The main points
- Boat tours on the lagoon are priced from 16,900 ISK for the Zodiac, and Reykjavik day tours with a boat ride start from US$288.[1][2]
- The amphibian boat season at the lagoon runs May-Nov and the trip takes 30-40 minutes; the Zodiac boat tour lasts 1 hour 15 minutes.[1][3]
- Jokulsarlon sits 236 miles (380 kilometers) east of Reykjavik along Route 1, a five-hour direct drive.[4]
- Ice that breaks off Breiðamerkurjökull drifts through the lagoon and washes ashore on the black volcanic sand of Diamond Beach.[5]
- The Reykjavik: Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride & Diamond Beach Day Tour is listed as 14 hours, with pickup available.[2]
- Top choice Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride from US$288 Duration14 hours[2]Rating4.61 from 268 reviews[2]GuideLive tour guide: English[2]BookingReserve now & pay later[2] Check availability
- Lagoon & Diamond Beach from US$232 Duration14 hours[6]Rating4.67 from 3,935 reviews[6]GuideLive tour guide: English[6]BookingReserve now & pay later[6] See this tour
- South Coast & Diamond Beach from US$232 Duration14 - 15 hours[7]Rating4.55 from 1,424 reviews[7]GuideLive tour guide: English[7]BookingReserve now & pay later[7] See this tour
Diamond Beach in Southeast Iceland is known for its black volcanic sand scattered with clear glacial ice. These ice fragments break off from Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet glacier of the Vatnajökull ice cap, drift through Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, and wash ashore along the coast.
The boat ride day tour from Reykjavik
Prepare for the day
On the day
- Dress for cold wind off the ice, even in midsummer.
- Sunglasses help; ice and water throw a lot of glare.
- Stay close to your guide at the lagoon and on the beach.
- Public toilets and a café are available at Jokulsarlon.[8]
What a Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon Zodiac boat tour is
Jokulsarlon is the wide, grey-blue lagoon on Iceland's south coast where icebergs break off Breiðamerkurjökull and drift slowly towards the sea.[9] Some of the ice is small enough to hold, some is the size of a house, and it tips and cracks as it floats, so the surface is never the same twice. The Zodiac boats are the fast, open, rigid-hulled craft that run out among the bergs. A zodiac boat tour of Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon puts you almost at water level, close enough to see the deep blue inside the ice and to hear it fizz as it melts.
The Zodiac boat tour at the lagoon lasts 1 hour 15 minutes, with total duration about 2 hours once the run out and back is counted.[1] It is priced from 16,900 ISK.[1] The slower amphibian boat is the other way onto the water: its season runs May-Nov and the trip takes 30-40 minutes.[3] One ride is low, fast and open to spray; the other is a gentle float with a roof. If a Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon zodiac tour is the reason you are coming this far east, book the fast one.
The lagoon is 248 meters (814 feet) deep and is the deepest lake in Iceland.[10] Seals are sighted on a regular basis here, sometimes as a grey head surfacing between the ice, and they are easier to watch from the water than from the shore.[11] Keep your camera ready and your gloves on.
Getting from Reykjavik to the lagoon
Jokulsarlon sits 236 miles (380 kilometers) east of Reykjavik along Route 1. The direct drive takes five hours, and with South Coast sightseeing stops on the way it takes seven to eight hours.[4] That is one way only. A same-day round trip is a serious amount of driving, and letting a guide take the wheel is the easier plan.
From Vik, the last sizeable village on the route, the lagoon is a further 192 kilometers (118 miles) one way.[12] The road east crosses wide grey gravel plains, passes the turn for Skaftafell and then runs beneath Vatnajokull, the ice cap that fills the left-hand horizon for much of the second half of the drive. It is a landscape of waterfalls, black sand and sheep, with very few towns.
The Reykjavik: Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride & Diamond Beach Day Tour is listed as 14 hours, with pickup available.[2] Other Reykjavik day tours on the same route are listed at 14 hours, 14.5 hours and 14 - 15 hours.[6][7][13] Starting times appear when you check availability.[2]
Ice on black sand at Diamond Beach, where the lagoon meets the Atlantic.
Diamond Beach, the black sand stop beside the lagoon
Diamond Beach is a black volcanic sand beach in Southeast Iceland scattered with clear glacial ice.[5] The ice breaks off Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet glacier of the Vatnajokull ice cap, drifts through Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and washes ashore along the coast.[5] It looks staged even though it is not: clear chunks of ice sitting on black sand, glowing when the sun comes through them.
Walk the beach slowly and never turn your back on the water. The ice on the sand is slippery, and the surf here is stronger than it looks, so keep a safe distance from the waterline and do not climb onto a floating chunk. Mornings and evenings give the softest light, when the sun comes in along the beach rather than from behind you.
On the Reykjavik: Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride & Diamond Beach Day Tour, the lagoon comes first and Diamond Beach follows it, with Vik and Seljalandsfoss on the way back.[2] Those two stops are the part of the South Coast that people drive this far to see.
Which Reykjavik day tour to book for the boat ride
The Reykjavik: Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride & Diamond Beach Day Tour is listed from US$288 and runs 14 hours, with a boat ride on the lagoon built into the day.[2] The Reykjavik: Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon & Diamond Beach Tour is listed from US$232 for 14 hours.[6] From Reykjavik: Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach is listed from US$232 and runs 14 - 15 hours.[7]
Other options on the same road include the Reykjavik: South Coast, Diamond Beach, and Jökulsárlón Tour, listed from US$231 for 14.5 hours, and the From Reykjavik: Glacier Lagoon and Fjaðrárgjúfur Canyon Tour, listed from US$236 for 15 hours, which adds the canyon to the lagoon and the beach.[13][14]
On ratings, the boat ride day tour stands at 4.61 from 268 reviews, the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon & Diamond Beach Tour at 4.67 from 3,935 reviews, and the From Reykjavik: Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach tour at 4.55 from 1,424 reviews.[2][6][7] All three are long days out of Reykjavik with a live guide in English.[2][6][7]
from US$288
Reykjavik pickup, the South Coast, Jokulsarlon lagoon, Diamond Beach and a boat ride on the ice, all in one day.[2]
Seasons: boats, ice caves and the light
The ice caves under Vatnajokull are only accessible during the winter months, from November and usually throughout March, depending on the weather.[15] Kayaking on the lagoon is a summer activity.[16] The amphibian boat season runs May-Nov.[3] There is no single best month here, only different versions of the same landscape: white and blue in winter, green and grey under long daylight in summer.
Winter brings short daylight, which compresses everything. A day tour out of Reykjavik in midwinter leaves and returns in the dark, with the middle of the day doing all the work. In midsummer the same drive happens in near-continuous light, and the ice on Diamond Beach looks different again in the golden hours late in the evening.
Check your dates against the season of whatever you most want to do: a Zodiac ride, a kayak and an ice cave do not all run at the same time of year. Weather decides a lot in Iceland, and schedules can shift with little notice, so keep the plan loose enough to move things around.
What to wear and how the day runs
Pack for wind and wet rather than for cold alone. A waterproof shell, a warm mid layer, a hat and gloves make a boat ride on an iceberg lagoon far more comfortable, and sunglasses help when the light bounces off the water. Shoes with grip are worth having for gravel paths and for the ice on the beach.
The Reykjavik: Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride & Diamond Beach Day Tour is listed as 14 hours, which is a full day from an early start to a late return.[2] Eat properly before you leave, carry water and snacks, and expect to get back to Reykjavik in the evening. There is a café at the lagoon itself.[8]
Pickup is available on the boat ride day tour, and the options and starting times show up when you check availability.[2] Bring a power bank, because cold drains phone batteries fast and you will take a lot of photographs. A dry bag for the camera is worth the space.
Facilities, films and where to stay nearby
Public toilets and a café are available at Jokulsarlon.[8] The lagoon has also been on screen: it was used as a filming location for A View To A Kill, Die Another Day and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.[17] Standing on the shore with the ice drifting past is the moment the day is built around.
If you would rather not drive back the same night, Hotel Jokulsarlon is an accommodation option in the Icelandic countryside near the lagoon.[18] Staying out east gives you the lagoon in evening light and a much shorter run back the next morning, which suits photographers and anyone who dislikes long drives in the dark.
For a first trip, the simple answer is a guided day out of Reykjavik with the boat ride included, booked before you arrive and kept flexible enough for Icelandic weather. The lagoon, the icebergs, the seals and Diamond Beach are then somebody else's logistics for the day.
From prices for Reykjavik day tours that reach the lagoon
US dollar from prices as listed for each of these Reykjavik departures.[2][6][7][13][14]
From prices per adult, in US dollars
US dollar from prices as listed for each tour.[2][6][13][14]
When things run on the lagoon
How to plan the day
Sort the date
Decide whether you want the lagoon in winter ice or under summer light, then look at what runs in that window.
Book the day tour
Reserve the Reykjavik: Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride & Diamond Beach Day Tour and check the pickup options for your address.
Pack for weather
Waterproof shell, warm layers, gloves, a hat, sunglasses and shoes with grip. Cold wind off the ice is the norm.
Plan the boat ride
The Zodiac ride lasts 1 hour 15 minutes, about 2 hours in total, and is priced from 16,900 ISK.[1]
Keep the evening free
A 14 hour day tour from Reykjavik finishes late, so keep the evening free.[2]
Ready for the lagoon, the icebergs and Diamond Beach?
from US$288
