Gullfoss in Iceland – mighty waterfall along the Golden Circle

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: August 2026 | Gullfoss is one of Iceland’s most famous waterfalls and one of the three classic stops along the Golden Circle. Here, the glacial river Hvítá plunges into two mighty falls, surrounded by a barren Icelandic landscape. But Gullfoss also has an exciting history – in the early 20th century, there were plans to use the waterfall for hydroelectric power, which led to a high-profile fight to preserve it.

The Golden Circle in Iceland

The Golden Circle, or Gyllene Cirkeln, is Iceland's most classic tourist route and runs through the countryside east of Reykjavik. The route is a great day trip from the capital and can be driven by your own car or experienced on an organized tour.

Golden Circle by minibus

We were a group of about 10 people and did the tour by minibus. We started by driving the longest distance to the Faxi and Gullfoss waterfalls. This bus trip took about an hour, but you really don't get bored. It's completely fantastic to look out at nature through the windows.

Faxi waterfall

Faxi waterfall was a perfect ”warm-up” for what was to come. This waterfall is located about 12 kilometers from Gullfoss, and is full of salmon. In other words, fishing is popular here.

Gullfoss waterfall

After the visit, it was time for one of the highlights of the tour: Gullfoss. This impressive waterfall is located in the glacial river Hvítá in southern Iceland. The water falls in two stages – first 11 meters and then another 21 meters – before the river continues through the dramatic gorge.

It is primarily the amount of water that makes Gullfoss so powerful. On average, about 109 cubic meters of water passes through per second, and during the summer about 130 cubic meters per second. When you stand at the viewing points and feel the water vapor on your face, it is quite easy to understand why Gullfoss has become one of Iceland's most famous natural phenomena.

17th century love story

It is not possible to wade over the waterfall, nor can you cross it on horseback. However, there is a story from the 17th century about a farmer's son from Brattholt who spent the summer herding sheep by the Hvítá River.

On the other side, a girl from Hamarsholt was herding sheep, and they could peek at each other across the river. Finally, the girl plucked up courage and asked the boy to cross the river to her. He managed to wade across (!) and the couple is said to have subsequently married and had many children.

Sigríður Tómasdóttir and the fight for Gullfoss

In the early 20th century, interest in using Iceland's waterfalls for electricity production grew. In 1907, an Englishman wanted to buy Gullfoss from Tómas Tómasson on the Brattholt farm, but he refused. Later, the rights to the waterfall ended up with people with connections to foreign interests.

Tóma's daughter Sigridur Tomasdottir was strongly committed to preserving Gullfoss. She fought to have the agreements annulled and enlisted the help of the lawyer Sveinn Björnsson, who later became Iceland's first president. Sigríður repeatedly traveled the long way to Reykjavik to push the issue and became so committed that she threatened to throw herself into the waterfall if construction of a power plant began.

Sigríður did not win the legal case, but the hydroelectric project never came to fruition. The foreign stakeholders eventually lost interest, payments stopped, and in 1928 the lease agreement became invalid. The Icelandic state purchased Gullfoss in 1945, and in 1979 the waterfall and the area around it were protected.

Sigríður has since become a symbol of Icelandic nature conservation, and there is a memorial to her at Gullfoss today.

More to see and experience nearby

There is much more to see and experience in Iceland and near Reykjavik. Here you will find tips and reports:

• Things to do in Reykjavik
• Horse riding in Iceland
• Blue Lagoon
• Ön Viðey

This trip was a press trip, organised by Icelandair and the Food and Fun Reykjavik festival. All texts, photos and opinions are, as usual, our own.