Have you always wanted to see some icebergs without heading up to Greenland or down to Antarctica? Then take a trip to the volcanic island and visit Jökulsárlón, on the southeast coast of Iceland. Jökulsárlón is located just off the famous ring road or route 1 as some people call it. It is very easily accessible and a place not to be missed if you are touring the country.
Jökulsárlón is a glacial lagoon, located on the border of Vatnajökull National Park. The glacial lagoon is filled with icebergs from Breiðamerkurjökull Glacier, part of the larger Vatnajökull Glacier. As the water flows from the lagoon, out to the Atlantic Ocean, large chunks of ice get left behind on the black sand beach. Some of the pieces of ice are more than 1,000 years old! If you visit during the winter months, you may be lucky enough to see some seals.
At Jökulsárlón there is not just the glacial lagoon to see, but also Diamond Beach to see too. Diamond Beach is not to be missed! It is a black sand beach, covered in polished ice chunks from the sea. They look like large diamonds, scattered over the beach. If you get a chance to visit on a sunny day, the diamond looking chunks of ice, look like pieces of gold. Unfortunately, on our visit, it was a cloudy, wet day.
During the summer and fall months, you can take a boat tour onto the lagoon. We didn’t get a chance to do this, however, it is something I would defiantly like to do next time. There are 3 to choose from. I can’t recommend any of them since I haven’t been on any of them. Here they are with their links to their sites:
- An amphibious boat tour on the glacial lagoon
- A Zodiac boat tour on the glacial lagoon
- Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Hovercraft Tour
Are you a big fan of the James Bond movies? Jökulsárlón was used as one of their filming locations in ‘Die Another Day’ and ‘ A View To A Kill’.
