Fossholl is a small town in North Iceland, best known for the impressive horseshoe waterfall of Goðafoss.

Understand

Goðafoss is one of the most important tourist destinations in north-east Iceland. It is a waterfall where the water of the river Skjálfandafljót falls 12 m over a width of about 30 m. The waterfall is located in the municipality of Þingeyjarsveit in an open area about 700 m from Þjóðvegur 1 (National Road 1, ring road). There are some buildings on the right bank of Skjálfandafljót, there is also a bus stop.

The name Goðafoss goes back to a legend. According to this, the Icelandic chief Þorgeir around 1000 CE, decided that his people should adopt Christianity as the state religion. To prove that the old gods have no power, he threw their images into this waterfall, and was thus the waterfall of the gods. Additionally, the Norwegian King Olaf had threatened to stop delivering wood to Iceland if the people did not convert to Christianity.

Get in

Fossholl is along Route 1 on the Diamond Circle, 35 km east of Akureyri.

See

• 1 Goðafoss. The only impressive attraction of this town. Along the Skjálfandafljót river there are a number of paths leading to lookouts, but even small things can be worth seeing: maybe it's the lava formations in the area, or it's the flora that has spread on the barren and rough lava soil. (updated May 2022)

Eat

There is a restaurant at the guesthouse.

Sleep

• 1 Fosshóll Guesthouse, 645 Fossholl, ☏ +354 464-3108. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 11:00. A guest house which has 21 rooms and a restaurant. Next to it is a small camping area. However, it's only open during summer from May 15 to September 30. (updated May 2022)