jökulsárlón
Visiting the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon is like stepping into a fairytale. The dreamlike world is one of the greatest natural wonders in Iceland, by far. And it’s very easy to access, even in winter, since it’s situated right along the ring road.
Jökulsárlón, or the glacier lagoon, is the largest of the glacial lakes in Iceland. The clear water is filled with huge odd shaped icebergs that break off Breiðamerkurjökull from Europe’s largest glacier, Vatnajökull. The white, green, blue and even black coloured blocks of ice drift around in the lake. All while the huge mass of white that is Vatnajökull towers in the distance. Eventually, the icebergs are carried out to sea by a short river.
Most read
Latest
-
Abandoned Iceland #7: South Road Trip
Valur Grettisson and his trusty companions, Art Bicnick and Polly, the chief morale officer, travelled from Reykjavík to Jökulsárlón in the middle of COVID-19 and found surprisingly many travellers as well as beautiful nature. We also stopped at the wonderful Fosshotel Glacier…
-
Abandoned Iceland #5: Jökulsárlón—Glacier Lagoon
In this edition of Abandoned Iceland, we visited Jökulsárlón and found a handful of Icelanders, expats and one seal roaming around. No one else. It was truly incredible. Thanks to GoCar Rental for providing the vehicle for our tours in Iceland and…
-
Best Of South Iceland 2018: Must-See Spot
Southern Iceland is home to most of the most popular tourist routes in Iceland—with good reason. The coastal Ring Road road from Reykjavík to Höfn is a trail of picturesque towns, black sand beaches, dramatic mountains, powerful waterfalls, basalt cliffs, towering glaciers…
-
Which Tourist Destinations In Iceland Have Reached Their Tolerance Limit?
According to a new report presented to Parliament by Minister for Tourism, Industry and Innovation Þórdís Kolbrún Gylfadóttir, some of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland have long reached their tolerance limit for tourists and are now in grave danger. An…
-
Where Was It Shot: Westlife – “What About Now”
Alright, does anyone remember Westlife? Yes, the Irish boy band that released dozens of cheesy love songs you grew up with. Aww or eww? Either way, here’s a fix for your millennial nostalgia: Westlife released a song called “What About Now” in…
-
Race Against The Sun: The Icy Wonderland Of Skógafoss And Jökulsárlón
Just over 370 kilometres from Reykjavik, in the far southeast corner of the country, you’ll find the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. This particular lake—Iceland’s deepest, in fact, at a depth of around 250 metres—is considered to be amongst one of the crown jewels…
-
Police Clear Tourists Off The Ice In Jökulsárlón
Once again, tourists have ventured out onto the ice at Jökulsárlón. This time, police were called to get them to stop this dangerous activity. Numerous tourists were spotted wandering on the ice at beautiful Jökulsárlón yesterday, Vísir reports. Amongst them was a…
-
Finally Jökulsárlón Becomes A Nature Preserve
The icy lagoon Jökulsárlón will become a protected area and turned into a nature reserve that is part of the Vatnajökull National Park, reports RÚV. Last winter, the government bought land that covers part of the lagoon and Jón Geir Pétursson, department…
-
Where Was It Shot? Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
2001 was a memorable time for those who wanted to see Angelina Jolie run in slow motion. Yes, that year saw the release of ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’ or, as we call it at the Grapevine, ‘Hooters: Indiana Jones Edition’. The movie…
-
Where Was ‘Die Another Day’ Shot?
Everyone’s favourite chauvinist spy, James Bond (albeit in everyone’s least favourite reincarnation, Pierce Brosnan), visited everyone’s favourite sub-Arctic island back in 2002. The resulting film had diamonds, Madonna and, because it’s a James Bond film, a totally incoherent plotline. After being held…
-
When In Höfn: A Rúntur Through The Fog
There’s an activity in Iceland known as the “rúntur.” That’s rune-ter, with a rolled “r”. The term doesn’t translate that well to English, but the closest I could find would be something like “cruising.” It refers to the act of driving around…
-
Yes, Iceland IS Trying to Kill You
Light fracturing the froth of a wild grey wave, flotsam churning over with the power of the sea. It’s hypnotic. The roar of it, the hiss of the wind and the stretch of beach, black and shimmering like the night sky. The…
-
Watch A Time Lapse Video Of Climate Change Melting A Glacier
Thanks to the magic of Google Time Lapse, you can now watch the accelerating melting of the glacier feeding into Jökulsárlón. As Vísir reports, Jökulsárlón first came to public attention in the 1930s. Since then, it has gradually grown, while the leg…
-
“Too Dangerous” To Retrieve Car From Jökulsárlón
An unmanned car that rolled and sank into Jökulsárlón will remain there, as police believe attempts at trying to retrieve the car will be too dangerous. “It is actually clear that the conditions are always changing, as the ice blocks are moving,”…
-
Tourists Lose Car In Jökulsárlón
A couple who paid a visit to Jökulsárlón on the last day of their trip in Iceland were met with an unpleasant surprise when they witnessed their own rental car sinking into the lagoon. Vísir reports that tour guide Jónas Jónasson was…
-
All Ice Everything: Glacier Walks And Boat Trips
Even during the peak of Iceland’s summer’s season, there’s always a place to be cold. So, feeling the 13˚ city heat of Reykjavík, we decided to go there. The south coast of Iceland is probably one of the most travelled routes in…
-
Tourists Get A Scolding From Police
South Iceland police gave a group of tourists a stern talking-to after they were spotted walking onto the ice at Jökulsárlón. RÚV reports that police were notified that some 15 to 20 tourists had wandered out onto the ice at Jökulsárlón. Upon…
-
Minister May Get Involved With Jökulsárlón Sale
The Minister for the Environment is reportedly “concerned” about the sale of land near the site of natural wonder. While it has been widely reported that Jökulsárlón is “for sale”, this is not exactly true – rather, a plot of land that…
-
PHOTOS: Spectacular Aurora Display Last Night
Last night’s Northern Lights were magical! All of the different colours and forms this natural phenomenon holds were beautifully documented in photographs under the hashtag #northernlights on Instagram. We had a blast going through them and wanted to share our favourites from…
-
The Hot Button: Tourism Safety
The hot button issue that Icelanders have been going on about this past month is tourism safety. It used to be somewhat funny to point out the reckless shenanigans of tourists. The laughter stopped, however, when someone once again drowned at the…
-
PHOTOS: Strong Tide And Seals At Jökulsárlón Ice Lagoon
We stopped at Jökulsarlon recently on our way up to the Vatnajökull ice cave. There was a strong wind blowing, preventing many of the icebergs from getting out to sea. Instead, they stayed in the lagoon, or settled on the beach, creating these…
-
Tourists On Ice Wanted To Look At Seals
The tourists who were “trapped” on ice yesterday had reportedly wandered off to get a better look at seals. While it was initially reported that some 50 tourists had become trapped at Jökulsárlón when they wandered onto floating ice, Vísir now reports…
-
About 50 Tourists Trapped On Floating Ice At Jökulsárlón
About 50 tourists are, at the time of this writing, trapped on floating chunks of ice at Jökulsárlón, in southeast Iceland. Vísir reports that rescue workers from the nearby village of Hornafjörður have been called to the scene. The tourists in question…