Active geysers are a frequent reason to visit Iceland for many tourists. Because this island is full of hot springs and there is frequent volcanic activity (but you will almost never feel it) you will find here the place where the oldest geyser in the world is named, according to which it was named for all other activities of this type.
Icelandic Geysir is about an hour’s drive from the capital Reykjavik, but this geyser is no longer active. But you do not have to be disappointed at all, because in the same area lies another geyser and Strokkur, which is active and very often.
Strokkur Geyser is located in the area called the Golden Circle, which is one of the most visited places in Iceland, is as well known as the Blue Lagoon near the airport in Keflavík.
Strokkur Geyser
During the season there is a large number of tourists, but the big advantage of this Icelandic attraction is that there is no admission fee and you can find a parking space free of charge.
What can you look forward to?
The geyser takes action every ten minutes, but it’s not easy to guess when an eruption will come, so if you want a photo just while the geyser is jetting, you must be patient and alert.
Why does a geyser erupt?
Geysers only occur in a few places on Earth, where specific hydrogeological conditions prevail, and so this is a relatively rare phenomenon.
Geyser eruption
Geysers are associated with volcanically active areas, as the glowing magma below the surface supplies the water needed to overheat and form the geyser.
Surface or underground water seeps through the system of cracks into the underground to a depth of about 2000 meters, where it comes into contact with hot rocks, resulting in heating, overheating and explosive displacement of water and steam onto the surface and geyser formation.
Water eruptions reach different heights depending on the pressure reached underground and can reach several tens of meters. Water eruptions are often regular and occur whenever water accumulates in the underground supply routes and overheats. – Wiki resource
What to see around the geyser?
As I mentioned, the geyser is located in the Golden Circle area, where you will also find other interesting places. Among the most famous is definitely the Gullfoss waterfall, which is about half an hour away from the geyser by car. So if you have time, it is worth planning to visit a waterfall in one trip.
Gullfoss waterfall
On the way south you can visit another smaller Faxi waterfall, which you can find in the direction of village Reykholt.
Waterfall Faxi
If you go south on road 30, in the direction of town Flúdir then I recommend to stop at the canyon called Brúarhlöð. It is not very well known locality, but it is definitely worth stopping, Olfusá water has really cyan color.
Brúarhlöð Canyon
In Flúdir, you can visit the hot springs of the Secret Lagoon, which are naturally and less frequented by tourists compared to the “commercial” Blue Lagoon.
Read this: Blue lagoon vs Secret lagoon comparison
Secret Lagoon in Fludir
How far is strokkur Geysir from Reykjavik?
From Reykjavik to the geyser Strokkur is the distance about 100 km with a road number 36 and then 365.
If you are traveling from Reykjavik, then you have the option of choosing two routes. You can take the northern one, past Lake Thingvallavatn on road number 36.
The second option is then the southern road, where you drive through Hveragerdi to Selfoss and then turn north on road no. 35, which runs past the mentioned Faxi Waterfall and Kerid Crater.
If you are coming from the other side of Iceland, you can turn off the main road onto road number 30 which will take you to Flúdir and further towards Gullfoss waterfall.
Then it is up to you which of the places you visit first, the waterfall or geyser.
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