Krýsuvík

A Landscape on the Fault Line

Krýsuvík sits directly on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge — the tectonic boundary where the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart. The earth here is visibly alive. Steam rises from cracks in the ground, mud pots bubble and spit, and the soil is stained in vivid yellows, reds, and whites by sulphur and mineral deposits. The landscape shifts and changes with each earthquake and each season.

The broader Krýsuvík area on the Reykjanes Peninsula encompasses several distinct sites spread across a volcanic terrain that ranges from geothermal fields to dark tectonic lakes to sea cliffs teeming with birdlife. It is one of the most geologically dynamic places in Iceland, all within 40 minutes of Reykjavik.

Lake Kleifarvatn

The drive to Krýsuvík from Reykjavik passes along the shore of Kleifarvatn — one of Iceland's deepest and most mysterious lakes. The dark water fills a tectonic fissure, with no visible river feeding it and no stream draining it. Water enters and leaves through underground channels in the porous lava.

After a powerful earthquake in June 2000, the lake level dropped dramatically as new fissures opened in the lakebed. Over the following years, it slowly refilled. Today, it sits in its barren lava landscape looking like something from another planet — dark, still, and deep. On a grey day, the atmosphere is genuinely eerie.

The Geothermal Fields

The Seltún geothermal area is the most visited part of Krýsuvík. Boardwalks lead through a colourful landscape of steaming fumaroles, boiling mud pots, and mineral-crusted ground. The colours are extraordinary — bright yellow sulphur, deep red iron oxide, white silica, and grey mud, all mixed together in patterns that shift with the geothermal activity.

The heat comes from magma relatively close to the surface, heating groundwater that emerges as steam and boiling pools. The smell of hydrogen sulphide (rotten eggs) is strong and inescapable. Stay on the boardwalks — the ground between the marked paths can be thin crust over boiling water.

Krýsuvíkurberg Sea Cliffs

To the south, the Reykjanes Peninsula drops into the Atlantic at Krýsuvíkurberg — a dramatic stretch of sea cliffs rising 45 metres from the ocean. These cliffs host one of Iceland's largest seabird colonies, with thousands of guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, and fulmars nesting on the ledges during summer. The access road is rough, but the reward is a wild, windswept viewpoint with birds wheeling below you and the Atlantic stretching to the horizon.

Getting There

From Reykjavik, take Route 42 south across the Reykjanes Peninsula. The drive passes Lake Kleifarvatn and reaches the Seltún geothermal area after about 40 minutes. Continue south for the Krýsuvíkurberg cliffs. The main road is paved, with gravel sections for the cliffs. No entry fees for any of the sites. Combine the whole area into a half-day loop drive from Reykjavik.