Þeistareykir

Steam comes straight out of the ground here, and nothing is fenced. Þeistareykir is a high-temperature geothermal area of steam vents and fumaroles, sitting in a volcanic system whose cones are extinct but whose heat is not. That heat is in use: a 90 MWe power station draws on the field, and industrial buildings stand in the middle of the view.

Mass tourism has not reached it. Having the whole field to yourself is the normal experience, in high summer as much as in spring. The absence of barriers is the character of the place and its risk at the same time — no railings, no marked route between the vents, and no one to tell you where the ground is safe.

• Nothing is fenced. Steam vents and fumaroles open in bare ground, with no barriers and no marked route between them.
• This is a working geothermal site. A 90 MWe power station runs on the field, and its buildings are part of what you see.
• Expect rain. Cloud and rain are the normal weather here, and hail falls even in midsummer. Bring waterproofs whatever the month.
• Some come away disappointed. One visitor in 2026 found the plant had taken the place over and thought there was nothing left to see.

Better: a dry day with cold, still air, when the steam from the vents stands up clearly instead of shredding sideways.

Avoid: planning around summer sunshine. Cloud and rain are the usual weather here, and hail falls even in midsummer.

Crowds play no part in the decision. Mass tourism has not found the field, and being alone on it is the normal experience — in August as much as in late April, before the sheep are let out onto the mountain.