Gullfoss

5 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

Gullfoss lies on the Hvítá, a glacial river, 10 km beyond Geysir. The water falls in two steps, first 11 metres and then 20, and disappears into the narrow Gullfossgljúfur canyon. The Environment Agency of Iceland puts the average flow at 109 cubic metres a second and about 130 in summer, while the largest floods have carried up to 2,000. Visit Iceland rounds it to 100,000 litres a second.

The falls and the Hvítárgljúfur canyon at Brattholt have been protected since 9 March 1979, over an area of 154.9 hectares. The Environment Agency manages the reserve. Walkers are welcome as long as they behave well, but leaving the marked paths or driving off the roads is forbidden, as is cutting plants, disturbing wildlife or damaging rock formations. Drones need the agency’s permission.

Sigríður of Brattholt

The story of Gullfoss is tied to the farm at Brattholt. Sigríður Tómasdóttir, born there in 1871, and her sisters guided visitors to the falls and built the first path. In 1907 an Englishman offered 50,000 krónur for the waterfall, and her father Tómas refused to sell, saying he would not sell his friend. The same year a law limited the ownership of waterfalls to people living in Iceland.

Later a lease was signed for plans to build a power station, and Sigríður fought it without success. The lease ran out in 1928, and the falls now belong to the state for the purpose of preserving them. In 1976 Einar Guðmundsson gave land to the Nature Conservation Council, and in 1978 a memorial stone to Sigríður was set up at the falls. The often-told claim that she threw herself in is a legend: the agency’s account, citing Sveinn Björnsson, says only that she threatened to.

Visiting in winter

Gullfoss can be visited all year, and the classic day tours stop here in every month. Visit South Iceland recommends ice cleats or grips for your shoes in winter, along with layers of wool and a wind- and waterproof shell. Safetravel warns that strong winds and drifting snow can make driving dangerous even when the road looks clear, and that a four-wheel drive does not stop a car from skidding on ice.

Daylight also shapes the day. Around 21 December the sun is up for only about four hours on the Golden Circle, from about 11:20 to 15:25. Gullfoss is the furthest point from Reykjavík on the loop, so a December trip that starts in the dark and reaches the falls around midday makes the most of it.

From Gullfoss to the glacier

Beyond the falls the Kjölur route, a highland road, leads towards Langjökull, which Icelandia describes as the country’s second-largest glacier. Several trips start from the Gullfoss Café car park, which makes them easy to add to a self-drive day. You leave your car there and continue by bus and large truck.

Sleipnir Tours runs two of them in its custom-built trucks. The shorter, about three and a half hours from and back to Gullfoss, crosses the Kjölur route to the base and drives onto the glacier, with a pop-up glacier café serving cocoa and kleinur, sledging and, depending on the snow, glacier golf. Children from age 4 can come along. The four-hour version goes over Kjölur and Skálpanes to a natural ice cave; the operator describes the walk to and inside the cave as moderate, on uneven ground with narrow steps.

Mountaineers of Iceland takes guests from the same car park by monster truck to its base on the eastern edge of the glacier for an hour on a snowmobile, two to a machine with stops along the way. Riding alone costs extra. Children from 6 can join with an adult, and drivers must be 18 and hold a driving licence. All glacier trips depend on the weather: the operators move or refund a booking when they cancel, and it is worth leaving a spare day in your plans.

On a day tour

On a classic day tour from Reykjavík, Gullfoss and Geysir come as a pair. The Gray Line tour takes about 6.5 hours and visits Þingvellir, Gullfoss and Geysir; reviews call it rushed and mention cramped seats. The BusTravel Iceland coach tour adds Kerið on morning departures. A small jeep tour drives on from the falls to the edge of the glacier and the Faxi waterfall, with a lunch break at Gullfoss Café, but does not include snowmobiling.

From Gullfoss the drive back via Kerið to Reykjavík is about 123 km and just under two hours without stops. If you head for the baths instead, see our page on Laugarvatn and Flúðir.