By air
Keflavík (KEF), ~5 h by road
Europe · Iceland
Jökulsárlón, Iceland
Icebergs on a glacier lagoon
Getting there
Best time to visit
May to September; November to March for ice caves
Don't miss
Jökulsárlón
Diamond Beach
Vatnajökull
Skaftafell
Things to do
Boat trips among the icebergs
Ice caves in winter
Glacier hikes
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Ulrich Latzenhofer from Perchtoldsdorf, Österreich · CC BY-SA 2.0
What to pack
Warm waterproofs
A quieter corner
Fjallsárlón, a quieter lagoon nearby
Questions travellers ask
How far is Jökulsárlón from Keflavík?
About 5 h by road from Keflavík (KEF).
When should I plan my Jökulsárlón trip?
May to September, or November to March if you want the ice caves. Bring warm waterproofs.
What can I do at Jökulsárlón?
Take a boat trip among the icebergs, walk Diamond Beach, go on a glacier hike, and see Vatnajökull and Skaftafell. In winter, there are ice caves too.
Is there a quieter lagoon near Jökulsárlón?
Yes — Fjallsárlón, nearby. For dinner, head to Höfn for langoustine.
About Jökulsárlón
- Lakeside
- Coastal
Where it is
Jökulsárlón is a large glacial lagoon in south-east Iceland, at the head of Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, beside the Ring Road and linked to the Atlantic by a short channel.
History
Breiðamerkurjökull began to retreat from the coast in the late 19th century, and the lagoon started to form in the 1930s; it has grown about fourfold since the 1970s as the ice melts. It lies within Vatnajökull National Park, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.
People
Few people live around Jökulsárlón; the nearest communities are scattered farms and the fishing town of Höfn, known for its langoustine. Tourism and guiding are now the main work in the area, and people speak Icelandic.
Known for
- Icebergs drifting in the lagoon
- Diamond Beach's ice on black sand
- Boat trips among the icebergs
- Seals in the lagoon
- James Bond and other film locations
Did you know?
The lagoon has grown so much as the glacier retreats that by 2009 it was the deepest lake in Iceland, at over 284 m.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.