About Gullfoss
Gullfoss is one of Iceland's most stunning and powerful natural spectacles. Fed by Langjökull, Iceland's second-largest glacier, the rushing waters of the Hvítá River surge southward before making a sudden two-step drop into a rugged 32-meter (105-foot) deep crevice.
As you approach the waterfall, the ground seems to disappear beneath your feet into a mist-filled chasm. On sunny days, vivid rainbows shimmer across the heavy spray, giving the falls their iconic golden moniker. Visitors can experience Gullfoss from multiple vantage points, including an upper viewing platform offering sweeping panoramic vistas and a lower walking pathway that leads right up to the misty edge of the rushing cascade.
History
The story of Gullfoss is deeply tied to early 20th-century conservation effort in Iceland. In the early 1900s, foreign investors sought to harness the immense power of the Hvítá river to construct a hydroelectric power plant, which would have permanently submerged and destroyed the waterfall.
A local farmwoman named Sigríður Tómasdóttir, whose family owned the land around Gullfoss, fought tirelessly to save it. She walked barefoot to Reykjavík to protest the development and threatened to throw herself into the waterfall if the power project proceeded. Her courage sparked public support, ultimately leading to the cancellation of the lease agreement. Today, Sigríður is celebrated as Iceland's first environmental activist, and a stone memorial honoring her legacy stands near the top of the falls.