Gullfoss waterfall, Geysir Strokkur and Kerid crater

Short summary:

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Travelling further along the Golden Circle route, within less than two hours from Thingvellir you get to the next three highlights of the area:

• 1 - Geysir / Strokkur geyser
• 2 - Gullfoss waterfall
• 3 - Kerid waterfall

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Location: HERE
Islandic name: Geysir

Strokkur is a geyser located in the Geysir area of southwestern Iceland. It is one of the most active geysers in the world and erupts every few minutes, shooting a column of boiling water and steam up to 30 meters into the air. The eruptions of Strokkur are both powerful and dramatic and are a highlight of any visit to the Geysir area.

Strokkur was formed thousands of years ago as a result of volcanic activity in the area and is powered by a subterranean heat source. The geyser works by heating water in a narrow underground chamber, causing it to build up pressure and eventually burst through the surface in a dramatic eruption.

Visitors to the Geysir area can observe the eruptions of Strokkur from a viewing platform and learn about the geological processes that form geysers and hot springs. The Geysir area is also home to several other hot springs and geysers, including the Great Geysir, which was once one of the most famous geysers in the world and gave the Geysir area its name.

There is a huge parking area nearby with shops, souvenirs, restaurants etc. In fall was plenty of space for everybody but we can imagine that during summer time this can become really crowdy. You have probably heard of the term “geysir” or “geyser” as a synonym for erupting natural hot springs. This one is the original, that gave its name to all the others in the world. Although Geysir does not erupt very often anymore, it’s little brother Strokkur is still very active. Strokkur erupts every 5 to 10 minutes in a vey impressive way. First, the water in the pond starts vibrating, then you can see the water surface forming a huge bubble which finally erupts and shoots a column of boiling water and steam up to 30 meters into the air. It’s really fascinating to watch over and over again.

Of course, there is a visitors center and a large parking lot for your convenience.

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Location: HERE
Islandic name: Gullfoss

This one is really spectacular and a must-see in Iceland! From Geysir, it is only a few minutes drive down the road to Gullfoss waterfall. You can already hear the tossing waterfall from the parking lot. From there, you can (and should!) take the trail that takes you very close to this enormous waterfall. The water first cascades down the Hvítá River and then drops into a deep canyon creating huge clouds of mist.

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Location: HERE
Islandic name: Kerið crater sea

We found this volcanic crater on by coincidence and as it was on our way to our next stop we thought, why not stop and have a look – not expecting anything very spectacular and thinking it is a rather small spot. Turns out, we were wrong!

Again, a big parking lot, tourist busses and even a small entry fee (400 ISK / less than 3 EUR) had to be paid. For that, you received a brochure with some interesting information and were allowed to discover the crater by foot. You can walk along the rim on top of it and also take a path down to the crater lake. And it is actually bigger than it might look in the pictures – about 700 meters in diameter.

One fascinating fact that we remembered is that the lake is connected to the ground water and it rises and falls with the ground water level.

For us this was one of the spots which we have underestimated. It's really impressive to see and also the surrounding landscape was impressive to see. The way up and down the crater is okay for people who are good on foot but for older people und people with limitations this could be exhausting. So please take care and watch your steps!