Jökulsárlón

Jökulsárlón is a glacial lagoon in southeast Iceland formed where ice calves from the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier into a freshwater lake that drains to the sea. It is famed for its floating icebergs and the contrast between blue ice and black sand on the nearby shore.

The lagoon contains icebergs of varying sizes and colours that drift and slowly melt, producing a constantly changing seascape of floating ice. Close to the lagoon’s mouth, pieces of glacial ice often wash up on the adjacent black-sand beach dubbed Diamond Beach, where they glint like gemstones against the dark sand.

In summer months commercial boat tours operate on the lagoon to bring visitors near larger icebergs; onshore viewing points and walkways also offer safe perspectives of the changing ice. Wildlife such as seals is commonly seen in the lagoon.

The lagoon grew in size over the 20th century as the glacier retreated and the area became an important indicator of glacier dynamics. It is now a key natural attraction within the larger Vatnajökull glacial region.

Jökulsárlón sits on the southeast coast of Iceland at the terminus of Breiðamerkurjökull, a tidewater outlet of Vatnajökull glacier, and is adjacent to the Ring Road with parking and visitor facilities.

• Boat tours and Diamond Beach: Boat tours operate on the lagoon in summer, allowing close views of calved icebergs; large ice pieces frequently wash ashore on the adjacent Diamond Beach for dramatic photo opportunities.

What to See #

• Lagoon and Diamond Beach: The lagoon fronts Breiðamerkurjökull glacier tongue and is connected to the sea by a short outflow channel; the nearby black-sand shoreline known as Diamond Beach receives washed-up ice fragments.