Strokkur Geyser Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

Strokkur Geyser Eruptions at Geysir Geothermal Area in Iceland

All right — get your mind out of the gutter.

Similar to its counterpart in the United States known as Old Faithful, Strokkur Geyser eruptions at Geysir Geothermal Area in Iceland — which some people also call Geysir Hot Springs — are reliable and rather easy to catch; and you do not need much time to wait until the next eruption if you missed the last one.

Strokkur Geyser Eruptions at Geysir Geothermal Area in Iceland

Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

Expect Geysir Geothermal Area to be crowded with plenty of visitors and tour buses — but that will not impede upon your overall experience. If you drive to this spot — which includes a visitor center — watch for pedestrians who must cross the road to get to the park itself.

Smidur Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

Upon entering the park, the hot spring named Smidur is one of the first features which visitors see. Smidur — which translates from Icelandic to English as The Smith — billows steam from the chimney of a small hut. One can easily climb the elevation of 613 feet up Laugarfjall Mountain — which is shown in the background behind Smidur — for a panoramic view of the Geysir Geothermal Area.

Stages of Eruption of Strokkur Geyser

Strokkur Geyser Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

The main attraction is Strokkur, which is a geyser that erupts every five minutes to every ten minutes…

Strokkur Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

…so visitors do not need to wait long to watch it in action, which is presented here in stages of one of its eruptions.

Strokkur Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

Strokkur means churn in Icelandic, which is what it seems to do prior to its eruption…

Strokkur Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

…and the eruption does come rather suddenly after it churns up steam.

Strokkur Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

Although the height of its eruption is usually between 50 feet and 70 feet into the air, it can sometimes erupt up to an elevation of 130 feet.

Strokkur Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

Because of the reliability of its eruptions, Strokkur is the most visited active geyser in Iceland — as well as one of the the most popular attractions on the Golden Circle sightseeing route, with Gullfoss Waterfall and Þingvellir National Park rounding out the top three with Strokkur.

Strokkur Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

Visitors are advised to stay within marked areas and stand back when a geyser erupts because the extremely hot water and steam can burn — not to mention the elements the water and steam contain, which can act as irritants to the skin and eyes.

Strokkur Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

As the structure of the tower of steam falls apart, what is notable about this thermal area is that it does not reek from a strong odor of sulphur.

Strokkur Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

The cloud of steam from the eruption can be thick enough to momentarily block much of the sun to anything and anyone who is in its shadow — and almost as fast as the eruption itself, the steam dissipates.

Strokkur Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

Viewing the eruption of Strokkur Geyser is possible from numerous viewpoints at Geysir Geothermal Area.

Strokkur Geyser Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

View two of the eruptions of Strokkur Geyser in this short raw video at the official YouTube channel of The Gate With Brian Cohen.

Geysir

Geysir Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

Geysir is the Icelandic name from which the English word geyser is derived — but although it does emit a fair amount of steam, Geysir ironically rarely erupts. On the rare occasion that it does erupt, Geysir sends its water and steam up to 560 feet into the air.

Geysir Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

Other Features at Geysir Geothermal Area in Iceland

Konungshver Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

As the largest and northernmost of the hot springs at Geysir Geothermal Area, Konungshver — whose name translates from Icelandic to English as The Royal Spring — does not erupt. Konungshver commemorates the visit in 1874 by Christian IX, who was the king of Denmark.

Konungshver Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

The blue colors in Konungshver occur when dissolved silica comes in contact with the atmosphere and provides contrast to the orange hues which surround it.

Blesi Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

Blesi is two different hot springs that are connected to each other, which resemble two blue eyes when viewed from above. Now currently dormant, Blesi is a geothermal feature which is located south of Konungshver but north of both Geysir and Stokkur Geyser.

Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

In the foreground of the above photograph viewing towards the southeast is Blesi, with Stokkur Geyser shown immediately in the background between eruptions.

Geysir Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

Watching visitors gawk at Strokkur Geysir with their mobile telephones to record all of the action in awe was almost as interesting — almost, but not quite — as watching the eruptions of the geyser itself.

Geysir Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

Litli-Geysir literally means little geyser in Icelandic. It may also mean little activity as well.

Geysir Geothermal Area Iceland
Photograph ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

Final Boarding Call

No admission fee is charged to visit Geysir Geothermal Area; and no fee is charged for parking a vehicle. Plenty of parking spaces are usually available if you plan on driving there instead of taking any of the numerous tours available — but as it is located along Highway 35 approximately 105 kilometers from Reykjavik, be prepared to spend at least one hour and 40 minutes to drive there.

Included in the area known as Geysir Center are two hotel properties, two restaurants, a gift shop, golf, a camp site, a spa, and facilities.

Please click here for links to additional articles of my experiences in Iceland via this Iceland: Itinerary and Master Guide.

All photographs ©2018 by Brian Cohen.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!