About the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
The Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon is truly a unique place to visit and known as one of the greatest wonders of Iceland. This glacial lake in southeast Iceland is scattered with huge ice blocks that break off the Breiðamerkurjökul glacier and float into the lagoon.
The lagoon was created when the glacier started receding from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and continues to expand from melting glaciers. The size of the lake is said to have increased fourfold since the 1970s.
The lagoon is 250 deep and known as one of the deepest lakes in Iceland. The surface of the lagoon is at sea level and during high tide sea water flows into the lagoon.
A Place of Natural Beauty
If you have the time to drive to Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, it is definitely worth admiring the natural beauty of this place. Icebergs move across the lagoon and there are vivid colours of white and blue. It has been described as “a ghostly procession of luminous blue icebergs”. The beach behind the lagoon provides an interesting contrast with icebergs on the black sand.
During my May visit to the lagoon, I enjoyed observing the movement of ice blocks through the lake as they crackled and broke in half in half right in front of me. Icebergs move down the channel and meet the ocean. We also enjoyed watching seals play in the lagoon as well as sea birds landing on the ice blocks. Even the drive to the lagoon offered a varying landscape – waterfalls, volcanoes and lava fields.
Getting There
You can access the Glacier lagoon from highway number one, between Höfn and Skaftafell. It is about 370 km (230 miles) east of Reykjavik. There is a large car park situated directly at the lagoon for visitor access.
You can find a map of the lagoon here.
Opening Hours
There is a cafe here that you can visit for sandwiches, drinks and snacks and the use of toilet facilities. This is open all year long except for some national holidays.
Tours
We visited the lagoon from land but there are also many tour operators available that conduct snowmobile and jeep tours. Joklasel is the meeting point for such tours to the glacier and Jokulsarlon.
—> You can watch a live webcam of Jokulsarlon here.
Continue reading these articles
—> Guide to the Golden Circle Iceland, a popular tourist route
—> Visiting Kerid Crater, a volcanic lake in Iceland.
—> Bathing in the naturally heated spa waters at the Blue Lagoon in Grindavík
—> Visiting the Gullfoss Waterfall in Iceland, one of the world’s most beautiful waterfalls
—> Find out about the best time to visit Iceland
—> Discover 9 Exciting Things to do in Reykjavik
