nature, Photography

Geysir Hot Springs

38 Comments

On May 30, 2024, we left Reykjavik, Iceland, in our rental car and stopping frequently to admire our surroundings, had a leisurely drive to Geysir Hot Springs.

Since 1647, all geysers have been called after these geysirs in Haukadalur, Iceland. The word geysir means “to gush,” and that’s certainly what they do, very dramatically and heatedly!

Strokker Geysir

The “original” geysir has erupted intermittently since the 13th century, but in more recent centuries it has stopped for years at a time; it is presently in a dormant state, but the nearby Strokker Geysir is still putting on a show.

This entire area is incredibly active with hot pools and much smaller geysirs everywhere.

Loads of hot water.
Littlest Geysir.

I tried to get a burst set of photos of the Strokker eruption but there was a healthy crowd doing some pushing and squeezing causing the camera to be jostled at the last second, so I didn’t really make any great shots.

The Strokker just at the start of its eruption.

The Strokker Geysir erupts approximately every seven minutes and reaches about 60 metres (200 ft). It’s very impressive if quick.

This is the best picture I have; as I indicated, my arm was jostled at the last second and I wasn’t able to get all of it in the frame.

Although it was about 12C (54F) out, the immediate area felt quite warm because of all the steam in the air.

Happy Monday.

38 thoughts on “Geysir Hot Springs”

  1. Great pics, Lynette. Of course Iceland is astride a tectonic split, so is gradually being ripped into two and will eventually form into two separate islands, which is why it is so volcanically active.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you very much, Stuart. Yes, it is, and it’s also busily adding to its landmass, as well. We were struck by how “new” it felt and looked and certainly you get a taste of our primordial history.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Great shots Lynette. Geysir did not erupt while we were on site, but as we driving by on our return we could see that it was just finishing. Guess you have to be patient, but not for several years. Thanks for sharing. Happy Monday. Allan.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you very much, Allan. Too bad you missed it! We saw the Geysir site and it’s certainly percolating away, but no signs of an eruption for a couple of years, now. We were told at the information centre that there has been some clogging of the underground conduits leading to Geysir and that the next earthquake will probably clear it!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, it certainly was. We became used to the sulphur smell and began to not notice it since there’s even a whiff of it when you turn on the water taps (outside of Reykjavik)! It was too bad about the pictures – I got some great burst shots of the sky, though. 😉 Cheers.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. This particular area is an easy day trip from Reykjavik, so there are lots of tourists, even in the shoulder months. We were still surprised at the numbers, though. Once we got further from Reykjavik they did thin out quite a bit. It was a shame I didn’t get better photos.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. The landscape here is fascinating with all the geysers, steam and other signs of geothermal activity. Despite being jostled and pushed by the crowds (how rude by the way), you still managed to get some nice shots of Stokker erupting.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It was funny, the crowds weren’t mega-huge – and there was lots of room on the other side of the eruption area – but people weren’t very polite or considerate. My sense was that many were checking this site off their “to do” list and not really enjoying or appreciating it.

      Agreed – it is fascinating. It felt very primordial; like seeing inside the history of the earth’s beginning. Thanks; the Stokker shots aren’t too bad but I had been hoping for a wider variety. Cheers.

      Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.