Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon Amphibian Boat Tour: Ice, Seals and Diamond Beach

• Top choice Boat Ride & Diamond Beach from US$288 Duration14 hours^[3]Rating4.61 from 268 reviews^[3]GuideLive guide in English^[3]StopsDiamond Beach & Seljalandsfoss^[3]CancellationCancel up to 24 hours in advance^[3] Check availability
• Jökulsárlón & Diamond Beach from US$232 Duration14 - 15 hours^[4]Rating4.55 from 1,424 reviews^[4]GuideLive guide in English^[4]StopsDiamond Beach & Skógafoss^[4]CancellationCancel up to 24 hours in advance^[4] See this tour
• South Coast & Jökulsárlón from US$231 Duration14.5 hours^[5]Rating4.54 from 1,494 reviews^[5]GuideLive guide in English^[5]StopsDiamond Beach & Skógafoss^[5]CancellationCancel up to 24 hours in advance^[5] See this tour

What the Jokulsarlon amphibian boat actually is

The amphibian boat at Jökulsárlón is an odd, wonderful machine. It is a wide, flat-bottomed craft on wheels that rolls down a ramp at the water's edge, slips into the lagoon and becomes a boat. You sit on benches around a central deck, wearing a life jacket, and you move slowly between icebergs that have calved off the glacier and are drifting towards the sea. The ice is startlingly close, blue-white with dark streaks of volcanic ash frozen inside, and the water beneath it is black and glassy.

Out on the water a guide explains how Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet of Vatnajökull, feeds the lagoon.^[9] Jökulsárlón is 248 meters (814 feet) deep, the deepest lake in Iceland.^[10] Seals are sighted on a regular basis here, and you can get nearer to them from out on the water than from the shore.^[8] The whole experience feels less like a sightseeing cruise and more like floating through a slow-moving sculpture park of ice.

When the boats run and how long the trip lasts

The amphibian boat season at Jökulsárlón runs May-Nov and a trip takes 30-40 minutes on the water.^[1] That is short enough to fit into a long day tour from Reykjavík and long enough to get properly among the ice. Boats leave from the small harbour beside the parking area, and on busy afternoons a queue builds up, so give yourself a buffer before your slot and keep an eye on the clock if you are on a coach with a fixed departure time.

There is a faster option too. The Jökulsárlón Zodiac Boat Tour is priced from 16,900 ISK, the boat ride itself lasts 1 hour 15 minutes and the total experience runs about 2 hours.^[6] Zodiacs cover more water and get further from the shore, but you wear a full waterproof suit and you will come back with salt on your face. Kayaking is allowed on Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon during the summer season, a quiet, low-to-the-water way to see the same ice.^[11]

Ice that calved from Breiðamerkurjökull drifts across the lagoon before it reaches the sea.

Getting to Jökulsárlón from Reykjavík and Vík

Jökulsárlón is 236 miles (380 kilometers) east of Reykjavík along Route 1, a five-hour direct drive or seven to eight hours with South Coast sightseeing stops.^[2] If you are coming from the east, the distance from Vík to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon is 192 kilometers (118 miles) one way.^[12] The lagoon sits right beside the Ring Road, so you can pull in, park and be at the water within minutes of leaving the highway.

Driving it yourself in a single day means a lot of time behind the wheel, and in winter the daylight is short, so many travellers join a coach or van tour from Reykjavík that handles the road and folds in the big waterfalls on the way. On the Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride & Diamond Beach Day Tour the stops include Jökulsárlón, Diamond Beach, Stjórnarfoss and Seljalandsfoss.^[3] Other departures add Skógafoss, Vík and a lunch stop at a local restaurant.^[4]

One more thing to weigh up is how much of the day you want to spend in a seat. The lagoon is the far end of the journey, so the driving bookends the visit and the sightseeing happens on the way out and back. A self-drive trip gives you the freedom to stay at the ice as long as you like, while a coach tour removes the navigation and the fuel stops entirely.

Diamond Beach, ice on black sand

Diamond Beach is a black volcanic sand beach in Southeast Iceland, scattered with clear glacial ice that breaks off Breiðamerkurjökull, drifts through Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and washes ashore along the coast.^[13] It lies on the seaward side of the Ring Road, opposite the lagoon, and it is a stop on the Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride & Diamond Beach Day Tour from Reykjavík.^[3]

Come in low light and the ice glows against the black sand; come after a storm and the beach is strewn with fresh chunks that were not there the day before. It is film territory as well: Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon was used as a filming location for A View To A Kill, Die Another Day and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.^[14] Do not turn your back on the sea. Waves here arrive without warning, and the safest photographs are taken from well up the beach, away from the wet sand.

Dress for the beach as you would for the boat: warm layers, waterproof shoes and a hood that will not blow back. The sand is coarse and the ice is slippery where it sits on top of it, so walk slowly, watch your footing and keep to the drier sand above the tide line.

Which day tour from Reykjavík to book

For most visitors the easiest way to see the lagoon and the beach in one day is a coach tour from the capital. The Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride & Diamond Beach Day Tour is the pick here: it runs 14 hours, has a live guide in English, offers pickup options and comes with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.^[3] It is rated 4.61 from 268 reviews and costs from US$288.^[3]

There are cheaper departures. The South Coast, Diamond Beach, and Jökulsárlón Tour runs 14.5 hours, costs from US$231 and is rated 4.54 from 1,494 reviews.^[5] From Reykjavik: Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach costs from US$232, runs 14 - 15 hours and is rated 4.55 from 1,424 reviews.^[4] The Reykjavik: Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon & Diamond Beach Tour is another long-standing option at from US$232, 14 hours, rated 4.67 from 3,935 reviews.^[15]

If you prefer a smaller vehicle or your own guide, the South Coast with Diamond Beach Private Tour from Reykjavik runs 14 hours and costs from US$694.^[16] There is also a Chinese-language departure, the Reykjavik: Glacier Lagoon & Diamond Beach tour, which runs 15 hours from US$230.^[17] Whichever you choose, read the stop list before booking, because some departures linger at the lagoon while others hurry through it to fit in more waterfalls.

Ice caves, glacier walks and kayak trips

The lagoon is the gateway to Vatnajökull, and plenty of travellers pair a boat trip with time on the ice. Ice caves in the Vatnajökull region are only accessible during the winter months, from November and usually throughout March, depending on the weather.^[18] A Vatnajökull ice cave guided tour from Jökulsárlón lasts 3 hours and costs from US$164.^[19] Add a glacier walk and the day gets longer and more expensive: one ice cave and glacier walk combination runs 6 hours from US$242.^[20]

In summer, glacier hikes are the alternative, and most of them meet at the lagoon rather than in Reykjavík. A Vatnajökull glacier guided hiking tour takes 4.5 hours and costs from US$134.^[21] If you are staying near the lagoon, a 1.5 hour kayak tour on the water costs from US$159.^[22] Book these as separate experiences unless your operator bundles them, and check the meeting point carefully if you are driving yourself, because the ice tours often start on the other side of the lagoon.

Practical planning for a lagoon day

Facilities at the lagoon are simple but useful. Public toilets and a café are available at Jökulsárlón, so you can eat, warm up and reset before the drive back.^[7] If you would rather not turn straight around, Hotel Jokulsarlon is an accommodation option near the glacier lagoon.^[23] Otherwise, the larger service villages are back west along the coast, which is worth remembering when you plan fuel and food.

Weather on this coast changes quickly, so pack a waterproof outer layer, a warm mid layer, a hat and gloves even in midsummer, and shoes with grip for the boat ramp and the beach. Spray on the amphibian boat is limited compared with a Zodiac, but the wind over the water is cold. A dry bag for camera gear, a spare pair of socks and a flask of something hot are the small things you will be glad of on a long day out.

Plan your lagoon day

1. Fix your dates

   Check the boat season before you book flights. May-Nov is the amphibian season, and summer gives you the long days.^[1]

2. Choose how you travel

   Driving from Reykjavík is a five-hour trip direct, or seven to eight hours with stops, so many people book a day tour instead.^[2]

3. Book the boat with the tour

   Boat slots and coach seats are separate things, so confirm how you will get out on the water when you book your day.^[3]

4. Dress for the coast

   Take a waterproof shell, warm layers, hat, gloves and grippy shoes. The lagoon is cold even when Reykjavík feels mild, and the beach is windy.

5. Leave room for weather

   Ice caves run November to March depending on conditions, and roads can close, so a spare day takes the pressure off.^[18]

6. Add Diamond Beach

   Walk across the road from the lagoon to see the ice on the black sand, and keep well back from the surf.

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