The best waterfalls in Eastern Region

We want to share a lesser-known spot in Iceland with you—Svartifoss, the Black Waterfall! This place is absolutely breathtaking.

Location: Svartifoss is located in Vatnajökull National Park in southern Iceland. Although it’s not as famous as the Golden Circle attractions, its beauty is every bit as impressive.

What makes it special: The waterfall is famous for the striking basalt columns that surround it, which look like a masterpiece sculpted by nature. Water cascades down from the towering black basalt formations, creating a dramatic contrast between the white water and dark rocks. The view is simply stunning.

I'd been looking forward to most: hiking to Hengifoss, then heading out at 9pm to see puffins at Borgarfjarðarhöfn. The weather cooperated — blue sky, scattered clouds.

Hengifoss doesn't have the name recognition of Iceland's headline waterfalls, but it was the one I wanted to see most, because of a single photo angle I'd stumbled across on Instagram — a shot looking down over the falls from above. I got obsessed with finding that exact rock. I went through every geotagged photo on Google Maps I could find, then cross-referenced them against satellite imagery to pin down the rock's coordinates. I searched hiking blogs and trip reports and found only two relevant posts, both on Reddit. Where does the route up start? Where does the path go? I studied aerial imagery for hours before picking an entry point — most of my "research" came from staring at satellite photos rather than reading anyone else's guide, because almost no one seems to have gone up that way.

I love hiking, even though I don't get to do it often. But my experience with wild, remote destinations is: if you don't hike, you miss the best views — and the best views are almost always from the top.

Before I left Uganda, I made sure to go see Sipi Falls. I'm glad I did — it's one of those places that's easy to put off and then regret not making time for.

Sipi Falls is one of the well-known attractions in eastern Uganda, often called the country's "most romantic waterfall." It sits on the north-western slopes of Mount Elgon and is actually made up of three separate falls, not one. The water doesn't just stop in the valley below — it flows into Lake Kyoga, then joins Lake Victoria, eventually becoming part of the White Nile.

Where the name comes from