Rauðihver

Kerlingarfjöll, Highlands, Central Iceland, Iceland

Location: Kerlingarfjöll, Highlands, Central Iceland, Iceland
Water type: sulfurous
Temperature: 55 °C
pH: 6.5

Water profile

Thermicity

Sedative

55 °C

LowHigh

Relaxing — deep, immediate muscle release.

Mineralisation

Bio-active

LowHigh

Rich in active gases or metals — a strong mineral character.

Buoyancy

Standard buoyancy

LowHigh

Soft water — natural, classic buoyancy.

SoufreSulfuresSulfates

Rauðihver — 'Red Spring' — is a geothermal hot spring in Iceland whose name captures the vivid reddish-orange colour of the mineral deposits and iron-rich earth that surrounds the spring outlet, stained by the oxidation of iron minerals in the geothermally heated water. Such colourful hot springs are a characteristic feature of Iceland's volcanic landscape, where the chemical richness of geothermal water creates a palette of mineral hues — red, orange, yellow, green, and blue — across the volcanic terrain. Rauðihver is both a geological spectacle and a geothermal spring of genuine mineral interest.

Insider tip — Rauðihver — Red Spring — owes its name to the iron-rich mineral deposits that stain the silica apron around the vent in shades of deep rust and brick red. It sits within the dense geothermal cluster of Ásgarður valley in the Kerlingarfjöll highlands, where dozens of springs, fumaroles, and mud pots occupy a compact area. The color contrast between the red deposits, white silica terraces, and the dark rhyolite ridge behind makes this one of the most photogenic individual vents in the complex. Sulfurous gases are noticeable and visitors should stay on marked paths to avoid thin crusts over hidden hot water.

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