Gullfoss
Gullfoss is a waterfall in Golden Circle & Nearby, Iceland — about 116 km from Reykjavik and reached by a drive to the trailhead and a short walk in (footwear and weather check). Shoot it year-round, though winter wind, ice, and short daylight rework the shot list, then use the GPS coordinates, parking notes, and nearby waypoints below to fold this stop into a longer photography route.
Access restriction
Gullfoss is one of the protected areas where flying a drone requires a permit.
- a drone flight needs a permit from Náttúruverndarstofnun
- permits are issued only for commercial work — research, monitoring, construction, film, news and professional photography — and never for recreational or educational flying
- commercial permits may be granted year-round
Best window: .
Overview
Gullfoss is a waterfall located in the canyon of the Hvítá river in southwest Iceland
As a photography stop, Gullfoss is a waterfall in Golden Circle & Nearby, roughly 116 km from Reykjavik, reached by a drive to the trailhead and a short walk in (footwear and weather check). Plan the shoot year-round, though winter wind, ice, and short daylight rework the shot list. The downloadable Waterfall map pins exact GPS coordinates, parking, and nearby waypoints so you can fold it into a wider route instead of hunting for the pull-off on arrival.
Planning more than one stop? Open the Iceland waterfalls GPS map to put Gullfoss on the same offline layer as everything nearby.
Notes on this location
Compiled from published sources rather than a visit. Sources are listed below.
The Hvítá drops 32 m at Gullfoss in two stages, 11 m then 21 m. About a kilometre upstream the river turns sharply west and runs down a wide, curved three-step staircase before the plunge.
- Drop
- 32 m total, in two stages — 11 m then 21 m
- River
- Hvítá, southwest Iceland
- Geometry
- The crevice the water falls into runs perpendicular to the river’s flow
- Discharge
- About 141 m³/s in summer against about 80 m³/s in winter
Because the crevice sits perpendicular to the flow, the river appears to vanish into the ground rather than over an edge — the reason a downstream angle reads so differently from the standard overlook. The near-doubling of summer discharge is also why spray reaches much further in July than in January, which changes how exposed a lens can be.
SourcesGullfoss — Wikipedia
Light & aurora at this spot
Calculated from this location’s coordinates (64.327, -20.120). Iceland stays on UTC year-round, so these are local times.
- Summer
- June: sun up 02:45–23:57 (21.2 h). Evening golden hour 21:58–23:57, light coming from the NNW.
- Winter
- December: only 4.1 h of daylight (11:12–15:19), but the sun never climbs above 2.4° — the entire day is golden hour. Sunrise bears SSE, sunset SSW.
- Aurora
- Aurora-grade darkness Sep–Mar, peaking at 12.9 h a night in December. Not possible Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug — the sky never gets dark enough.
Bar height is daylight hours. Months marked • have enough astronomical darkness for aurora; the rest do not.
Questions & answers
Gullfoss is a waterfall in Golden Circle & Nearby, Iceland, approximately 116 km from Reykjavik. Exact GPS coordinates are included in the downloadable Waterfall map.
The recommended season for Gullfoss is All. For light, plan around blue hour and the first hour after sunrise; Iceland's long shoulder-season twilight extends usable conditions on either side.
Drive/Hike access. Bring weather-appropriate footwear and check conditions before setting out. The downloadable GPS map puts the waypoint on your phone; your own app routes you to it from wherever you are.
Yes — Gullfoss can be visited year-round, though winter conditions may require a 4x4 or storm-tolerant plans.