Gullfoss golden circle1/7/2024 ![]() The name Golden Circle is a marketing term for the route, derived from the name of Gullfoss, which means "golden waterfall" in Icelandic. Other stops include the Kerið volcanic crater, the town of Hveragerði, Skálholt cathedral, and the Nesjavellir and Hellisheiðarvirkjun geothermal power plants. Though Geysir has been mostly dormant for many years, Strokkur continues to erupt every 5–10 minutes. The three primary stops on the route are the Þingvellir National Park, the Gullfoss waterfall, and the geothermal area in Haukadalur, which contains the geysers Geysir and Strokkur, which erupts every 10-15 minutes. It is the area that contains most tours and travel-related activities in Iceland. The Golden Circle ( Icelandic: Gullni hringurinn ) is a tourist route in southern Iceland, covering about 300 kilometres (190 mi) looping from Reykjavík into the southern uplands of Iceland and back. It is in the Hvitá River in the Southwestern part of Iceland.Tourist route in southern Iceland Strokkur Gullfoss waterfall Þingvellir National Park rift valley It has two falls, of which the longest drop is 21 meters tall. Gullfoss is a tiered Cataract, its total height is 32 m. Located to the east of the Golden Circle, Gullfoss has come to be recognised as Icelands most famous waterfall. The floods were so intense that they could fill up the gorge, which is an impressive 32 meters tall, up to the top. Gullfoss is not only Icelands best-known waterfall, but also one of the most striking and impressive thanks to its double tiered waterfall plunging a total of 105 feet (31 metres). But when these floods happen it can go up to 2000 m3/s, this means that it can fill almost 50 Olympic pools in one minute or about one every second. On average the water flow is around 110 m3/s. The gorge was formed by flash flood waters that forced their way through the cracks in the basalt lava layers. Circumstances became so difficult that Sigríður threatened to throw herself into the waterfall if any construction began. The ensuing legal battle was an uphill struggle the case continued for years, forcing Sigríður to travel many times by foot to Reykjavík, a distance of over 100 kilometres (62 miles). Having grown up on her father’s sheep farm where she helped pave the first road to Gullfoss, she sought to get the contract nullified, hurriedly saving her own money to hire a lawyer. It was Tómas’ daughter, Sigríður Tómasdóttir, who would lead the charge to stop Howell’s ambitions. Tómas declined Howell’s offer to purchase the land, stating famously “I will not sell my friend!” He would, however, go on to lease Howell the land without the knowledge of a loophole that would allow him to proceed with his plans. In the year 1907, an English businessman, Howell, sought to utilise the waterfall’s energy and harboured ambitions to use its energy to fuel a hydroelectric plant.Īt the time, Gullfoss was owned by a farmer named Tómas Tómasson. The Environment Agency of Iceland is responsible for the management of this reserve.Tourism of this amazing waterfall has been dated to as far back as 1875.In the early days of the last century, Gullfoss was at the centre of much controversy regarding foreign investors and their desire to profit off Iceland’s nature. ![]() This served to permanently protect the waterfall and allow the public to enjoy this unique area. Gullfoss and its environments were designed in 1979 as a nature reserve. ![]() In Icelandic, 'Gul' means 'Gold' or 'Golden' and 'Foss' translates into 'Fall'. ![]() The Golden Circle shows you the national park Þingvellir, the waterfall Gullfoss (meaning "golden falls"), and the geothermally active valley of Haukadalur, which contains the geysers (erupting hot-springs). It is part of the Golden Circle tour, which is a popular tour that many tourists take. ![]()
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