Haukadalur Valley

Haukadalur Valley is a striking showcase of the Earth’s geothermal energy at work. Haukadalur Valley is most famous for being home to the Great Geysir, the hot spring that has lent its name to geysers worldwide. Although the Great Geysir itself is now mostly dormant, it once hurled boiling water as high as 70 meters, a testament to the immense underground forces at play.

Today, the star of Haukadalur is Strokkur, a geyser that erupts every 5 to 10 minutes, sending a powerful jet of water up to 30 meters high. The regularity and height of Strokkur’s eruptions make it one of the most reliable and impressive natural spectacles in Iceland. Visitors gather around, cameras poised, waiting for that sudden burst of energy that never fails to amaze.

But Haukadalur is not just about geysers. The valley is a geothermal hotspot, with a landscape dotted with steaming vents, colorful hot springs, and bubbling mud pools. The rich mineral content in the water and soil paints the earth in vivid hues—rusty reds, ochres, and sulfuric yellows—against a backdrop of stark, rugged terrain.

The geothermal activity here is fueled by a magma chamber deep beneath the surface, heating groundwater that then escapes through fissures in the Earth’s crust. This process has been shaping Haukadalur for thousands of years, and the evidence is all around, from the steam rising in the distance to the hissing and gurgling of the ground beneath your feet.