Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

Glacier Lagoon – Pearl of Iceland

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, also known as the “glacier lagoon”, is undoubtedly one of Iceland’s most breathtaking natural wonders. Located in the southeast of the country, approximately 380 kilometres from Reykjavík, it is easily accessible via the main Ring Road. What’s more, it lies right next to Diamond Beach, and you certainly shouldn’t miss either of these places.

Glaciers everywhere

Glacier Lagoon offers a glimpse of icebergs floating serenely in the crystal clear blue water of the lagoon.

This natural wonder is the result of the retreat of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, which is constantly melting and breaking away, creating majestic ice blocks of various shapes and sizes.

As you stroll along the lagoon, you’ll be immersed in a mesmerizing world of ever-changing ice sculptures, constantly shifting and floating gracefully among the waves, shaped by the relentless forces of nature. If you choose to linger longer, you’ll have the unique chance to witness the gradual movement of these ice floes as they make their way towards the river’s mouth, eventually completing their journey at the iconic Diamond Beach.

Seals in the lagoon

While the icebergs slowly drift towards the sea, in contrast, beautiful seals make their way in the opposite direction. With a bit of luck, you can spot these graceful creatures calmly gliding among the ice or basking on the shore. So, keep a close eye out, and you’re bound to catch sight of a few.

Boat cruises

If you want to experience the proximity of the icebergs or just want to get closer to the seals, you can purchase a boat cruise. Prices for cruises range between 7,000 and 12,000 ISK (approximately 45-80 EUR) depending on the season and the type of vessel. The tours last around 30-45 minutes.

We found it terribly expensive considering that we had already watched seals up close at Cape Town and were about to hike on the glacier. So we watched both from the shore. Anyway, the seals were scared of the boats and hid from us .

Melting glaciers and the climate crisis

However, the unique beauty of Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon also carries a serious message. Due to climate change, the melting of the glaciers is causing the lagoon to grow larger with each passing year. Breiðamerkurjökull continues to retreat, leading to increasingly massive chunks of ice breaking off annually. While this process creates a mesmerizing and ever-changing landscape, it also serves as a stark reminder of the rapid pace of climate change—something you can witness firsthand in this remarkable lagoon.

You have to experience the place together with Diamond Beach and a hike on the Vatnajökull Glacier. Around the glacier there are many such lagoons and they are getting bigger all the time, and it is this experience that best illustrates how big a problem global warming is.

How to get to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon?

Glacier Lagoon as well as Diamond Beach is part of several tour packages. However, if you have a rental car, you can get here from Reykjavík via the Ring Road. From Reykjavík, the drive takes about 4.5 to 5 hours, as you’ll cover about 370 kilometres, so it’s best to spend the night somewhere in the south, closer to the glacier.

From Skógafoss Waterfall it is a little shorter – about 2 hours drive (about 200 kilometres). If you start from Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, you’re looking at about a 1.5-hour drive, which is about 120 kilometres, which was exactly our case. We spent the night near the canyon and set off in the morning to see the Icelandic ice.