Strokkur Geyser

Strokkur Geyser: power of nature

Geysir is one of the most famous natural phenomena in Iceland, located in the Haukadalur area. The most famous geyser in this area is Strokkur, which erupts regularly every 5 to 10 minutes. As Strokkur prepares to erupt, you can watch bubbles form on its surface and the water gradually rises. Then suddenly the water erupts to a height of up to 20 metres, which is an incredible sight.

Road to the geyser area

You can’t visit Iceland and not see erupting geysers. This is also the reason why you meet most tourists in this place. Your journey starts at the free parking lot, from where you will follow a marked trail to the Strokkur Geyser. Although the area is beautiful, you won’t pay attention to it at first . After a few minutes, you’re at your destination and you’ll easily recognize it by the amount of people.

Strokkur Geyser

Take one of the benches and enjoy waiting for the theatre performance. As the water begins to ripple and bubble, the geyser prepares for its explosion. Occasionally, it will calm down even without the explosion and the whole show will start anew. Oftentimes, the bigger and more circular the waves are, the bigger the explosion you can expect. Some are smaller, reaching barely two meters, but if you take your time and wait, you will see it in its full glory.

During our visit, it exploded every 6 minutes on average and we barely had time to get ready. Keep your phone and camera handy, catch one or two explosions and then just enjoy.

Watching the eruptions of Strokkur and admiring its beauty is certainly one of the most unforgettable experiences on Iceland. When you manage to capture this amazing force of nature, you’ll feel a connection to the planet like nowhere else. But don’t spend all your time just on your phone trying to capture the most beautiful moment.

Surroundings of geysers

Surrounding geysers offer rich geothermal activity with many hot springs and mud pits. Here the colours are fascinating – from the yellow and orange iron oxides to the blue and green tones of the minerals. Littered with herbs and different types of vegetation, the landscape around Geysir and Strokkur gives the area a unique appearance.

Steam will escape from ponds and pits all around you like little chimneys of invisible houses.

How to get here?

There are many organized tours and buses to the geysers, but this makes the place overcrowded. When we arrived, there was a large group of people with us, who left after a while, and we enjoyed the place with almost no people. Going here on your own allows you to not get caught between people standing at the edge.

We came here by car from the Brúarfoss Waterfall and the journey took about 20 minutes. If you drive from Þingvellir Park, expect to be on the road for about an hour.

Advice to wrap up

When visiting the geysers, it is important to follow the safety instructions and stay on the marked trails. Temperatures of the water and mud in the area can reach extremes, so caution should be exercised. Don’t climb over the railings – you never know when the next eruption will come and how strong it will be.

Set aside enough time – at least 40 minutes, so that you can take photos/videos and enjoy the splendour at the same time.

Take a walk around the area.

Don’t buy souvenirs in the shop by the geyser – the prices in this shop were the highest we found in Iceland for the same souvenirs as in other shops.