If Iceland’s most powerful waterfall – Gullfoss – is still flowing today, it is in great part due to the determination of a local woman, Sigríður Tómasdóttir, to prevent the great falls from being dammed up to use as a hydro-electric plant. It is but one example of how the actions of a single person can impact the environment and make a difference.

Gullfoss (“Golden Falls”) is a massive waterfall on the Hvítá River (“White River”) that flows out of Langjökull, Iceland’s second largest glacier. The river flows slowly south until it turns sharply and plummets in two stages down 32 meters (105 feet) into a narrow crack in the basalt lava, sitting perpendicular to the Falls. While the upper falls drop gracefully down a level, the water seems to gather strength and thunders over the lower ones.

As you first approach, you hear the roar of the water cascading into the deep, narrow, crevice long before you see it. It is only when you are looking down from above that the beauty and power of Gullfoss become evident.

To truly appreciate the power and beauty of Gullfoss, you have to walk the trails that surround it, stopping to appreciate the surrounding Icelandic heathland with its flowers (including yellow pygmy buttercups, red clover, and bilberry bushes) providing patches of bright color among the rocks. In some places, you are so close that you can almost touch the water. On a sunny day, at the right time, dozens of rainbows flit across the clouds of mist rising from the water.

As with many things in Iceland, legends surround the waterfall. One relates how a farmer living nearby, named Gygur, could not bear the thought of someone else inheriting his money after his death. So he put it all in a box and tossed it into the Falls, thus earning it the name of “Golden Falls.”

But it is the story of Sigríður Tómasdóttir (1874-1957) that is most closely linked to Gullfoss Falls.

In the late 1800s, Sigríður lived on a farm in nearby Brattholt with her parents and siblings. When the Falls became a tourist destination, she and her sisters would often guide visitors down a trail that they had built themselves over the rough lava terrain.

Starting in the first half of the 20^th century, a number of foreign investors felt that Gullfoss would be a good source of electrical power and drew up plans to put a dam across the magnificent Falls.

The thought of her beautiful Falls being destroyed appalled Sigríður. She fought for years to save them, traveling repeatedly the 120 km to Reykjavík to urge the country’s leadership not to destroy Gullfoss Falls. Legend has it that she threatened to throw herself over the falls if the plan went through and then walked, barefoot, to Reykjavík to make her point. Year after year she fought, using her own savings to pay for lawyers to pursue the case further until the Icelandic Government finally took possession of the Falls.

By the time she died at age 87, Iceland had passed a law forbidding foreign nationals from owning state-owned waterfalls. She did not live long enough to see Gullfoss Waterfall become a national site in 1979 but she would have been happy with the outcome.

A memorial to Sigríður by sculptor Ríkarður Jónsson stands at the bottom of the steps leading to the upper level. The information plaque nearby describes her as being “of average height and strongly built. She was considered good looking in her younger years and had thick and beautiful blond hair. She was hardworking and early in her life mainly worked outdoors.” The plaque doesn’t tell you that if we are able to stand and admire these magnificent falls, it is thanks to this determined woman (perhaps Iceland’s first environmentalist). It is a prime example of how one person can make a difference.

Our thanks to our guide, Jon Kristjansson, who took us to the Gullfoss and pointed out all the best vantage points from which to photograph the enormous Falls.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS:

We use two Nikon D810s to photograph the Falls. On one we have a wide-angle Nikkor 14-24 lens, on the other a Nikkor 28-300. These enable us to photograph the entire waterfall as well as more detailed images. We have a polarizing filter but the sky is mostly cloudy so it is not absolutely necessary. Large lens cloths are critical to keeping the lenses dry.

If you want to freeze the water for the silky, smooth effect, a tripod and shutter release, as well as a neutral density filter, are required. Depending on the direction of the wind, it could be a challenge to keep the lens dry long enough to take the photograph.

IF YOU GO

Gullfoss Falls is about an hour away from Reykjavík. There are many tour companies offering trips but if you prefer to be independent and take your time photographing, a private guide is a far better idea. Reykjavík Private Cars are recommended.

 

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