Waterfalls · Iceland
Goðafoss
Goðafoss sits directly on the Ring Road between Akureyri and Lake Mývatn, a broad horseshoe about 12 metres high. The name means waterfall of the gods: the story is that the lawspeaker Þorgeir threw his carvings of the Norse gods into it when Iceland converted to Christianity around the year 1000.
I walked both banks, and it is worth the extra twenty minutes: they are genuinely different views rather than the same waterfall twice. There is a car park on each side — the main one on the west by the visitor centre, and a second on the east reached by road 844. Both are free and both are about ten minutes from the water.
My rating
Scale 1–5. On Cost, 1 means free and 5 means pricey. On Crowd level, 1 means near-solitude and 5 means tour-bus central.
The horseshoe shape is what earns the four. It is wide rather than tall, and you get the whole curve in one view — which is not true of most Icelandic falls this size.
Goðafoss is easily accessible via Route 1, Iceland’s main ring road, making it a popular stop for travelers exploring the island. Goðafoss is reachable by a short and easy walk of about 10 minutes from the nearby Fosshóll parking lot, with well-maintained paths on both the south and north sides of the waterfall.
Parking is free and there are no entrance fees.
Goðafoss attracts many tourists due to its accessibility and impressive natural beauty, especially during the summer months, but because the area is well managed and spacious with multiple viewpoints, it rarely feels overcrowded.
Before you go
Planning your own Ring Road trip?
Iceland Ring Road Campervan Guide
My full 14-day route — roughly 2,500 km, every campsite I used, what I actually spent, and the stops worth the detour. The plan I drove, in one PDF.
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How I booked my campervan
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