Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Goðafoss (Waterfall of the Gods) rips straight through the Bárðardalur lava field along Rte
1. Although smaller and less powerful than some of Iceland's other chutes, it's definitely
one of the most beautiful. Take the path behind the falls for a less-crowded viewpoint.
The falls play an important part in Icelandic history. At the Alþing (National Assembly)
in the year 1000, the lögsögumaður (law speaker), Þorgeir, was forced to make a decision
on Iceland's religion. After 24 hours' meditation, he declared the country a Christian na-
tion. On his way home he passed the waterfall near his farm, and tossed in his pagan
carvings of the Norse gods, thus bestowing the falls' present name.
Sleeping
Fosshóll GUESTHOUSE, CAMPGROUND
( 464 3108; www.godafoss.is ; sites per person Ikr1000, d with/without bathroom incl breakfast
Ikr25,935/19,950; mid-May-mid-Sep; )
If the sound of pounding water puts you to sleep, a night in the (overpriced) rooms of
sunny yellow Fosshóll, next to the falls, might be for you. There's an evening restaurant
here, and orbiting the complex is a petrol station housing an information point, cafeteria
and souvenir shop.
MÝVATN REGION
Undisputed gem of the northeast, Mývatn ( mee -vaht) lake and the surrounding area are
starkly beautiful, an otherworldly landscape of spluttering mudpots, weird lava formations,
steaming fumaroles and volcanic craters.
The Mývatn basin sits squarely on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the violent geological
character of the area has produced an astonishing landscape unlike anywhere else in the
country; this is the Iceland you've always imagined.
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