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The Iceland Geysers in Haukadalur Geothermal Area

The Golden Circle in Iceland is one of the most scenic drives we’ve ever done. One of the most memorable part was called Haukadalur Geothermal Area. It was a geologic wonder of mud pots, hot springs and geysers. We’ve done our fair share of geyser gazing at America’s Yellowstone National Park and this valley was just as spectacular.

Iceland haukadalur

We instantly knew we were near the valley with the number of tour buses parked at the side of the road. Then, we caught sight of all the smoke rising in one area.

There was an unpaved walkway and ropes separating the thermal areas. We don’t know how they were able to build a small structure over this area and made it look like the steam was coming out of the chimney.

iceland haukadalur house

These temperature indicators were a good reminder just how hot this place was. For those of us using the Fahrenheit temperature scale in the USA, 80-100° C is 176-212° F. The boiling point of water is 100° C.

Iceland geyser Haukadalur

This geothermal area formed at the end of the Ice Age. There were over 40 geothermal features in Haukadalur. But, the main attractions have always been the geysers.

Geysers are a type of hot springs that erupt and spray thermal water and steam high into the air. It requires water, volanic heat and pressure to erupt. This video is a wonderful explanation of this natural pressure cooker and does a much better job than I can do.

Iceland geysir

The Great Geysir (with an i) was one of the few known geysers in the world during the 18th century and garnered a lot of interest. The word “geysir” came from the Icelandic word, geysa, meaning to gush or to rush forth.

This Icelandic geysir originated the English word for every geyser in the world. This geysir used to erupt every hour. But, it has slowed down to every 8-10 hours. During our visit, it acted more like a hot spring with only smoke coming out it.

Iceland haukadalur geysir

The main attraction of this area was Strokkur (pronounced Strau-ker) meaning “churn”. It was formed as result of an earthquake in 1789.

There’s no need for a sign here since it was always surrounded by visitors. Strokkur erupts every 5-8 minutes. The hot water rises 60-100 feet ( (18-30 m)  up into the air and evaporates into thin air.

Iceland Strokkur

We were in the area for awhile and witnessed its eruption several times. It was an incredible force of nature each time. Strokkur’s surface is constantly boiling so there’s no warning of its imminent eruption. It is a great water show that will surely entertain everyone.

Iceland strokkur

It was hard not to get excited and join the crowd gushing in amazement and excitement every time Strokkur erupted. We decided to go near the area and during one of its eruptions. We ran off in time to be sprayed with some of the water.

iceland golden circle Strokkur eruption

It was a feast for the senses here. Despite the sounds of cars and buses on the road and the crowd, we paused long enough to hear some of the water gurgling and bubbling and the steam vents hissing. Some areas had stronger sulfur smell than others or what my kids called the “bad egg smell”.

iceland geysir

The smaller ones looked like holes in the ground with steam vents including Litli Strokkur and Litli Geysir(Little Geysir). But these small geysers can be activated by earthquakes. In the old days, locals who lived nearby activated geysers by throwing soap in the hot spring which eventually damaged and “killed” some of them.

iceland litli geysir

There were also numerous hot springs here including Konungshver (the king’s hot spring) which looked like a big puddle to us.

Iceland Konungshver geysir

One of the most beautiful hot springs we saw was Blesi (the blazer). It had two ponds next to each other but one was a beautiful blue color colored by silica while the other one was clear and at boiling temperature.

Iceland Haukadalur Blesi

In this land of steam and sulfur, we surprisingly found vegetation. There were yellow wildflowers but there were also fields of the beautiful purple nootka or Alaska lupine. We found these flowers throughout our drive in Iceland’s countryside.

Iceland blue flowers alaska lupine

This whole area was a wonderful place to stroll and enjoy the scenery. I wish they had installed boardwalks throughout the area to make it easier to walk around instead of the uneven surfaces. This wasn’t the most wheelchair or stroller friendly place. Though, some geysers had a platform to take a closer look at them.

Iceland haukadalur valley

We saw some hikers climb up a small mountain. I’m sure the views of the countryside and the thermal area were amazing from up there.

Iceland Haukadalur hike

Near Hotel Geyser was this big green field with little hills perfect for kids who were confined in cars and needing to run around. The highlight for my kids here though was this large wooden statue. He looked like he was guarding the Haukadalur valley or he could have been the hotel mascot.

Iceland haukadalur statue

The Haukadalur area is a major tourist attraction in Iceland with its dazzling display of erupting geysers and boiling hot springs. Geysers are rare and Iceland is one of the few places in the world to see them. It was a fascinating lesson in geology visiting this area but also a wonderful place to walk around and enjoy Iceland’s natural beauty.

Iceland countryside

Visiting Haukadalur Basics and Tips

  • The Haukadalur Valley can be reached via the Golden Circle tours or self-drives.
  • The Geysir-Center is across the road from the Haukadalur geothermal area It’s a building complex of restaurants, hotel, gift shop, food court and Geysir museum with a multimedia show. There is a huge Geysir gift shop across the street and a food court. This is a main stop for many tour buses so it does get pretty crowded around lunchtime.
  • Take your time exploring this area and enjoy.

*Have you visited the Haukadalur area or other geyser zones?

Related Post:

Where to Stay

  • Hotel Berg in Keflavik – This was the first hotel we stayed during our first visit and loved it. It’s close to the airport (2 miles), by the marina and offers free Wi-fi and airport transfer. It’s a small family-owned hotel. We had a split-level suite which fit our family comfortably.
  • Hilton Reykjavik Nordica – This hotel is located in the city and within walking distance of the center but shuttle buses are also provided. If you want the comforts of a modern hotel, this has it with buffet breakfast and Executive Lounge for Hilton Honors Gold and Diamond members. A couple of friends have stayed here and recommend it.
  • Hlemmur Apartments  – We loved this spacious, two bedroom apartment located within walking distance to Reykjavik’s city center. It looked like an IKEA showroom, It was clean, well-equipped and furnished well with all the amenities we needed for our stay. It had free WI-fi and the owners were friendly. 
  • Save up to 50% on Iceland hotels on Booking.com (the #1 Accommodation site)
  • Find the best Iceland hotels and read reviews on TripAdvisor.

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Iceland Geysers

23 thoughts on “The Iceland Geysers in Haukadalur Geothermal Area”

  1. Hi Mary, those geysers are so stunning. Interesting to learn that the word geyser actually originated form Icelandic word. The Strokkur looks so fun and wild! That Blesi hot spring looks divine. It’s fascinating that beautiful wild flowers thrive amidst this acidic landscape. Lovely post. Can’t wait to get there.

  2. Mary-andering Creatively

    Beautiful area. You take beautiful pictures. I enjoyed reading about Iceland. ;) I have never been there.

  3. I want to visit this place even though this is the first I’ve heard of it. You make it sound like such a great outing. The steam reminds me of the Owakudani Great Boiling Valley in Japan. I’ve never seen a geyser in actual life and had no idea that the word had Icelandic origins. I love pictures of your kids in the flowers and with the wooden statue, too.

  4. I want to visit Iceland now–what natural beauty!! No gimmicks, just gorgeous blue pools. I wildflowers are vibrant!! Lovely pictures.
    Ann

  5. No but I would love to. Pity that I am so far away at the moment! And when I was close I didn’t think the flights were worth the money. How silly of me.

  6. This whole area reminded us of Yellowstone too including the pleasant drives around the Golden Circle. There weren’t that many geysers and other hot springs though.

  7. Wow, I want to go! Last summer I took my then ten-year-old daughter to Iceland- we spent some time trekking to Reykjajalur, another area with geothermal springs (no geysirs, however!). It was one of our favorite activities in over two months of traveling across Europe. Your photos/description make me want to revisit Iceland. It’s truly a magical place!

  8. I would love to go to Iceland. The geysers remind me as well a lot of Yellowstone. Love your photos, the one from the hot spring Blesi is absolutely stunning.

  9. I have always wanted to go to Iceland and am waiting until my little one is older. Love the geysers as these are great entertainment for kids! We went to northern California and saw our first geyser there that many people don’t know about – we waited an hour before the it set off but once it did it was really cool… sounds even better in Iceland!

  10. Your pictures are stunning Mary and you were so lucky to have such good weather too! I loved watching the powerful Strokkur Geysir erupting, and couldn’t tear myself away from waiting to watch it erupt after each time it happened. Hahahaha your kids are right, I definitely agree with the ‘bad egg smell’!. Hope your having a phenomenal time exploring another part of Europe this summer!

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