Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon - Candid tips by Howard Hillman

Jokulsarlon
Glacial Lagoon

Travel tips you can trust

Why Jokulsarlon
Glacial Lagoon is special

Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon is thickly dotted with floating and grounded icebergs of varying sizes and shapes. And a mammoth glacial ice cap backdrops the scene.

Jokulsarlon Glacial
Lagoon tips and insights

Boat tour

You sail between and close to the icebergs on a 40-minute amphibian boat tour. Be aware that the boat tour doesn't operate from late fall and to early spring because the lagoon freezes over.

Creation and its future

A sizeable outlet glacier of the mighty Vatnajokull Glacier has receded in the last 100 years due to climate warming. The melted glacial water filled the space left behind – and Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon was born.

Some climatologists predict that the tip of the outlet glacier will completely melt away within 100 years and the lagoon will become a fjord open to the ocean.

Glacial river

A relatively short natural channel connects the lagoon to the ocean. During low tide, the water current flows to the sea and small icebergs float out. During high tide, the current reverses and seawater flows partially into the freshwater lagoon.

Current measurements

The expanding lagoon currently covers nearly 19 square kilometers (8 square miles). The maximum depth is more than 200 meters (660 feet).

Name

Jokulsarlon means "glacial lake" in Icelandic.

Cinema

The locale is a scenic film location for major films, including the James Bond thriller A View to a Kill (1985). It's also used for TV shows and commercials.

Distance

Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon is about 380 kilometers (240 miles) by road from Reykjavik. Bus day trip tours from Reykjavik are available.

Location in Iceland