Gullfoss Waterfall

Gullfoss, meaning "Golden Falls," is the most powerful waterfall on Iceland's Golden Circle and, for many visitors, the moment the route earns its reputation. The Hvítá river drops thirty-two metres in two stages into a canyon that glacial floods cut at the end of the last Ice Age, throwing up enough spray to soak anyone who walks out to the lower viewpoint and enough noise to drown out the car park behind you.

It is free to visit, open around the clock, and roughly two hours from Reykjavík by road, which is why almost every Golden Circle itinerary stops here.

What is Gullfoss waterfall?

Gullfoss sits on the Hvítá, a glacial river that rises in Langjökull, Iceland's second-largest ice cap, and carries meltwater south across the Haukadalur plateau. The falls drop in two stages set at an angle to one another: a shorter upper cascade of roughly eleven metres, then a second plunge of about twenty-one metres into a narrow crevice. Because the lower drop runs almost perpendicular to the first, the river appears to vanish into the ground as you approach from the car park, one of the details that makes Gullfoss look unlike any other waterfall in Iceland. Below the falls the water races through Gullfossgljúfur, a canyon some two and a half kilometres long with walls rising up to seventy metres. Explanations for the name differ: some point to the amber cast of the water in low evening light, others to the rainbows that hang in the spray on bright days.

Who saved Gullfoss from being dammed?

In the early twentieth century the falls were leased to investors who hoped to harness the Hvítá for hydroelectric power. Sigríður Tómasdóttir, whose family farmed at Brattholt on the land above the falls, campaigned against the scheme, travelling repeatedly to Reykjavík on foot to press her case and, by the account that has come down to us, threatening to throw herself into the falls if work began. The lawyer who took her case, Sveinn Björnsson, went on to become Iceland's first president in 1944. The plans were never carried out, and historians still debate how close the project ever came to breaking ground. What is not in doubt is that the falls passed into state ownership in 1940 and were formally protected as a nature reserve in 1979. A stone relief of Sigríður stands on the path above the falls, and she is remembered as a founding figure of Icelandic conservation.

What can you see at Gullfoss?

Two viewing areas serve the falls, and they show you very different things. The upper platform sits beside the visitor centre on the canyon rim, reached by a short paved path, and gives the wide view: both tiers, the curve of the canyon, and on a clear day Langjökull on the horizon. The lower platform is reached by a long flight of steps down the slope and takes you out along a spur of rock almost level with the second drop, close enough that the spray soaks you and the noise makes conversation difficult. Most visitors walk both. On sunny days rainbows form in the mist below the lower viewpoint, usually strongest in the middle of the day. The lower path is frequently closed through the winter when the steps and rock ice over; the upper viewpoint stays open year-round.

When is the best time to visit Gullfoss?

Gullfoss is open every day of the year and there is no bad season, only different ones. The river runs at its fullest from late spring into summer, when meltwater off Langjökull swells the Hvítá and the falls are at their loudest; June and July also bring near-endless daylight, so a late-evening visit is possible and far quieter than the middle of the day. Autumn rain keeps the flow high while the crowds thin. Winter turns the canyon walls to ice and frames the still-flowing water in white, though daylight is short and the lower path is usually shut. Whatever the season, tour coaches cluster between about 11:00 and 14:00, so arriving before or after that window makes a noticeable difference. Allow thirty to forty-five minutes to walk both viewpoints without hurrying.

How do you get to Gullfoss from Reykjavík?

Gullfoss lies roughly 120 kilometres northeast of Reykjavík, about a ninety-minute to two-hour drive depending on conditions. The usual route leaves the city on Route 1, turns inland onto Route 35 through Selfoss and the Haukadalur valley, and reaches the falls about ten kilometres beyond the Geysir geothermal area. The road is paved and ploughed through the winter, but it crosses open upland where wind, drifting snow and ice can close it at short notice, so check road and weather conditions before setting out and treat published closure notices as authoritative rather than optimistic. Parking at the falls is free. Many visitors arrive as part of a Golden Circle day tour, which pairs Gullfoss with Þingvellir and Geysir and removes the winter-driving question altogether; Gullfoss is included on every Golden Circle Day Tours departure from Reykjavík.

What facilities are there at Gullfoss?

There is no entrance fee at Gullfoss and no charge for the car park. A visitor centre stands on the rim above the upper platform, with a café, a souvenir shop and public toilets; the café is best known for its lamb soup, which is a reasonable thing to want after twenty minutes in the spray. Opening hours there are seasonal and shorter than the site itself: the falls and the paths are accessible around the clock, the building is not. The paved path from the car park to the upper viewpoint is level enough for wheelchairs and pushchairs, but the steps down to the lower platform are not, and there is no step-free route to the closer viewpoint. Dress for the weather rather than the forecast, because spray carries well past the railings and the wind on the rim is often stronger than it looks.