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Gošafoss (or Godafoss) is a wide 12m tall waterfall on the Skjįlfandafljót River known for its role in Icelandic history. In the year 1000, the lawspeaker at the time Žorgeirr Ljósvetningagoši had the unenviable task of choosing the official religion of Iceland. Perhaps under the pressure of Christianity's convert or die methods, Žorgeirr chucked his Norse deities icons into the falls (which is translated to mean "waterfall of the gods") but secretly maintained allegiance to the Norse deities. Since the falls is very close to the Ring Road between Akureyri and Mżvatn (about 50km east of Akureyri), it is very popular with both self-drivers and tours so expect a lot of people. You can see the falls from both sides of the river. Getting to the base of the falls is possible from the east bank, where a moderately short walking path also gives you pleasant comprehensive views of the falls. The west bank, which is the one with the larger car park takes you right to the brink of the falls, but I don't the view is as satisfying as from the other side. While you're here, you should also check out the shorter but powerful Geitafoss downstream from the main falls. There's even a pedestrian bridge linking the two sides of the river so you don't need to get back in your car and drive to get around to the other side if you don't want to.
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Approaching the falls while a photographer is busy capturing it
Near the base of the falls
Tell us about your experience with this waterfall.
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