I consider Goðafoss to be one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Iceland (or anywhere for that matter). It was the first large waterfall I visited on my initial trip to Iceland back in 2014 and I remember simply being awed in its presence. Watching/hearing/feeling the water flow into the 330-foot (100-meter) wide, horseshoe-shaped canyon from a height of 40-feet (12-meters) was breathtaking. I stayed there for hours, admiring it from both sides...it was my 2nd day in Iceland and I was already hooked.

I have since visited Iceland in 2015 & 2017 and each time I have returned to Goðafoss. Unfortunately, the weather was not the best during my first 2 visits to Goðafoss…not enough to hinder the experience, but enough to preclude me from capturing a good photo. My 3rd visit, however, was a charm and the sunset in June lasted well into the morning hours.

There is also a legend attached to this waterfall (as with most waterfalls in Iceland). When Iceland officially adopted Christianity in the year 1000, rumor has it that Thorgeir, a pagan chieftain & priest, denounced his beliefs by throwing wooden carvings of pagan gods into the falls. From that point forward, it was known as the waterfall of the gods…Goðafoss.