There is no end to the wonder of the Icelandic landscape, as you pass one natural phenomenon after another. Some are more tourist populated than others, like the Blue Lagoon, which everyone “has” to see. The Blue Lagoon is very commercialized and is not really natural. The water that fills the Blue Lagoon is a byproduct of the nearby geothermal power plant. There is an even more breath-taking and natural lagoon near Reykjavik – Jökulsárlon Lagoon.
Jökulsárlon Lagoon
Jokulsarlon Lagoon is in the South-Eastern part of the island and was formed by the disintegration of the adjacent glacier Breiðamerkurjökull. This an outlet glacier of the larger Vatnajökull glacier. As the glacier erodes the sediment is carried towards the sea by the river Jökulsá. So the Jokulsarlon Lagoon continues to be supplied by floating icebergs. The water is ice blue, more than 15 meters square, and at its deepest 190 meters. If man does not intervene the lagoon will eventually join the sea. The only road in the area passes over the narrow isthmus (a piece of land between lagoon and sea), so human intervention is inevitable.
What Can You Do at Jökulsárlon Lagoon?
Firstly you can just stand and gaze at this incredible site. Then there are boat rides on Jokulsarlon Lagoon. Ice Lagoon Adventure Tours offers 1 hour adventure boat tours on the lagoon for 9,900ISK per person. You can also take a private tour or a photographer’s tour. The Adventure Tour runs from 1 May to 31 December. The tour takes you on a zodiac boat as close to the glacier as possible. Glacier Lagoon offers zodiac boat tours, amphibian boat tours, and ice cave tours. Their boat tours run in May, June to September and October. Glacier Lagoon also operates a cafe on the edge of the lagoon.
Photo by Davide Cantelli on Unsplash
How to Visit Jökulsárlon Lagoon?
The Jökulsárlon Lagoon is easy to find, as it is alongside the National Highway 1, between Höfn and Skaftafell National Park. You can simply stop your car along the roadside and feast your eyes. You can enjoy a drink and meal at the cafe, take a boat ride on the water or visit the nearby Vatnajökull National Park. Keep an eye out for the large seagulls which make their nests on the ground around the lagoon in the summer.
Jokulsarlon Lagoon Practical Details:
Where:
On the edge of National Highway 1
Between Hofn and Skaftafell
and next to the Breioamerkurjokull glacier
South East Iceland
Getting there:
If driving: Drive South East on Highway 1, from Reykjavik
If you don’t have a car: Take the bus to Jokulsarlon, and ask the bus driver where to get off.
Open Hours:
There are icebergs all year round, but winter is obviously less comfortable a time to travel. Aim for daylight hours from May-October.
Cost:
Free!
Website: Check out the Facebook page.
Arriving at Comino, visitors on these Malta day trips are greeted by the legendary Blue Lagoon, a natural wonder that seems to have been plucked from a postcard.