In Skjálfandafljót by Ljósavatnskarð and Bárðardalur in Suður Þingeyjarsýsla is one of the most beautiful and most visited waterfalls in the country, Goðafoss. After all, the waterfall is a few meters away from road nr.1, between Akureyri and Mývatnssveit so it easy to access. Goðafoss is about 15 meters high and 30 meters wide, where it flows into the canyon below. The waterfall was declared a preservation zone in 2020, but in recent years the area has been thoroughly renovated to make it easier for tourists to access the waterfall, while also making sure that the nature around the waterfall is protected. Folklore connects Goðafoss with the conversion to christianity in Iceland in the year 1000. Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði was given the difficult task of conciliating and reaching a legal settlement between pagans and christians at Alþingi. Folklore says that Þorgeir threw his pagan idols into the waterfall when he returned to Ljósavatn after the assembly, to confirm that he had adopted a new custom, christianity. This is how the waterfall got its name, Goðafoss, but goð means idol in Icelandic.
Here are pictures of Goðafoss taken in winter, spring and summer. But the waterfall is always beautiful, in any given season.
Goðafoss at midnight during Midsummer
Photographs & text: Páll Stefánsson
14/03/2023 : A7R III, RX1R II : FE 1.4/24mm GM, FE 1.4/50mm Z, 2.0/35mm Z
