Kleppjárnsreykir: West Iceland’s Geothermal Greenhouse Village

A few kilometres west of Reykholt in the Reykholtsdalur valley, the small settlement of Kleppjárnsreykir sits on top of one of West Iceland’s richest geothermal resources. It’s easy to drive past — there’s a school, a kindergarten, a small shop, a campsite and a swimming pool — but the reason the village exists where it does is underground: hot water, and lots of it, feeding greenhouses that grow food through the Icelandic winter.

Why Greenhouses Cluster Here

Kleppjárnsreykir’s greenhouse tradition is old by Icelandic standards. A number of the village’s inhabitants are greenhouse growers who pipe naturally hot water into their glasshouses instead of burning fuel to heat them — the same basic principle used across Iceland’s greenhouse regions, with electricity from hydro and geothermal power running supplemental lighting through the darkest months.

Deildartunguhver: The Hot Water Behind It

The heat comes from next door. Deildartunguhver, a few kilometres away and often cited as the highest-flow hot spring in Europe, discharges around 180 litres of roughly 97°C water every second. Its water is piped to heat homes as far away as Akranes and Borgarnes, and it also feeds greenhouse operations in the immediate area. At the spring itself, a seasonal stall sometimes sells tomatoes grown in nearby geothermal greenhouses.

What Kleppjárnsreykir Grows — and What You Can Buy

Vegetables and berries from Kleppjárnsreykir’s greenhouses are sold both locally, sometimes directly from the growers, and into wider Icelandic retail. Iceland’s geothermal greenhouse sector as a whole is best known for tomatoes, along with peppers and cucumbers. There is no single named tourist farm here — treat any produce stop as opportunistic rather than guaranteed.

• Location: Kleppjárnsreykir, Reykholtsdalur, Borgarbyggð, West Iceland, on Route 50
• Nearby landmark: Deildartunguhver hot spring, roughly 3 km away
• What’s grown: tomatoes and other geothermally heated greenhouse produce; check for seasonal roadside sales
• Also on site: village swimming pool, small shop, campsite, elementary school
• Distance from Hvítá Trucks: roughly 30–35 minutes by car

Where to Stay

Base yourself at Hvítá Trucks, converted expedition trucks parked on the bank of the Hvítá river at Hvítárbakki — close enough for an easy half-day loop out to Kleppjárnsreykir and Deildartunguhver and back before dinner. Book direct on Ourhotels.is for the best rate.

Photo: Rob Oo via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.