Kerið is a volcanic crater about 3,000 years old and 55 m deep, now filled with water to form a lake with steep, circular slopes, on the Golden Circle route in South Iceland near road 35 (South Iceland tourism board, read 7 November 2026). It is one of the stops added to the full-day Golden Circle tour, rated 4.7 out of 5 from 27,992 reviews, from €70 on 6 November 2026. This page contains partner links: if you book, we earn a commission at no cost to you.
Highlights
The crater lake
A volcanic crater about 3,000 years old and 55 m deep, filled with water; the slopes are steep and circular.
Tjarnarhólar
Kerið is part of a group of volcanic hills called Tjarnarhólar.
The Golden Circle stops
Visit Iceland lists Kerið among the other highlights of the route, next to Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss: Gullfoss, where about 100,000 litres of glacial water per second fall 31 m; Geysir, where Strokkur erupts every 8 to 10 minutes up to 30 m; and Þingvellir, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2004.
The nearby bishop's seat
Skálholt, the historic bishop's seat, is another highlight on the same loop, according to Visit Iceland.
The tour
The full-day Golden Circle tour with Kerid crater is the one we recommend: 4.7 out of 5 from 27,992 reviews, from €70 on 6 November 2026.
Practical info
Tips
- Kerið is a stop on a loop, not a day by itself. The loop is about 250 km from Reykjavík, takes 1 to 3 days, works all year and needs no 4x4 (Visit Iceland). Kerið is the smaller stop: if you only have time for three places, Gullfoss, Geysir and Þingvellir are the ones Visit Iceland describes in detail. A tour that includes the crater lets you see all four without driving. To compare tours see Golden Circle tours; for the other ways to get around see how to get around Iceland.
How to get there
Kerið lies in the Golden Circle area of South Iceland near road 35, at 64°2'27.6"N 20°53'5.6"W. From Reykjavík the circle is about 250 km, by rental car or on a guided day tour; see car rental in Iceland.
Opening hours
Nearby
See on the map →
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