Private Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Tour
Jökulsárlón & Diamond Beach – Private South Coast Tour from Reykjavík
14 hours•Languages: English•Pickup available
A private, round-trip day tour from Reykjavík to Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and Diamond Beach on Iceland’s South Coast.
This private Jökulsárlón tour is a 14-hour round trip from Reykjavík along Iceland’s South Coast, run just for your group. Over one long day you’ll travel to the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and Diamond Beach, taking in the waterfalls, black-sand beaches and volcanoes that make this coast famous. The tour runs year-round and starts with a morning pickup from your accommodation in Reykjavík.
Your first stop is Seljalandsfoss, one of the most visited waterfalls in Iceland and the rare one you can walk behind, so you can take photos from behind the falling water.
From there you’ll follow the Ring Road to Skógafoss, another of the coast’s great waterfalls, and continue towards Hekla. One of Iceland’s most active volcanoes, Hekla was known in the Middle Ages as the ‘gateway to hell’.
Hekla isn’t the only volcano on the route. Eyjafjallajökull also towers over the road – the volcano whose 2010 eruption grounded air traffic across Europe.
Next is Reynisfjara, a black-sand beach framed by tall sea stacks and hexagonal basalt columns. Nearby lies the village of Vík í Mýrdal, which looks out to the Reynisdrangar sea stacks rising from the surf.
Continuing east, the South Coast keeps changing – from green lava fields and black-sand deserts to sea cliffs and glacial rivers – all the way to Jökulsárlón.
Jökulsárlón is Iceland’s deepest lake and one of its most striking sights. Icebergs of every size, shape and colour drift across the water as they make their way from the glacier to the Atlantic Ocean. Some wash up on the black sand nearby, scattered like jewels, which is how Diamond Beach got its name.
You’ll have time to explore the lagoon at your own pace. An optional boat tour runs from May to October when the weather allows; it isn’t included in the tour price. Afterwards, you’ll return to Reykjavík by road.
Please note that the itinerary depends on the weather and road conditions. In winter, daylight in Iceland is very limited, so some sights may be seen at dusk, in the dark, or skipped altogether. We’ll do our best to keep any changes to a minimum, and we appreciate your understanding if they’re needed.
TourID: PAI02
Activity provider: Icelandic Mountain Guides by Icelandia
Need to know
This is a long day tour, so time at each sightseeing stop may be limited.
Requirements
Bring a packed lunch and your camera!
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- Flexible Cancellation
- No Booking Fees
Tour itinerary
What’s included and what to bring on this tour
It’s important to always be prepared for your next adventure in Iceland. See our list of what’s included, and what you should bring or add to your trip
Included
- VAT (value-added tax)
- Wi-Fi on board
Not included
- Tips or gratuities
- Food and drinks
- Optional Jökulsárlón boat tour (May–October)
Tour highlights
Are you wondering about something?
If you're planning a trip to Iceland, it's important to be prepared with the right information. Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) to help you plan your trip
Don’t be intimidated by the accents and umlauts, Jökulsárlón is actually quite an easy Icelandic word. It is pronounced, Yol-kuhl-sar-lon with an emphasis on the first syllable.
If you are only stopping for a few photos of the icebergs floating in the glacier lagoon, you only need twenty minutes or so at Jökulsárlón, and perhaps an additional twenty minutes at the neighbouring Diamond Beach where crystalline orbs of ice litter the black sand.
However, most people spend much longer at Jökulsárlón, especially if you want to embark on a boat tour of the icebergs and really experience the glowing blue ice and Arctic-looking landscape. If you’re taking a Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon boat tour, allow between two and three hours here
Like most outdoor sights in Iceland, you’ll want to prepare for cold and unpredictable weather at Jökulsárlón, no matter what time of year you visit. It is on an exposed part of the south coast and Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon weather can be unpredictable.
In winter, you’ll want to bring waterproofs, a sturdy pair of hiking shoes and woolly hats, thermal gloves and scarves. Even in summer, the chill from the icebergs can keep the area cool and a fleece or woolly jumper is a good idea.
From the car park, there is a short walking trail around the lagoon where you can set up a tripod for photographs and admire the icebergs from the shoreline.
There walking trails around Jökulsárlón which show off the lagoon from all different angles. This is a great option if you want to get away from the crowds and stretch your legs after a long drive.
The lagoon is fed by the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, and it is possible to take a glacier trip and explore the ice caves of Breiðamerkurjökull.
This natural wonder is one of the few places in Iceland where you can feel as though you’re in the Arctic with huge, glowing blue icebergs floating in the water.
Just across the road, you’ll find the Diamond Beach – a black-sanded beach where shimmering shards of ice are lapped by the Atlantic Ocean. So, even though it is a long way from Reykjavík, there is plenty to see in and around Jökulsárlón