Goðafoss – Waterfall of the Gods
Posted in Iceland Locations
Godafoss waterfall – North Iceland
Þorgeirr Þorkelsson Ljósvetningagoði decided after two days and nights of meditation that Iceland should practice Christianity as its main religion. Þorgeirr himself was a Pagan Priest, and declared that paganism could still be practiced in private. As a sign of his commitment to the new religion, he threw all his pagan idols into Godafoss waterfall and hence it became known as Goðafoss ‘Waterfall of the gods’.
Godafoss is located in the North Central region of Iceland about 40 minutes drive from Akureyri and about 40 minutes from Mývatn. There is a hotel/ restaurant with an area for camping in the summer months. The falls are situated directly on the main Icelandic ring-road.
Extra Info...
Godafoss is a large horse-shoe waterfall complex and the total stretch of cascading water is around 30 meters. The legendary saga character ‘Grettir the strong’ is said to have dove down into the falls and was able to swim to the caves behind the water.
Photo tips:
The main tourist spot is from a car-park on the Western bank, but if your cross the bridge you can access the Eastern side where it is possible to get down to the lower river bank. The eastern side offers more photographic opportunities.
It is worth exploring both sides thoroughly. If you can find the path get down to the river bank.
Try to focus on some foreground interest.
The best time is mid-summer at sunrise – the rising sun shines straight through the canyon onto the waterfall.
Try experimenting with slow shutter speeds ranging from 1/4 second to 1/125 second.
Experience this yourself with either Flexible long tour or The BIG ‘S’ photo tour.
Find photo resources in the area with Geotog.com