Gullfoss Waterfall (Day Trip)

Gullfoss ('Golden Falls') is the most famous waterfall in Iceland and the third stop on the Golden Circle route — a two-tier cascade on the Hvítá river that drops a total of 32 metres in two stages into a 70-metre deep canyon, generating enormous clouds of spray that create rainbows on sunny days and give the waterfall its name. The falls handle an average of 140 cubic metres per second (500 cubic metres per second during summer melt).

The falls were famously saved from a hydroelectric scheme in the early 20th century by Sigríður Tómasdóttir, the daughter of the landowner, who walked repeatedly to Reykjavik from her farm (a distance of 120 kilometres each way) to protest the development — a story commemorated by a plaque at the viewpoint. Two viewing platforms provide different perspectives: the upper viewpoint gives the widest angle, while the lower path takes you close enough to feel the spray.