Geysir and Strokkur

The Haukadalur geothermal field gave the world the very word geyser, from the Great Geysir that once shot water high into the air - the Icelandic verb geysa means to gush, and the name passed into English and then into most other languages. Geysir itself has been unreliable for a long time: its activity has fallen off and revived with earthquakes over the centuries, and for periods it was prompted with soap poured into the vent, a practice that has since stopped. What performs now is Strokkur, forty metres away, which erupts every few minutes to fifteen or twenty metres and occasionally much higher. The rest of the field is a scatter of hot pools, mud and steaming ground on marked paths, with the crust between them thin enough that leaving the route causes burns most seasons.

What you actually see

• Strokkur - the reliable geyser erupting every few minutes.
• The Great Geysir - the famous but now mostly dormant original.
• The geothermal field - the steaming, bubbling hot springs and pools.
• The blue eye - the vivid blue pool before an eruption.

When to go

Year-round; Strokkur erupts whatever the weather, and steam rising in the cold is dramatic. Early or late avoids the peak coach crowds.

Honest expectations

It is a busy Golden Circle stop, so crowds gather around Strokkur for the eruption. The boiling water is genuinely dangerous, so keep behind the ropes. It is a short stop rather than a long visit.

Nearby

Gullfoss is minutes away; Thingvellir completes the Golden Circle back toward Reykjavik.