Worthy Travelers

Thanks to its location on the mid-Atlantic ridge where tectonic plates diverge, Iceland is famous for its geothermal energy and is home to not only volcanoes, but also geysers. The most famous geothermal area in Iceland is Haukadalur Valley, which is one of only a handful of places in the world where you can see geysers. Not only that, but there are also hot springs, fumaroles and mud pots. And for those of you not familiar with all of these terms…

• A hot spring, also known as a geothermal spring or sometimes even a hydrothermal spring, is simply a natural spring that emits hot water due to geothermal energy generated from below.
• A geyser is a kind of hot spring in which the water reaches boiling point and periodically erupts withn a more violent discharge of water and steam.
• A fumarole is an opening on the earth’s surface (or any planet for that matter) where steam or volcanic gases are emitted.
• A mud pot is a hot spring or fumarole where water is in short supply

The Haukadalur Valley is easy to get to and is only a 1.5 hour drive east-northeast of Reykjavik, located on route 35 on the Golden Circle route, with parking just across the road.

Of course, it’s geysers that tend to ‘steal the show’ and there are two of note in the Haukadalur Valley. These are Geysir and Strokkur.

Geysir

Geysir – also sometimes known as Great Geysir – is the much larger of the two, and arguably the most famous geyser in the world, but rarely active. And by that, I mean it can be years between eruptions – the last time Geysir erupted was in February 2016 but this was…

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