The word ‘geyser’, meaning a hot spring of water and steam, is a derivation of the hot spring, ‘Geysir’ which is located in the Haukadalur valley, a few kilometres from Gullfoss. It was first mentioned in Icelandic literature in 1294 when the valley was hit by a series of strong earthquakes and a devastating eruption of Mount Hekla.

Geysir had been dormant for many years but on the 17 June 2000, Iceland’s Independence Day, a series of earthquakes hit the south of Iceland and since then, Geysir has been erupting almost daily and sometimes several times each day.

About 100 metres from Geysir is the smaller geysir Strokkur which erupts every 10 minutes or so and, as such, is the area’s main attraction.