Kerið Crater
Kerið Crater features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Reykjavík. Give it roughly ~30 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type nature
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Reykjavík Reykjavík guide
About Kerið Crater
A deep volcanic crater ringed by rust-red and black rock, with a vivid aquamarine lake on its floor, sitting on private land along the Golden Circle route.
Kerið is a volcanic crater lake in the Grímsnes area of south Iceland, on the Golden Circle route about 55 kilometres from Reykjavík. It belongs to the Western Volcanic Zone and a row of craters called Tjarnarhólar. The crater is roughly 270 metres long, 170 wide and 55 deep, its steep walls red and black volcanic rock. A lake of vivid aquamarine fills the floor, its depth varying between about 7 and 14 metres through the year with the groundwater level.
The crater is often cited as one of the most intact and recognizable of its kind in the zone. Tourist material commonly gives its age as about 3,000 years, though geological dating points to a considerably older range, and the bowl is frequently called a caldera but is more accurately an explosion crater. It sits on private land, with a small entrance fee to walk the rim and descend to the lake.
Did you know? Kerið's walls are red and black volcanic scoria and basalt, and the lake on its floor glows a vivid aquamarine, among the most recognizable craters of its kind in the zone.
How long is a visit to Kerið Crater?
Set aside roughly ~30 min for Kerið Crater. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Kerið Crater worth your time?
Kerið Crater is among the 18 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Reykjavík, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Reykjavík
Day 2 of the Reykjavík in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Kerið Crater
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