The Great Geysir is one of the most renowned tourist attraction in Iceland. Each year, this unique geothermal area is visited by the majority of Iceland travellers.

It is on exactly know when The Great Geysir was created, it is believed that its creation it was around the end of 13th century when a series of strong earthquakes and the eruption of Mt. Hekla hit Haukadalur valley where Geysir is located.

There is not much known about Geysir and its activity at first, only that it spouted regularly every third hours in the beginning of the 19th century and that it completely stopped in 1916. When it was alive and shooting it could blast a spectacular jet of extremely hot water into the air as high as 80 meters. The opening of Geysir is 18 meters wide and its chamber is 20 meters deep. 

It is thought that the English word “geyser” is derived from the Icelandic word “geyser”, which means gusher.

Even though the Great Geysir is now inactive the area surrounding it is geothermally very active and with many smaller hot springs. The main attraction now is Strokkur (The Churn). Strokkur is another geyser which erupts regularly every 10 minutes or so. Its white column of hot water can reach as high as 30 meters up in the air.

The whole geothermal park is sitting on top of a vast boiling cauldron, belching sulphurous mud pots of unusual colours, hot and cold springs, hissing steam vents and primitive plants can all be found there.

Live Webcam from Geysir - Click here to see how it looks right now!!

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