Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon

About Jökulsárlón

Jökulsárlón formed in the 1930s as Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, retreated and left a basin that filled with meltwater and the sea. It has grown enormously since: from around 8 km² in the 1970s to roughly 25 km² today, and at over 280 metres it is now the deepest lake in Iceland, as the glacier continues to retreat by around 200 metres a year.

The lagoon's icebergs break off the glacier face, drift across the water for weeks or months, and eventually shrink small enough to pass under the Ring Road bridge and out to sea, where they wash up on the black sand of Diamond Beach opposite. Seals are often seen hauled out on the ice or swimming in the lagoon, especially in summer.

The name means "glacial river lagoon". Sea water flows in with the tide through the short river under the bridge, so the lagoon is a mix of salt and fresh water which gives it its blue-green colour. The icebergs come in white, deep blue and turquoise, often streaked with black ash from old eruptions, and the ice in them is centuries old.

Behind the lagoon the Vatnajökull ice cap rises to around 900 metres, and the ice front where the bergs break off is about 30 metres high. The setting has been used in several films, among them the James Bond films A View to a Kill and Die Another Day, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Batman Begins.

Quick facts

A glacier in retreat

When Iceland's first settlers arrived around 870 AD, Breiðamerkurjökull extended some 20 km further out than it does today. The glacier advanced again during the Little Ice Age, from around 1600 to 1900, before the warming climate of the 20th century sent it into steady retreat, and Jökulsárlón began to form and grow.

The lagoon has effectively become a visible record of that retreat: older photographs from just a few decades ago show a much smaller lake, and the glacier tongue keeps pulling back year by year. It is one of the clearest places in Iceland to see glacial change happening within a single lifetime.

How to get to Jökulsárlón

What to do at Jökulsárlón

You can see a great deal from the shore for free. The boat tours add a closer look at the ice.

Boat tours usually run from about May to October, depending on ice and weather.

Diamond Beach, across the road

Once the icebergs are small enough, the current carries them under the bridge and out to sea, and the waves push many of them back onto the black sand of Breiðamerkursandur. The clear and blue pieces of ice shine against the dark sand, which is how the beach got its name.

It is a three-to-five-minute walk under the bridge, or a minute by car, and the same parking payment covers it. How much ice you find changes from day to day with the tide and the wind. Do not climb on the larger pieces near the waterline: waves here are strong and the ice can roll.

Best time to visit Jökulsárlón

Safety and practical tips

• Cross the road to Diamond Beach as well. The same parking payment covers it, and the ice-on-black-sand view is different from the lagoon itself.
• Dress warmly. The open lagoon is exposed to wind off Vatnajökull whatever the season.
• Never walk out onto ice on the lagoon or beach; it can be unstable and the water is dangerously cold.
• Book boat tours ahead in summer, since they sell out on busy days.
• Watch for seals near the mouth of the lagoon, especially in the morning.

Facilities and accessibility

There is a visitor centre with toilets, a café and a shop at the main car park. The nearest fuel is in Höfn or at smaller stops along the Ring Road.

On the map

Nearby places worth a stop

Diamond BeachIcebergs washed up on black sand, across the roadFjallsárlónA quieter glacier lagoon nearbyVatnajökull National ParkEurope's largest ice capHöfnNearest town with fuel and foodBreiðárlónSmaller glacier lagoon a short drive westSkaftafellGlacier walks and the Svartifoss trailMúlagljúfurCanyon hike with two waterfallsHofskirkjaTurf church at Hof in Öræfi

Where to stay near Jökulsárlón

Höfn, about an hour east, has the widest choice of hotels and restaurants in the area. There are also guesthouses and country hotels scattered along the Ring Road closer to the lagoon, and more places to stay around Skaftafell and Kirkjubæjarklaustur to the west. Staying a night nearby lets you see the lagoon early or late in the day, when it is quietest.

Jökulsárlón FAQ