Iceland is extremely famous for its outlandish scenery, dark, barren volcanic landscapes, hot springs and beautiful waterfalls. Gullfoss Waterfall, although it wasn't our favorite among the other falls that we'd had a chance to see during our stay in Iceland, it's still pretty spectacular and one of the biggest on the island. Visiting it in early spring was a great choice as the volume of water was high and moving fiercely down the rocky cascades while various "ice sculptures" created by mother nature were still attached to the sides.

How to get to Gullfoss Waterfall

Getting to Gullfass Waterfall is very easy. If you drive, it's located around 100 km (60 miles) east from Reykjavik - 1 hour 30 mins journey. If you don't have a car or you're not planning to stay long in Iceland, Gullfoss Waterfall is a part of the Golden Circle Tour - offered by tourist agencies in Rejkjavik.

I chose Gray Line - the service was amazing and the prices competitive. Besides Gullfoss Waterfall, during the Golden Circle Tour you'll see absolutely amazing Geysir Geothermal area with active geysers erupting every couple of minutes (I've described it and posted a lot of nice photos here), Thingellir National Park where you can spot the exact place where North American and European tectonic plates split (I'll describe it in the future) and a Skalholt church which was the center of religious power in Iceland for 8 centuries.

Visiting Gullfoss Waterfall

The name - Gullfoss roughly means "golden falls" in English. Gullfoss Waterfall is 32 meters (over 100 ft.) deep and consists of two enormous cascades. It's located right at the beginning of Hvita canyon carved by the river with the same name. The black gorge is around 2 km (1.2 miles) long and together with the waterfall creates an amazing natural spectacle.

There is a trail around the Gullfoss Waterfall so you can see the fall from many angles and heights. Around 1 hour is more than enough to enjoy it fully and if you get hungry, there's a cafe and a visitor center nearby.

If you're on the Golden Circle tour, you'll see Faxi Waterfall as well, which is also called Vatnsleysufoss in Icelandic. It's a mini version of Gullfoss.

Other Waterfalls

The two of the most spectacular waterfalls - Skófagoss and Seljalandsfoss can be visited during another popular tour - the South Circle Tour. If you're lucky with the weather, a beautiful rainbow will appear in front of them - seemingly rising directly from the ground. It's the most beautiful combination of waterfalls and rainbows I've seen. Moreover, you can admire Seljalandsfoss waterfall from behind! I'll describe both waterfalls in the future.