The main points
- A private day from Reykjavík to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, run as a private group with an English speaking live guide.[1]
- From US$2150 for a 16 hour day, with starting times confirmed when you check availability.[1]
- Pickup is included on the private tour, and you check availability for the details of where and when.[1]
- Reserve now and pay later, and cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[1]
- Shared coach departures to the same lagoon start from US$232 and run 14 hours.[2]
| Private Jökulsárlón Glacier | Private South Coast & | South Coast & Diamond Beach | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From | from US$2150[1] | from US$1114[3] | from US$694[4] |
| Duration | 16 hours[1] | 14 hours[3] | 14 hours[4] |
| Group type | Private group[1] | Private group[3] | Private group[4] |
| Guide languages | English[1] | English, Spanish, German, Italian[3] | English, Russian[4] |
| Cancellation | Free cancellation up to 24 hours[1] | Free cancellation up to 24 hours[3] | Free cancellation up to 24 hours[4] |
The lagoon sits 236 miles (380 kilometers) east of Reykjavik along Route 1 , a five-hour direct drive or seven to eight hours with South Coast sightseeing stops.
Is a private Jökulsárlón tour worth it?
Pre-booking checklist
On the day
Why book a private Jökulsárlón tour
A private day to the glacier lagoon takes the guesswork out of Iceland's south coast. The Private Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Tour runs for 16 hours, travels as a private group, and has a live tour guide who speaks English.[1] It is priced from US$2150, with pickup included and the pickup details confirmed when you check availability.[1] Starting times are also shown when you check availability, which helps when you are planning a very long day out.[1]
Booking privately changes the rhythm of the drive. Instead of a fixed coach schedule with set photo stops, your group and your guide shape the hours between Reykjavík and the lagoon. You can linger at a waterfall when the light is good, eat when you are hungry, and ask the questions you care about. There is no queue for the front seat and no waiting for strangers to finish their shopping. The trade off is cost: a private vehicle and guide for a full day is a serious line in any travel budget. For families, photographers and small groups of friends, that is often the trade that makes the day.
The drive east from Reykjavík
Jökulsárlón sits 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.[6] Vík, the village most people use as a halfway point, is 192 kilometers (118 miles) one way from the lagoon.[10] On a private tour the driving is someone else's job. Your group is free to watch the scenery rather than the road markings.
The landscape changes in stages. Farmland and horse paddocks give way to the bare slopes below Eyjafjallajökull, then to the black sand plains of the south coast. Waterfalls drop off old sea cliffs right beside the road, and single lane bridges cross the rivers that drain the ice cap. Near the end the terrain flattens into the outwash plain, and the first icebergs appear as small white shapes on the water before the lagoon itself opens up. Keep a camera within reach the whole way, and a jacket within reach too. Coastal weather turns quickly out here.
Ice from Breiðamerkurjökull drifting past the black sand at Diamond Beach
What you see at the lagoon
Jökulsárlón is 248 meters (814 feet) deep and is the deepest lake in Iceland.[11] It is fed by Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet glacier of the Vatnajökull ice cap.[12] Ice breaks away from the glacier and drifts across the lagoon, and the view changes hour by hour. Bergs can be clear as glass, chalk white, or deep blue where the ice is dense and old. Seals are sighted at the lagoon on a regular basis, often as small dark heads in the water between the ice.[13]
Across the road the same ice grounds on a black volcanic sand beach. Diamond Beach is scattered with clear glacial ice that breaks off Breiðamerkurjökull, drifts through the lagoon and washes ashore along the coast.[14] Photographers time visits for low sun, when the ice lights up and the wet sand reflects the sky. The lagoon has also had a film career: it was used as a filming location for A View To A Kill, Die Another Day and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.[15] Public toilets and a café are available at Jökulsárlón.[9]
Boat rides, ice caves and kayaking
Add ons are the easiest way to make the lagoon more than a photo stop. The amphibian boat tour season runs May-Nov, and each trip takes 30-40 minutes out among the bergs.[7] The Zodiac boat tour lasts 1 hour 15 minutes, with a total duration of about 2 hours, and it is priced from 16,900 ISK.[16] These are lagoon side activities with their own operators and tickets, booked separately from a day tour.
Winter turns the same area into a base for ice cave trips inside Vatnajökull. Ice caves in the Vatnajökull region are only accessible during the winter months, from November and usually throughout March, depending on the weather.[8] Guided ice cave departures that meet at Jökulsárlón are priced from US$164 for a three hour tour.[17] Glacier walks run alongside them, and kayaking is allowed on Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon during the summer season, with a lagoon kayaking tour priced from US$159.[18][19]
from $2150
Private Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Tour: 16 hours, private group, English speaking live guide, free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.[1]
Comparing private Jökulsárlón options
Every private glacier lagoon tour here has a listed duration, and on a route this long the duration matters as much as the price. The Private Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Tour is priced from US$2150 for 16 hours.[1] An exclusive private glacier lagoon day tour is priced from US$1300 for 12 hours.[20] A private south coast and Jokulsarlon tour in multiple languages is priced from US$1114 for 14 hours.[3] A south coast private tour with Diamond Beach is priced from US$694 for 14 hours.[4]
Other private options sit in between. A private south coast and glacier lagoon tour for up to eight passengers is priced from US$1726 for 15 hours.[21] An exclusive private tour of Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon is priced from US$2086 for 10 hours.[22] A floating glacier and Diamond Beach private day tour is priced from US$1867 for 10 hours.[23] A private glacier lagoon and Diamond Beach tour is priced from US$2800 for 12 hours.[24] Decide how many hours you are willing to spend in a vehicle, then pick the price that matches.
Shared coach days to the same lagoon
Shared departures cost a fraction of a private day, and they cover much of the same ground. The Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach tour from Reykjavík is priced from US$232, runs 14 hours, and is rated 4.67 from 3,935 reviews.[2] A south coast, Diamond Beach and Jökulsárlón tour is priced from US$231, runs 14.5 hours, and is rated 4.54 from 1,494 reviews.[5] A glacier lagoon and Diamond Beach tour is priced from US$232, runs 14 to 15 hours, and is rated 4.55 from 1,424 reviews.[25] A glacier lagoon and Fjaðrárgjúfur canyon tour is priced from US$236, runs 15 hours, and is rated 4.78 from 419 reviews.[26]
There is even a coach version with a boat ride built in: the glacier lagoon boat ride and Diamond Beach day tour is priced from US$288 and runs 14 hours.[27] Coach days are efficient, sociable and cheap per person. Private days cost more and hand you the timetable. If the trip is a once in a lifetime outing, the private version is worth stretching for. If you simply want to stand beside the icebergs, a shared seat does the job.
Practical planning and what to wear
The south coast is windy and wet in every month, and the lagoon shore feels colder than Reykjavík on the same day. Pack layers you can add and remove, a waterproof outer shell, shoes with grip for gravel paths and wet sand, sunglasses for the glare off the ice, and a hat and gloves even in midsummer. Bring water and snacks, plus a spare camera battery. Charging points are scarce on a long drive.
Facilities at the lagoon are simple but useful. Public toilets and a café are available at Jökulsárlón.[9] Hotel Jokulsarlon is an accommodation option near the lagoon if you would rather break the journey and drive back the next day.[28]
Booking terms on the private tour are flexible. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later.[1] Pickup and starting times are confirmed when you check availability.[1] If one very long day feels like too much driving, multi day options include a two day south coast blue ice cave and Jokulsarlon tour priced from US$704 and a three day Golden Circle, glacier lagoon and ice cave tour priced from US$968.[29][30]
From-prices of private Jökulsárlón and south coast tours
Compare private day tour from-prices
Amounts are GetYourGuide from-prices in US dollars for the private listings cited. These are private group listings and no separate child price is shown.[1][3][4][21]
When to add a lagoon activity
Plan your private day
Pick a date
Check availability for the private tour to see start times and pickup details.[1]
Decide the add ons
Boat rides run May-Nov, ice caves from November and usually throughout March, and kayaking in summer.[7][8][18]
Book with free cancellation
Reserve now and pay later, and cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[1]
Pack for the coast
Layers, a waterproof shell, shoes with grip, sunglasses, snacks and water.
Set off early
The lagoon is 236 miles (380 kilometers) from Reykjavík along Route 1, a five-hour direct drive.[6]
Make the glacier lagoon day your own on a private tour
from US$2,150
