The thermal field Haukadalur is located in the southwest of Iceland and impresses with the active geyser Strokkur and the azure shimmering spring Blesi.
One of the main attractions in Iceland - the land of geysers - is the "Great Geyser" and the geyser "Strokkur". Both are located in the most famous geothermal field of Iceland, in Haukadalur in the Biskupstungur region in the southwest of the country. The entire volcanic region is one of our top 10 sights of Iceland.
The geysers of Haukadalur are part of the "Gullni hringurinn" ("Golden Circle") - the name given to the main sights in the south of Iceland, which also include the Gullfoss waterfall and the historical and geological site of Þingvellir. Right next to the geysers you can find the azure thermal spring Blesi and the "Litli Geysir".
The best view of the entire thermal field, including the eruptions of Strokkur, is from a vantage point on the red hill, to which a narrow path leads up.
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PICTURES: Thermal field Haukadalur
Photo gallery: Great Geyser and Geyser Strokkur (thermal field Haukadalur)
The Great Geyser
The Great Geyser was one of the main attractions for travelers to Iceland until the end of the 19th century. Originally, it spewed a fountain of water up to 60 meters high into the air pretty much every half hour. The Great Geyser reached its record height in 1845 with a height of 170 meters. Until the turn of the century, its activity decreased more and more, until it finally stopped its work completely in 1915.
For a time in the 1970s, the Great Geyser was regularly "revived" for tourists by means of several kilos of soft soap. However, this action was stopped again after the intervention of environmentalists.
Then, in 2000, it became active again due to an earthquake in southern Iceland and reached an eruption height of over 120 meters on some days. Since then, however, its activity has been very irregular. The chance to see the Great Geyser live in action is extremely low and if it does, there are usually only small eruptions with a maximum height of 10 meters.
The geyser Strokkur
The Strokkur (in German: "Butterfass") is today the reliable partner of the Great Geyser. It is only about 200 meters away and tirelessly hurls its boiling hot water up to 30 meters into the air every 10 minutes, hissing and steaming.
Caution: Please pay attention to the barriers, many careless tourists have already scalded themselves dangerously by too much curiosity.
Source Blesi
Not far from the Strokkur is the thermal spring Blesi, which consists of 2 basins. In the upper basin is boiling hot water, which pours into the basin below. There the water cools down to "only" 40°C and takes on a bright azure color. The explanation for this: the minerals contained in the water reflect the light in blue color due to the lower temperature in this basin.
