Great Geysir, Iceland: What the Tour Buses Don’t Tell You

The Great Geysir itself is largely inactive. The original geyser that gave every other geyser in the world its name (the Old Norse “geysa” means to gush) last erupted reliably in the 1950s. Occasional strong earthquakes coax it into activity for a few days before it goes quiet again. What you will actually watch is Strokkur, its younger and more energetic neighbour, which erupts every 5 to 10 minutes and shoots water 15 to 40 metres into the air.

This is not a disappointment. Strokkur is extraordinary, and you can get close enough to feel the heat on your face and watch the blue bubble of water that forms in the cone just before it blows. That bubble – the water dome that forms a second before the eruption – is the visual that most photos miss and that in person makes the mechanics of the thing suddenly comprehensible. Stand slightly upwind if you want to stay dry. Watching 10 or 15 cycles while walking around the field gives you a much better sense of the geology than a single viewing from a bus window.

The Geothermal Field

The Haukadalur geothermal area covers about 3 hectares of active ground. Beyond Strokkur and the dormant Great Geysir, there are smaller hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles scattered across the field.

The Blesi pool is worth finding: two separate pools side by side, one crystal clear and one milky turquoise because of dissolved silica, which makes the colour contrast look artificially dramatic. Konungshver sits at around 90 degrees Celsius with a deep cobalt colour.

Stick to the paths. The ground around active thermal features is thin in places and the water underneath is boiling. There have been incidents of visitors breaking through into scalding water after stepping off marked routes.

There is no entry fee for the geothermal area.

Getting There

The Haukadalur valley sits about 100 km northeast of Reykjavik, accessible via the Ring Road. Most visitors combine it with the Golden Circle route, which also includes Thingvellir National Park (where Iceland’s original parliament, the Althing, was established in 930 CE – the oldest functioning parliament in the world) and Gullfoss Waterfall. The full Golden Circle is about 230 km of driving from Reykjavik.

Tour buses arrive in waves from around 10am to 2pm. Arriving before 9am or after 4pm gives a much quieter visit.

The Secret Lagoon

Six kilometres from the Geysir site, the Gamla Laugin (Old Pool) in the village of Fludir opened in 1891 as a public swimming facility and is considerably less commercial than the Blue Lagoon near Reykjavik. The water temperature stays around 38 to 40 degrees Celsius year-round from a natural spring. There is a small geyser at one edge of the pool that erupts every few minutes, which you watch from the water. Entry is around 3,500 ISK; book ahead in summer.

Eating Near Geysir

Hotel Geysir, directly adjacent to the geothermal area, is the overnight option if you want to walk to the geyser at dawn or dusk when the coaches are gone. It is decent rather than outstanding.

Friðheimar farm restaurant, 10 km away near Reykholt, runs a tomato operation in a geothermally heated greenhouse and serves a tomato-focused lunch inside the greenhouse itself. It is one of the more interesting eating experiences on the Golden Circle route – partly the food, partly the novelty of eating lunch surrounded by tomato plants in a country where outdoor growing is impossible. Reservations required.

Practical Notes

Iceland’s weather changes fast. A warm morning can become horizontal rain by noon. Pack waterproof outerwear. In summer the sun does not set; this is initially magical and then slightly disorienting. Card payments are accepted everywhere; cash is unnecessary.