Blue Lagoon

A man-made lagoon in a lava field on the Reykjanes peninsula, five kilometres from Grindavík and about twenty from Keflavík airport, and one of the most visited places in Iceland. The water is a byproduct: superheated water vented from the ground drives the turbines at the Svartsengi power station and then flows out here, at 37 to 39 degrees in the bathing area. Its milky blue comes from a high silica content, and the same silica settles as soft white mud on the bottom, which bathers spread on themselves. The water is rich in salts and algae too.