Gullfoss

You hear Gullfoss before you see it. A low, steady roar from somewhere below the car park, then the path bends and the whole Hvítá river simply disappears into the ground. It drops, turns, drops again and vanishes into a canyon so narrow you can't see the bottom from the top.

Gullfoss, the Golden Falls, is the last big stop on the Golden Circle in South Iceland and usually the one people remember. The river falls about 32 metres in two steps, roughly 11 metres and then 21, into a gorge the river has been carving for thousands of years. On a sunny day the spray throws rainbows across the canyon. On a grey day it just throws spray. Either way, you'll get wet.

Tours that visit Gullfoss

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Golden Circle & Blue Lagoon Small Group Tour with Admission Ticket

11 hours · From Reykjavík

4.9(2,869)

From 31.900 ISK

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Golden Circle and Waterfalls, with Friðheimar Farm and Kerið in small group

9 hours · From Reykjavík

5(1,184)

From 18.990 ISK

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Grand Golden Circle Tour

8 hours and 30 minutes · From Reykjavík

4.8(3,764)

From 11.990 ISK

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Golden Circle Afternoon Small Group Tour

6 hours · From Reykjavík

4.6(13,888)

From 13.990 ISK

Golden Circle Superior / Golden Circle Small Group Tour

8 hours · From Reykjavík

4.7(250)

From 14.990 ISK

Kerlingarfjöll Hiking Day Tour

11 hours and 30 minutes · From Reykjavík

4.7(25)

From 25.990 ISK

What to see at Gullfoss

There are two main viewpoints. The upper one, next to the visitor centre and café, gives you the classic postcard shot looking down into the canyon. From there a staircase and path lead down to the lower viewpoint along the edge of the falls, where you stand close enough to feel the ground hum. The lower path is the better experience, but it's closed in winter when it gets icy and dangerous. Respect the ropes. The rock by the edge is wet, slippery and unforgiving, and the canyon doesn't give second chances.

By the upper path there's a stone memorial to Sigríður Tómasdóttir, the farmer's daughter from Brattholt who fought plans to dam the river for hydroelectric power in the early 1900s. The story has been polished a bit over the years, but she's the reason Gullfoss is still a waterfall and not a reservoir, and the falls are now protected.

Entry is free and so is parking. There are toilets, a café and a shop at the top, which you'll want after standing in the spray.

Pro tip: wear waterproof trousers, not just a jacket. The wind at Gullfoss usually blows the mist straight up the lower path, and it's your legs that get soaked. Tourists in jeans are easy to spot on the drive home.

How to get to Gullfoss from Reykjavík

Gullfoss is roughly two hours from Reykjavík, about 10 minutes' drive past Geysir. Most people drive the loop Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss in that order, so Gullfoss is often the turn-around point. Past it, the road becomes the Kjölur highland route, which is an F-road and only open in summer. Don't follow your GPS up there in a small rental car.

Budget 30 to 45 minutes here. An hour if you want a coffee and a proper look at both viewpoints.

Best time to visit Gullfoss

Summer is when the falls carry the most water, fed by glacial melt from Langjökull, and the green canyon walls look their best. Winter is quieter and in some ways more dramatic: ice builds up on the canyon edges and the spray freezes on everything. Road conditions on Route 35 can be rough in winter storms, so check road.is and safetravel.is before you set off.

Like Geysir, Gullfoss is busiest between late morning and mid-afternoon. Come early or late in summer and you'll share it with far fewer people. Can you see the northern lights at Gullfoss? Yes, on a clear winter night, and there are Golden Circle and northern lights tours that time it that way.

Gullfoss tours

Almost every Golden Circle tour stops here, from big-bus classics to small groups, add-ons at Friðheimar and Kerið, the Secret Lagoon, or a snowmobile ride up on Langjökull. Tours that include Gullfoss are below.