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About the Great GEYSIR
Geysir is much larger than what you would expect it to be, but it usually can go years by without any eruptions. The water can easily shoot up as high as 70m (230 feet) in the air that surely makes a sight to witness the power of nature. It is situated on the northern edge of the southern lowlands of Iceland, which is at an altitude of 105 -120m above the sea level. The hot springs are situated to the east of little mountain known as Laugafell.
Turning the Pages of History
The year 1294 is believed to be the year that witnessed massive earthquakes that eventually shook the ground and the fields of, now known Haukadalur, led to the creation of new geysers, but it did ruin some of the existing geysers as well. Geysir was initially found its name in the literature from the 18th century that was elaborated as one of the unusual natural phenomena and caught great attention then. It was due to earthquakes that woke Geysir up, nearly after 40years of hibernation period; this restarted the Geysir’s eruption activity. In 1845, Geysir was recorded to erupt up to 5577ft (170m) into the air. But a decline in the height was seen a year later, the water would shoot up to a height of only 141-177 ft (43-54m). It was until the earthquake of 1896 that made Geysir active erupting multiple times in a day nearly 1968 ft (60meters) in height. With time, the Geysir changed the eruption pattern, and in 1910, it erupted every 30minute. The eruptions increased to eight times a day in 2000 but came down to 3 times a day in 2003. As of today, Geysir’s activity is comparatively low, but don’t get disheartened, who knows, maybe you will get to witness nature’s unusual phenomenon when you visit.
The Great Geysir was affected by an earthquake again 2000 that made it to erupt up to 122 meters (400 ft) height, straight in the air that lasted for 2-days! This marked Geysir’s name in history as the highest known geysers, around the globe.
The nearby Strokkur geyser shows up more eruptions and more frequently than The Great Geysir. Strokkur’s eruption pattern was less affected by the massive earthquakes, it is recorded to erupt up to 98ft (30m) in every few minutes. Not just this, there are numerous small geysers and pools in the surrounding area as well.

The Golden Circle
Geysir in itself is enough to grab the attention of tourists from around the world. But the Great Geysir is a part of the most famous Golden Circle that takes you to Gullfoss Waterfall and Thingvellir National Park as well. These are the three most famous landmarks in Iceland and falls under the Golden Circle!
Don’t forget to visit The Geysir and experience The Northern Lights. This could be the most amazing experience of your life. The breathtaking view of the steam from Geysir with an all-natural backdrop of northern lights in the sky is not something you can miss when in Iceland.

How to get there?
Geysir is approximately 100 kilometers away from Reykjavik. It is on the route 35 or route 37 from Reykjavik via Thingvellir. It is less than 2 hours of drive from the capital and is easily accessible by car. You can either go all by yourself or can opt for a tour package that will surely include your visit to Gullfoss waterfall and Thingvellir National Park too.
Geysir geothermal area on a map
Interesting locations in the area
Locations
- Gullfoss
- Faxi waterfall
- Þingvellir National Park
- Helgufoss waterfall
- Þórufoss waterfall
- The Cave People
- Nesjavellir
Activities
Hotels & Restaurants
- ION Adventure Hotel
- Golden Circle Apartments
- Háholt
- Friðheimar Tomato Farm
- Efstidalur Farm