Amazing stop in Reykjanes

sign to site Rocky hillside above the lower vents Two bubbles in the mud about to burst Yellows, oranges, reds, grays, and greens paint the landscape


We picked up a booklet about things to do in and around Hafnarfjörður, to decide what to do on our last day. Our last day did include a flight out of Keflavik airport that afternoon and wanted to be at the airport by about 2. The booklet had photos of beautiful landscapes on the Reykjanes Peninsula and we decided to drive a little loop and visit some of the sites. The drive out of Hafnarfjörður was easy, but when we turned on to the road we had planned to take, it got a little rough pretty quickly. Don't expect pavement even though the road looks like a main road on the map. We drove along slowly and enjoyed the amazing views around each bend. It was not long before we saw the sign for Seltún on the right. It is one of those places that you may smell before you see if you have your windows open, but still work the stop.

Trail Around the Geothermal Area

Beginning of the path to the site The path further up Returning ont he loop path

The parking area lead to a decent bathroom on one side and a path on the other that is about a 5 minute loop if you were to walk fast around it, so this is not really a hike, but we were there for about a half hour or more just looking at everything. There are trails that branch from here that you can hike and can make more of a day of the trip. We chose to hike where a large water filled crater was across the street and into rough terrain.

Vent leaking steam Gray mud down the landscape Looking down on the site, the trail, and the parking lot

Gray mud bubbling out of the earth and steaming water at about 80º-100º C trickling by in front of us, and the ocean in the distance behind us laid out the contrast of the variations that Iceland has to offer. From this place we could also see the start of a trail on the other side of the road that we decided would be our next stop. We had no real hiking map and discovered that every once in a while we would just see a trail sign and we could get out of the car and start walking.

Hot stream trickles over a drop Hot sulfer rocks surround the stream Bubbling hot mud bubble bursts

This is a site worth seeing if you have at least half a day in the Reykjavik area. It is just a drive to the south west tip of Iceland and the drive shows some amazing landscapes. It was the perfect way to end the trip. If you have more time, there are trails branching off this area that we found enjoyable.