Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
One of my most anticipated tours of this trip was to see the diamond ice beach and glacial lagoon.
Last year we were supposed to road trip around Iceland and had booked an Airbnb on the east coast. This year we booked one Airbnb in Reykjavik to home base and doing a combination of self drive tours and guided tours. I booked the South Coast and Jökulsárlón Glacier Tour via Viator and honestly, it was hands down the best idea. We met at 8:00am and didn’t get back until almost midnight. We started the day with rainy weather and it cleared up enough to enjoy the day but I cannot imagine us driving ourselves. Along the way we stopped at Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss and had a lunch break in Vik. The weather wasn’t great so we didn’t walk around Vik much until we stopped back for dinner, and by then we were too exhausted.
Gorgeous multi-colored icebergs in the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, Iceland. June 2023
After another 2.5 hour drive we made it to Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon - Jökulsárlón literally translates to “glacier river lagoon.” Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon is Iceland’s most famous glacier lagoon. It is located in the southern part of Vatnajökull National Park at the head of Breiðamerkurjökull glacier and developed as the glacier melted and receded from the edges of the Atlantic Ocean. Fun fact: this is the only place in Iceland where a glacier meets the sea!
Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon icebergs with sign describing how the icebergs get their colors
It did not disappoint! Our guide said this was the closest he had seen the glaciers in the river. The icebergs get their colors from the amount of air trapped within the ice and the black streaks are ash from past volcanic eruptions. The blue color is due to the fact that it absorbs all colors of the spectrum, except blue, which is reflected. I love the range of colors, I couldn’t get enough!
We had the opportunity to take a boat tour of the lagoon but it was so cold, windy, and misting that I didn’t want to do it. The girls also aren’t old enough for it but if we come back when they’re older we will definitely do it then. Since the sea water mixes with the glacial water here, the lagoon never freezes. Taking a rib boat tour would be so cool to do in the wintertime!
A short walk down the river leads to the diamond ice beach. The black sand is a combination of ash and pebbles. There were a couple of large pieces on the beach but a lot of the smaller pieces had been rolled in the black sand and lost their allure.
If you’re planning to visit Iceland, this is a must see tour! Unless you’re driving the entirety of the island or want more time to explore each location, I highly recommend taking a tour so you don’t have to self drive. It was well worth it.
