south.

What people do here

Getting here without a car

The 21 tours we sell that stop at Dettifoss leave from Akureyri, Húsavík and Reykjavík. Akureyri, where most of them start, is about 5 h 35 min from Reykjavík by road.

17 of the 21 collect you from your accommodation or a designated stop, so the tour is the transport — there is nothing else to arrange and no timetable to read.

A seat on a day tour here starts at €183 and typically runs €285, per person, private charters excluded because those are priced per vehicle and would flatter the figure. There is no scheduled bus we can sell you to Dettifoss, so a guided day is the practical way in without a car.

The days themselves run from about 5 h 30 min to 10 h door to door, so check the length as carefully as the price — the cheapest seat is often the longest coach day. 8 different operators run here, which matters more without a car than with one: if the weather cancels your day, there is usually another departure rather than a lost trip.

Being driven is the easy answer here: enough operators run it that a cancellation rarely loses you the day, and you get to look out of the window instead of at the road.

Cheapest way in without a car: a guided day tour from Akureyri, from €183 per person.

We have done the sums on this properly: why we tell people to skip the rental car in winter.

Tours that stop at Dettifoss

Taken from each operator's own itinerary, not from marketing copy — these are tours whose agenda names Dettifoss as a stop.

The Traveling Viking

The Diamond Circle

from €293 per person5.0· 19 Google reviews of the operator

106% above the €142 typical for sightseeing day tours

Moderate · pickup included

8 h · from Reykjavík

  • Wi-fi on board
  • Family friendly
  • Free cancellation until departure

The Diamond circle

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Imagine Iceland Travel

Diamond Circle Day Tour from Akureyri or Lake Myvatn

from €285 per person4.70· 59 Google reviews of the operator

pickup included

9 h · from Akureyri

  • Book the night before

Discover the Natural Wonders of Diamond Circle, Lake Myvatn, the amazing Dettifoss Waterfall in Vatnajokull National Park, Jokulsargljufur Canyon, Hljodaklettar Echo Cliffs, Asbyrgi Canyon, Tjornes Cliffs, Husavik & GeoSea optional add on

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Fox Adventure ehf

Adventure! Diamond Circle Tour!

from €293 per person5.0· 20 Google reviews of the operator

106% above the €142 typical for sightseeing day tours

Moderate · from age 6 · pickup included

10 h · from Akureyri

  • Wi-fi on board
  • Family friendly
  • Free cancellation 24 h

The Diamond Circle is a magnificent circuit of 250km in North Iceland, which includes some of the most stunning sights and spots for unearthly landscapes.

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The Traveling Viking

Lake Myvatn & Dettifoss

from €242 per person5.0· 19 Google reviews of the operator

70% above the €142 typical for sightseeing day tours

pickup included

8 h · from Akureyri

  • Family friendly
  • Free cancellation until departure
  • Book the night before

A tour for all seasons to the most powerful waterfall in Europe. Feel the ground shake beneath your feet, and the mist in your face as you stand near this fall. The tour also takes you to the magnificent Lake Myvatn area.

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Showing 12 of 34. Browse everything or build a day around it.

Who runs them

11 operators, all of whom we hold a contract with. We do not list every company in Iceland, on purpose.

Arctic Adventures · Arctic Yeti Ehf · BusTravel Iceland · Fox Adventure ehf · Imagine Iceland Travel · Nordur Travel Services ehf · Star Travel · Sýsli - Ferðir og ökukennsla ehf · The Traveling Viking · Viking Women · Your Friend in Reykjavik

Dettifoss: questions people ask

How many tours go to Dettifoss?

We list 34 — 21 day tours and 13 multi-day packages, from 11 operators. That is what we currently have contracts for, not everything that exists in Iceland.

How much does it cost to visit Dettifoss?

The place itself is usually free to enter; what you pay for is getting there. A day tour seat runs from €183, with a typical price of €285. Some sites charge separately for parking or admission — check the individual tour.

When can you visit Dettifoss?

Looking at the next 360 days of live availability, departures fall in October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September. That is a rolling window rather than the full year, so a month missing here is not necessarily a month with nothing running.

How much daylight is there at Dettifoss?

January: 4 h 32 min · March: 11 h 32 min · June: 23 h 19 min · September: 13 h 17 min · December: 3 h 9 min. Iceland stays on UTC all year, so there is no clock change to allow for.

Do you need a tour, or can you drive to Dettifoss yourself?

Both work. Driving gives you the stops you want and the time you want them; a tour removes the winter road decisions and lets everyone look out of the window. We sell the tours and say so — if self-driving suits you better, it suits you better.

Can you get to Dettifoss without a car?

Yes — 21 guided day tours in our catalogue stop here. 17 of the tours pick you up from your accommodation, so no onward transport is needed.

How far is Dettifoss from Reykjavík?

The tours that go here mostly start in Akureyri, about 5 h 35 min from Reykjavík on roads that stay open all year. That is driving time in normal conditions and not an estimate of your day — a tour that reaches Dettifoss and comes back is a good deal longer than twice that.

What is the cheapest way to get to Dettifoss?

A guided day tour from Akureyri, from €183 per person, with €285 the more typical fare. Private tours cost more because they are priced per vehicle rather than per seat.

Hotels

Where to stay near Dettifoss

From the cheapest to the top end of what is near Dettifoss, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site.

All hotels in North Iceland →

Put it in a day

Dettifoss is rarely a whole day on its own. The planner knows how long each tour takes and how far apart the start points are, so it can build the rest of the day around it.

Plan a day around Dettifoss