Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
AN EARLY CONSERVATIONIST
Gullfoss still exists only because
Sigríður Tómasdóttir
, daughter of the owner of the estate
that incorporated the falls, fought first her father and then the government to prevent a
hydroelectric dam being built here in the 1920s. Permission to build the dam was granted, but
public feeling - fanned by Sigríður - ran so strongly against the project that construction
never began. Gullfoss was donated to the Icelandic Nature Conservation Council, and the area
became a protected reserve in 1979.
2
projects out into the river right above the falls; it's certainly spectacular here amongst
the spray, but note the very Icelandic lack of safety barriers and warning signs - take
care. The other viewpoint is up above at the top of the canyon, where you get a broad
view of Gullfoss and the river and can also appreciate the location, right on the border
of Iceland's stark Interior: look north and snow-capped mountain ridges and glacier
caps fill the horizon; south is all green farmland.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
GULLFOSS
By bus
Buses stop at the Visitor Centre. Gullfoss marks the
end of the Golden Circle, though the Kjölur route continues
northeast across the Interior from here, and is covered by
summer buses.
Destinations
Akureyri (3 daily; 10hr 30min); Geysir
(3 daily; 15min); Hveravellir (3 daily; 6hr 30min), Laugarvatn
(2 daily; 35min), Reykjavík (3 daily; 2hr 30min), Selfoss
(3 daily; 1hr 45min), Þingvellir (2 daily; 1hr).
Tourist information
The Visitor Centre (daily 9am-8pm)
has the usual array of brochures, plus brand-name outdoor
clothing and woollen jumpers.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Hotel Gullfoss
Brattholt Farm
T
486 8979,
W
hotelgullfoss.is.
The nearest accommodation to
Gullfoss, 3km south off the approach road to the falls,
featuring a pitched-roof dining area and single-storey
hotel. En-suite rooms here are a little on the small side and
drably furnishe
d, but sta
ff are friendly and there's an
outdoor hot pot.
27,500kr
Visitor Centre restaurant
Moderately priced cakes,
coffee and sandwiches, plus delicious bowls of hearty
lamb stew. The setting at the top of the gorge provides
great views of the peaks and glaciers to the north,
though you can't see the falls themselves.
Daily
9am-8pm.
The central south
East of Reykjavík on the Ringroad, the hothouse town of
Hveragerði
and nearby transit
hub
Selfoss
are the gateway to Iceland's
central south
, a swathe of fertile plains watered
by the Hvítá, Rangá and
Þjórsá
- Iceland's longest river at 230km - and the clutch of
bulky glaciers to its east. The inland here cowers beneath
Hekla
, a destructive volcano
whose antics have put paid to regional farming at least twice in recorded history,
with tracks past the mountain leading to hot springs and brightly coloured hills at
Landmannalaugar
, right on the edge of Iceland's rugged Interior. If you enjoy the great
outdoors, Landmannalaugar's surrounds are worth a trip to Iceland in their own right,
not least for the superb four-day
Laugavegur
hiking trail
. If you're not that serious,
consider less demanding tracks over the hills above Hveragerði, also featuring steaming
hot springs.
GETTING AROUND THE CENTRAL SOUTH
By bus
The Ringroad (Route 1) is the regional artery,
running east via Hveragerði and Selfoss and plied by
year-round buses from the BSÍ terminal in Reykjavík (see
p.72). Note that the much cheaper city bus
#51
(
W
straeto.is) runs roughly hourly 7am-10pm from
Mjódd bus station in southeast Reykjavík to Hveragerði
and Selfoss. In summer, there are also daily services past
Hekla to Landmannalaugar, which is not accessible in a
conventional vehicle.