Top 10 Waterfalls in Norway
Norway's waterfall landscape is a direct product of fjord topography. The same Ice Age glaciers that carved thousand-metre walls from coastal mountains left plateaus above and ocean inlets below, creating natural water slides of extreme height. The country holds six of the world's twenty tallest waterfalls by height, and its fjord-facing falls produce some of the most dramatic cascade scenery on earth. All ten are on the map.
1. Vinnufossen, Møre og Romsdal
Vinnufossen on the Vinnu River above Sunndalsfjord is Norway's tallest waterfall and one of the tallest in the world, dropping 860 metres from the Vinnufjellet plateau to the valley below. Best viewed from the valley road (E69) across the fjord. Flow is seasonal (snowmelt, May to August) and strongest in late June. There is no trail to the base; the falls are admired from distance. Type: plunge.
2. Mongefossen, Møre og Romsdal
Mongefossen on the Monge River above Monge in Romsdal drops 773 metres in a series of stages, making it Norway's second-tallest waterfall. Visible from the Rauma railway line (the Flåm-type scenic route between Åndalsnes and Dombås), which passes directly across the valley. Best flow: June to July. Type: tiered plunge. No access to base.
3. Mardalsfossen, Møre og Romsdal
Mardalsfossen above Eikesdalsvatnet lake drops 297 metres in a single free-fall — one of Europe's longest individual steps — with a total height of 701 metres. The Eikesdal valley road brings visitors to a viewpoint above the lake; a steep unmarked path to the viewpoint above the upper fall gives the best perspective. The falls are regulated by a dam and released for full flow in summer only (late June to August by local management agreement). Type: plunge.
4. Vøringsfossen, Vestland
Vøringsfossen on the Bjoreia River in Hardangervidda is Norway's most famous waterfall by visitor numbers, dropping 182 metres off the plateau edge into the Måbødalen valley below. A new viewing bridge (opened 2020) hangs directly above the main plunge point. Road access on the old mountain road between Eidfjord and the plateau (seasonal). Year-round flow from the Hardangervidda plateau, strongest in spring. Type: plunge.
5. Seven Sisters, Møre og Romsdal
De Syv Søstrene (Seven Sisters) on the wall of Geirangerfjord opposite the Suitor fall is a cluster of seven individual streams descending parallel tracks down the cliff face. The combined drop is approximately 250 metres. The falls are best viewed from the cruise ships and ferries that operate on Geirangerfjord (UNESCO World Heritage Site) from May to September. No trail access to the base. Best flow: June to July. Type: plunge (multiple parallel streams).
6. Steindalsfossen, Vestland
Steindalsfossen in Hardanger near Norheimsund is one of Norway's most accessible walk-behind waterfalls, dropping 50 metres over a smooth rock face that curves outward above, creating a natural cave behind the curtain. A short 15-minute walk from the car park leads to the walk-behind path. Year-round flow from Steindalselvi. Type: horsetail.
7. Låtefossen, Vestland
Låtefossen near Odda in Hardanger is a twin waterfall where two streams merge just before the lip and fall together approximately 165 metres, landing beside a stone road bridge. The bridge itself — now pedestrian only — sits directly beside the impact zone and is one of the most dramatic roadside waterfall viewpoints in Norway. Year-round flow; strongest in June. Type: twin plunge.
8. Kjosfossen, Vestland
Kjosfossen is a railway waterfall: a 225-metre plunge on the Kjosselvi visible from the Flåm Railway (Flåmsbana) trains, which stop at Kjosfossen station specifically for photographs. The falls are framed by the railway cutting and the surrounding birch forest. A short walk from the platform to the viewing point. Year-round flow; most impressive in May to July. Type: plunge.
9. Tvindefossen, Vestland
Tvindefossen (also Tvinnefossen) near Voss in Vestland drops 152 metres in a broad bridal-veil fan spread across a wide cliff face — the water dispersing as it falls to cover 60 metres of width at the base. Access from the main car park on the E16 between Voss and Gudvangen is a 10-minute flat walk. Year-round flow. Type: fan/horsetail.
10. Sørfossen, Nordland
Sørfossen on Svartisen near Melfjordbotn in Nordland flows from the Svartisen glacier, giving it sustained high flow even in dry summer conditions when other falls reduce. The falls drop approximately 300 metres from the glacier tongue. Access by boat across Svartisvatnet lake and then a 3-kilometre walk to the glacier edge. Best: July to August. Type: glacial plunge.
Planning a Norway waterfall trip
The fjord counties of Vestland and Møre og Romsdal hold the densest concentration. The Hardanger circuit (Vøringsfossen, Låtefossen, Steindalsfossen, Tvindefossen) is driveable in two days. Geirangerfjord is a day trip by boat from Ålesund or Hellesylt. The very tall falls (Vinnufossen, Mongefossen, Mardalsfossen) require specific detours off the E6 or E136. Peak flow across Norway is late May to July from snowmelt and spring rain; the falls remain impressive through August before reducing in autumn.
The Hardanger circuit
The Hardanger circuit is Norway's most productive waterfall day-trip route for visitors based in Bergen. Starting on the E16 east from Bergen, the route passes Tvindefossen near Voss (roadside, 15 minutes), continues to the Eidfjord ferry or road, ascends to the Vøringsfossen viewing bridge on the Hardangervidda plateau edge, descends to Odda via the Sørfjord, and returns via Steindalsfossen and Låtefossen. The circuit covers approximately 350 kilometres and passes four of the ten waterfalls listed here in a single day, or a relaxed two days with accommodation in Eidfjord or Odda. The Hardangerfjord is the deepest and longest navigable fjord in Vestland and the route along its banks is among the most scenic road drives in Norway.
Norway in winter versus summer
Norwegian waterfall tourism is dominated by summer (June to August) but the falls in winter carry a very different character. Falls on north-facing canyon walls — including Rjukan's Sabotørfossen — freeze to ice columns and attract ice climbers from across Europe. Vøringsfossen runs year-round from the Hardangervidda and in winter the approach road is closed, but snowmobile access is sometimes possible. Kjosfossen on the Flåm Railway operates year-round (the railway runs all year), and the falls in winter are framed by snow-covered forest without the summer crowds. All falls mentioned are on the map.
Norway's very tall falls and the scale problem
The nine tallest waterfalls in Norway all share a characteristic that distinguishes them from accessible tourist falls: they are best viewed from a distance. Vinnufossen at 860 metres, Mongefossen at 773 metres, and Mardalsfossen at 701 metres are all viewed from the valley floor or across fjord water, typically from a distance of one to several kilometres. At this distance, the full height is comprehensible as a single object, and the surrounding landscape provides scale context. Standing directly below these falls is either impossible (they are inaccessible by trail) or undesirable (the base of a 700-metre plunge in a narrow canyon is a place of rock fall, constant wind, and drenching spray). The correct gear for viewing Norway's tallest falls is binoculars and a telephoto lens; proximity is not the goal. This is a different visitor paradigm from the accessible falls of Hardanger, which reward close approach, and it is worth understanding the distinction before planning a detour to see Vinnufossen from the E69.