Iceland’s cinematic landscapes are the perfect backdrop for Hollywood movies and big-budget TV shows, and Háifoss has become the latest addition to a very long list of famous filming locations around the country.
This spectacular South Iceland waterfall caught the eye when the series finale of Stranger Things saw its lead character, “Eleven,” gazing happily at the cascading waters, safely far away from the terrors of Hawkins.
That scene is at the 1 hour 55 minute mark in the final episode, if you want to take a look too!
Háifoss (High Waterfall) and its twin waterfall Granni (Neighbor) both tumble from cliffs more than a hundred meters high into the stunning Þjórsárdalur valley, frequently decorated by arching rainbows.
Although it’s called the “High Waterfall”, it’s not quite the tallest cascade in Iceland. There are at least three others that fall further, including Hengifoss and Glymur.
Featuring in such a popular program has put Háifoss high on the list of places to visit in Iceland, with thousands of Google searches for its location since the Stranger Things finale.
While you might want to visit Háifoss and Granni to stand in Eleven’s footsteps, as some fans already have, getting there safely requires a 4x4 vehicle and a very bumpy drive on a gravel road up from the South Coast to the edge of the Highlands.
And although the scene suggests that there’s a small town nearby, it’s actually quite far away from any real-life settlements, and weather conditions can make it tough to reach the falls.
Don’t worry! There are many more iconic filming locations all around Iceland, and most are easily accessible in a 2WD vehicle or by booking an organized group tour.
Standing in for other countries, cities, and civilizations is nothing new for Iceland, as few other countries pack such an incredible variety of landscapes into such a small area, so close together.
Famous for its breathtaking landscapes and dramatic weather, Iceland offers black sand beaches, active volcanoes, gigantic glaciers, moss-covered lava fields, raging oceans, and towering mountains as backdrops.
Such a spectacular range of settings has attracted international movie-makers, TV directors, and music video producers for decades, knowing that Iceland can create just the mood they want.
Stranger Things is the latest big-budget production to showcase Iceland, following in the footsteps of James Bond, Batman, and characters from Game of Thrones and Star Wars, among many more.
Here’s a selection of the stunning scenes where Iceland has played a leading role before!
1: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
When the producers of the seventh Star Wars film sought locations for the ice world of Ilum, Iceland was the ideal choice. The South Coast glacier Eyjafjallajökull and the rugged volcanic landscapes of Krafla, Víti, and Lake Mývatn in North Iceland became the alien-world backdrops for the planet-sized Starkiller Base.
2: Rogue One (2016)
Iceland obviously made an excellent impression on the Star Wars production team, which returned there to film several scenes for the prequel “Rogue One.”
The opening scenes focused on the famous black sand beach at Reynisfjara and other South Coast locations, such as Hjörleifshöfði and Hafursey at Mýrdalssandur, representing Jyn’s family farm on Lah’mu and the Imperial base on Eadu.
The most easily accessible location is The Yoda Cave (Gígjagjá), just 12 km east of Vík.
You can visit this area on a South Coast tour to explore the coastline around Vík, around a three-hour drive from Reykjavík.
3: Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
The eight-season fantasy epic series “Game of Thrones” saw a surge in Icelandic tourism, as fans flocked to visit its filming locations across the country.
Scenes set “North of The Wall” with the Wildings were filmed at Svínafellsjökull and Skaftafell in Vatnajökull National Park, and Mýrdalsjökull near Vik on the South Coast.
Dimmuborgir and the Grjótagjá cave in North Iceland became famous for a steamy scene featuring Ygritte and Jon Snow.
The spectacular rift valley that dominates Þingvellir National Park (visited on Golden Circle tours) was the setting for Arya’s and Sandor Clegane’s journey, and his battle with Brienne.
The photogenic peak of Kirkjufell on Snæfellsnes and the South Coast waterfall Skógafoss also make brief appearances, alongside many other Icelandic landscapes throughout the series.
4: A View To A Kill (1985)
In Iceland’s debut as a Hollywood filming location, the makers of the 14th James Bond movie chose the Vatnajökull glacier and Jökulsárlón as the perfect place to film part of the opening scene.
You can visit the Vatnajökull National Park for glacier hikes, ice caves, and snowmobile tours.
5: Die Another Day (2002)
Seventeen years later, James Bond came back to Iceland for another spectacular chase sequence, this time battling the villains while driving his Aston Martin across the frozen glacier lagoon at Jökulsárlón.
This was one of the first times that Iceland was mentioned as a location in a major Hollywood film, rather than “pretending” to be somewhere else.
Don’t add the Ice Hotel to your list of possible accommodation options - it doesn’t actually exist!
6: Batman Begins (2005)
The stunning swordfight scene between Christian Bale and Liam Neeson was filmed on Svínafellsjökull, a glacier in South Iceland, which doubled for the snowy mountains of Bhutan in the Himalayas.
7: Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Standing in for an alien planet once again, the black sands of Reynisfjara and Vatnajökull National Park are the backdrop as McCoy and other members of the Enterprise’s crew venture into new realms.
8: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
A Hollywood film that places Iceland at its center, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” follows Ben Stiller as he travels the world, starting in Stykkishólmur on the Snæfellsnes peninsula and then Seyðisfjörður in the Eastfjords, where the iconic longboard scene was filmed.
Stykkishólmur is also used to represent Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, as is Höfn in southeast Iceland.
Skógafoss and Vatnajökull National Park were also used as locations depicting Nepal, Afghanistan, and the Himalayas.
9: Interstellar (2014)
Christopher Nolan returned to Iceland after filming “Batman Begins” there to set scenes from his sci-fi epic “Interstellar” on the Svínafellsjökull glacier around Máfabót.
Locations in southeast Iceland, close to Kirkjubæjarklaustur and the Eldhraun lava field, depict two different planets in the film.
10: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
Just to prove that Iceland isn’t always a sci-fi or action film setting, Will Ferrell’s love letter to the Eurovision Song Contest is set in Iceland’s whale watching hub, Húsavík, in North Iceland.
The Oscar-nominated theme song and entertaining storyline brought Icelandic landscapes to a new Netflix audience, with a museum dedicated to the movie keeping the story going in Húsavík.
11: Prometheus (2012)
Dettifoss is Iceland’s most powerful waterfall, more than a hundred meters wide and 45 meters high, making it an epic filming location.
Ridley Scott chose this thundering North Iceland cascade for the opening scene of “Prometheus”, part of the “Alien” cycle of films, where one of the “Engineers” sacrifices himself.
The desolate landscapes around Hekla, one of the most active volcanoes in South Iceland, were also used to depict a planet at the very beginning of its life.
12: Oblivion (2013)
Tom Cruise became the latest Hollywood hero to cross Icelandic landscapes in this 2013 sci-fi thriller, with filming at the Hrossaborg crater in Northeast Iceland, the Jarlhrettur mountains in the Highlands, and around Dettifoss.
The circular Hrossaborg crater was the perfect location for the football stadium scene, and the black sands of the Icelandic Highlands were ideal for portraying a postwar landscape.
13: Justice League (2017)
The seven-house settlement of Djúpavík in the Westfjords was chosen for a sequence for “Justice League”, where Bruce Wayne (Batman) asks Arthur Curry (Aquaman) for help.
You can only reach this former herring factory town on a gravel road when weather conditions are favorable.
14: Fast & Furious 8 (2017)
The eighth instalment of the long-running franchise included a typically incredible chase sequence, with cars and snowmobiles speeding across a frozen Lake Mývatn in north Iceland.
The villains were set to escape in a stolen Russian nuclear submarine, but were destined for destruction at the hands of Dominic Toretto and his gang.
15: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
This Angelina Jolie/computer game crossover movie was another early Hollywood film to use Iceland as a stand-in for Siberia, with scenes shot around the Glacier Lagoon (Jökulsárlón).
Travelers today can take an amphibious vehicle ride among the icebergs, just as Lara did!
16: Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Another of the almost endless series of Marvel films, “Captain America: Civil War,” features Bucky Barnes in scenes filmed around Vík on the South Coast, with Iceland once again pretending to be Siberia.
17: Thor: The Dark World (2013)
In Norse mythology, Thor (Þór) is the hammer-wielding god of thunder and lightning, so the Nordic nation of Iceland was the ideal location for filming exterior scenes.
The famous hiking area of Landmannalaugar is used for the Realm of the Dark Elves, while Dettifoss, Skógafoss, and Þingvellir National Park are also featured.
18: Noah (2014)
Iceland’s geological “newness” makes it a fantastic place to film “beginning of the world” scenes, with volcanoes and glaciers still sculpting the country’s landscapes.
Dyrhólaey, Reynisfjara, and the Reykjanes peninsula (Iceland’s newest and most active volcanic region) featured in this 2014 biblical epic starring Russell Crowe.
19: Judge Dredd (1995)
The black sands around the Öræfi region in southeast Iceland and the Reykjanes Peninsula looked suitably post-apocalyptic for the “Cursed Earth” sequences in the Sylvester Stallone version of the futuristic cop saga, “Judge Dredd”.
20: The Midnight Sky (2020)
Starring George Clooney and Felicity Jones, this 2020 film is set mainly on a glacier in South Iceland called Skálafellsjökull, part of the vast Vatnajökull ice cap, which stands in for the Arctic.
21: Tree Of Life (2011)
As Iceland is one of the youngest geological areas in the world, it was ideal for scenes depicting the Earth’s beginning in this Brad Pitt vehicle, which visits the Krafla geothermal area in Mývatn, north Iceland.
22: Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)
Jules Verne made Iceland and the Snæfellsjökull glacier and volcano famous in his 19th-century book as the entrance to the center of the Earth, and two films were made from the adventure story.
The 2008 remake wasn’t very successful, but at least some scenes were filmed in Iceland, unlike the 1958 film.
23: Flags of our Fathers (2005)
Clint Eastwood chose the black sand beaches on the Reykjanes peninsula as the setting for “Flags of our Fathers” and “Letters from Iwo Jima”, depicting the World War 2 battle there.
As well as movies, Iceland is now a popular setting for big-budget TV shows.
24: Trapped (2015)
The most popular and most expensive TV series ever made in Iceland, “Trapped” is a thrilling crime drama set in the north Iceland town of Siglufjörður, with other scenes in Seyðisfjörður and Reykjavík.
25: Fortitude (2015)
The Eastfjords town of Reyðarfjörður stands in for Svalbard in the Arctic Circle in this psychological thriller series featuring Michael Gambon and Stanley Tucci.
26: Katla (2021)
This 2021 Netflix mystery drama is set in Vík, the southernmost settlement on Iceland’s mainland. With a story focusing on one of the country’s most destructive volcanoes, the show makes the most of its dramatic black sand landscapes.
27: True Detective: Night Country (2024)
Fans of this 2024 show might have recognized the streets of Reykjavík and Akureyri as the real-life settings for Ennis, the fictional Alaskan town where Jodie Foster conducted her investigations.
Of course, there are countless more appearances by Iceland on the silver screen, including music videos by Björk, Justin Bieber, Avril Lavigne, Bon Iver, and Sigur Rós, among many others.
Whether it is frozen wastelands, alien worlds, or post-apocalyptic deserts, Iceland offers creative filmmakers locations unmatched anywhere else in the world!
