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Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon and Diamond Beach Day Trip from Reykjavik

Reykjavík, Iceland

From $167.00

Select Date and Travelers

Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance.
Reykjavik Tours
All Reykjavik Tours
Audio Guides
Kid-Friendly
Likely To Sell Out
Private and Luxury
Unique Experiences
  • 14 hours (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Replete with colossal icebergs and arctic wildlife, the Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon cannot be missed during your time in Iceland. Departing from Reykjavik, this tour combines a visit to the Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon with a stop at the Skógafoss waterfall, and gives you the chance to view the magical Northern Lights—weather and visibility permitting. Pickup and drop-off in central Reykjavik are included on this tour.
  • Tour of the Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon and Skógafoss waterfall from Reykjavik
  • Tick off several top Iceland attractions in only one day
  • Stroll around the colossal Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon
  • Stop to admire the Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls
  • Search for the illusive Northern Light on the way back to Reykjavik
  • Round-trip transport from Reykjavik is included

What's Included

  • Bus Fare
  • Professional Local Guidance
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Food and drinks
  • A boat tour on the Glacier Lagoon
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

  • BSÍ
    101 Reykjavík, Iceland

Start time

07:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Your tour begins with pickup from central Reykjavik, where you board a climate-controlled vehicle and follow a scenic route towards Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon.

During the journey to the lagoon, be mesmerized by some of Iceland’s most beautiful scenery: pass Hvannadalshnjúkur, Iceland’s tallest mountain, and the sprawling black sands of Skaftafell National Park.

En route, stop at Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls, two dramatic natural landmarks that make for fantastic photo opportunities. Finally, arrive at the Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon and be rewarded with 18 square kilometers (7 square miles) of unique scenery. As you wander around the lagoon’s perimeter, recognize scenery featured in blockbuster movies such as 'Batman Begins' and 'Tomb Raider,' and keep your eyes peeled for frolicking seals.  

To conclude your day, you have the possibility of viewing the Northern Lights. If weather and temperature conditions are optimum, see a phantasmagoric display of light and color in the night sky. Sightings of the Northern Lights are not guaranteed.

Bid your guide farewell after drop-off in Reykjavik.

Lava Centre

Volcano and earthquake center

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Seljalandsfoss

a famous waterfall that you can walk behind

25 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Operates in cold weather conditions, please dress appropriately. We recommend warm layers including hat and gloves and rain gear
  • Please note that the Northern Lights can only be seen in good weather and on days when the aurora activity forecast is good, therefore sightings are not guaranteed
  • Pickup/ drop-off not included
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Infant seats available
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 60 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

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Reviews
4.0
38 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 38 reviews
We had a great time in a...
Jessica_S, Mar 2023
We had a great time in a very full day of stops. Our guide was Gunnar - he did a good job of keeping us all on time to make sure we hit all our stops. We even got lucky and caught the Northern Lights on the way back to Reykjavík! (tip: it is VERY windy near the glaciers, so be prepared!!)
Response from Host, Mar 2023
Thanks so much for the lovely review! We are glad to read our guide offered a pleasant experience and made sure to pass on the word to them. We thank you for joining us and look forward to seeing you again. Have a wonderful day!
Great Tour but needs Shortened
Lance_K, Mar 2022
Overall the tour was well thought out and great itineraries. Especially the tour of the Diamond Beach was mind boggling. Only complaint was the tour was too long. It started at 7:30 AM and didnt get back till 11:30 PM.
Poor customer service
Barbara_C, Jan 2022
We were 5 mins late and the bus left us. Didn't contact me to see where we were. I called you and you said no refund. We went in other yours and other people were running late, they waited for them people. it was very poor customer service
9/4/2021
Aparna, Sep 2021
9/4/2021: This is the longest day tour we did in our vacation. It was cloudy and rainy most of the day. The tour guide/driver was very knowledgeable about Iceland as he was an authentic Icelander. Also he was a safe driver and the bus was comfortable. It was very nice that he kept tabs on the weather and structured the tour accordingly. Fortunately the rain stopped when we were at the huge glacier and glacier bay. The view of the Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon and Diamond Beach Day Trip was beautiful and clear evidence that the glaciers are receding. We took tons of photos and the seals playing in glacier bay. Really enjoyed the tour!
Bad weather
Cannazik_S, Apr 2020
We tried to like this tour and the places we visited, glacial lagoon, diamond beach and waterfalls were awesome. The biggest negative on this tour at the time was the weather. In my opinion it should have been canceled because it made it almost impossible to enjoy with the intermediate rain and excessive wind. The highlight would be the Glacial Lagoon as it was a beautiful site to see. 14hrs is a long time of traveling. I’d recommend this tour only if the weather is good and you are a patient person. Our guide that day was nice but didn’t give as much info on any of our spots we visited as I would of liked.
Response from Host, Apr 2020
Dear Traveler Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We are truly sorry if you were not satisfied with our services. Unfortunately the weather in Iceland is very unpredictable, especially in winter and people might find the weather difficult. We kindly ask you to send us a further description of events to our Quality Manager Helga B. Jónsdóttir at helgab@re.is so we can assist you further. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. We are always trying to enhance our services. We hope that enjoyed your stay in Iceland Best Regards Team Reykjavik Excursions
5 stars for all that we saw...
Lynda_M, Feb 2018
5 stars for all that we saw. There likely isn’t a way to do this without feeling a little rushed at times but did feel I had enough time at the best stop, the glacial lagoon. Tour guide was full of information. Bus was comfortable. Good day. This is a must see.
Everything on this tour was...
Cody, Dec 2017
Everything on this tour was beautiful!!! The Diamond Beach and glacier lagoon were amazing to take pictures!
One of the best days of my life. The...
Greg H, Aug 2017
One of the best days of my life. The glacial lagoon is breathtaking and we saw the Northern Lights on the way back to Reykjavik which topped it off! Incredible.
Yes, it is a long day but in my...
Teresa_K, May 2017
Yes, it is a long day but in my opinion well worth it. That first sight of the lagoon took my breath away...the beauty of the floating icebergs, the stillness in the air, the colors of the ice. We were lucky with the weather and fortunate to see 4 seals in the lagoon. The waterfalls and other sights along the route are all beautiful as well as the mountains. The first food stop was expensive as things are in Iceland but the food was good with plentiful choices. The second food stop on the way back seemed unnecessary and my friend and I went for a walk instead. Pack some water and snacks to keep you going. Drivers were great and the tour guide was good and I would have given 5 stars if he would have told more stories about folklore, or talked about the wildlife of the island, etc. He did tell us some facts about the areas we traveled through and some history and of course, we were free to ask questions, but on a long drive like this, I think most people are up for some good story telling.
The tour to Jokulsarlon is...
Jos_R, May 2017
The tour to Jokulsarlon is absolutely amazing. A must do if you come to Iceland! Then, why only 3 stars? This is the cheapest trip from Reykjavik to Jokulsarlon, and it's easy to tell why. The stops at the way from Reykjavik to Jokulsarlon are ridiculous. Way to much, with a total disaster at the lunch stop ONLY 20 MINUTES from Jokulsarlon. Please Reykjavik Excursions, make the trip a few euros more expensive, and forgot about the commission of the hotel. Asking almost 4000 ISK for a lunch is even for Icelandic meanings way to much. The little store in Jokulsarlon has some food, so might not be ok for lunch, but the stop before had really enough food and places to sit down. And if thats to early, then go to Seljalandsfoss when on the way to Jokulsarlon, and not on the way back, when everyone is really tired and just wanted to be in Reykjavik asap. Another person was doing the same tour at the same day with another tour operator Bustravel and was back in Reykjavik at least 1,5h earlier, just because their bus didn't stop at useless places. I really recommend people to pay a few more euro's and go with another tour operator, and not with Reykjavik Excursions.
This trip was terrific and the...
elizabeth_g, Apr 2017
This trip was terrific and the glacial lagoon was incredible and, at least to me, I feel a once in a lifetime opportunity to get to see a glacial lagoon. It was pretty amazing. The tour is LONG. All in all, it was about a 16 hour day and it's a very long time on the bus. There are plenty of well-times breaks but you have to be prepared to sit for a long time. We also were not able to see the Northern Lights and you are not refunded anything if that part of the tour isn't fulfilled. I understand, and I don't hold anything against the tour company for having it set up that way, but still, it's too bad. But, all in all, a very cool, but long, day. I would make sure you really want to see the Glacial Lagoon before you go. But we loved it.
The tour delivered as promised; I...
Paul M, Apr 2017
The tour delivered as promised; I have only two notes. Repeatedly our guide described the tour's travel distance as "brutal" which is just poor marketing. And the lunch stop was explained as buffet only when the hotel also provided a cheaper bar menu.
Sights were amazing, as is...
Allyson_V, Apr 2017
Sights were amazing, as is everything in Iceland. Tour guide was just okay. Not much personality, also did not get northern lights tour as part of this, even though it says that is a part of the package.
The Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon was...
Shushu C, Mar 2017
The Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon was amazing!! Didn't get to see much northern lights activity and wish we could've had a chance to see ice cave but this was one of the rare tours that left from Reykjavik. Diamond beach was amazing and they also stopped for us at a glacier. Great sights. Only bad thing was the place they stopped for at lunch was a buffet and there weren't other options so pack your lunch or buy at gas stations.
First things first - you should...
gnotq, Feb 2017
First things first - you should confirm your pick-up with the tour operator this one was Reykjavik Excursions!!!!! Viator did not pass along our pick-up information or that of another girl from another hotel so, even though we were each waiting at 7 AM at our designated hotels, no pick-up vehicles would let us on we weren't on their list. When we finally got to the bus terminal, the tour operator was amazing and gave us no added grief - they put us in a private van and drove us to meet the bus that had obviously already left and everything was fine the rest of the day. My dad and I took this trip in later February and we had a good time! We checked out Skógafoss waterfall, Katla Geopark lava fields, and Svínafellsjökull beautiful glacier area before finally getting to Jökulsárlón. We had a good 1.5 hours at the glacier and it was absolutely beautiful! Plus the little cafe had some wonderful hot chocolate : We stopped at Seljalandsfoss on the way back which was cool but, since it was at night, so we couldn't go behind it unfortunately. We didn't have much luck with the Northern Lights due to clouds - this part of the tour basically involves the guide keeping an eye out for them on the drive home.. if the lights are visible they'll pull over and let people off to take pics. A few insider things that we wish we had known: - This tour is about 16 hours by the time you get back to Reyjavik, not 12 as listed in the description which was fine because you get proper time at each stop - This was a larger bus tour, with about 50 people. They were super efficient though and kept us on track time-wise. - If you're the type of traveler who wants a lot of flexibility to stop when you want, this may not be the best option... we stopped for a lot of bathroom breaks and an hour each for lunch and dinner we brought our own food and snacks so this was time we would have rather been on the road or actually doing things! - There was a store called Iceland Wear I think right where we stopped for dinner in Vik and they had the cheapest souvenirs we saw all day mugs, t-shirts, magnets, etc but it closed at 8 PM. Overall, it was a great day! We plan to rent a car and redo the drive at least as far as Vik as there were a lot of sights we wished we could have stopped at for photos but it was exactly what we had hoped for
Well worth the trip. Just wish more...
Kourtney_R, Feb 2017
Well worth the trip. Just wish more time could be spent at the beach. Northern lights weren't visible
The Jokulsarion lagoon was beautiful...
Anthony_A, Feb 2017
The Jokulsarion lagoon was beautiful simply amazing. The day was very long but this cannot be helped when you only have the option of doing the area in one day instead of an overnight which would probably be more enjoyable. The tour guide was informative and the food stops were okay. I can imagine this trip must be even more incredible in the Summer when you can actually take a boat out onto the lagoon. I was disappointed that we did not have some extra time in Vik but daylight is limited in Iceland in January only so much you can see each day

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