If I Were Going...: Jökulsárlón -- Again!

All about the ice!

I’m at a bit of a loss about what to write about our destination for our final pre-Greenland day in Iceland. That’s because we’ve been to Jökulsárlón every time we’ve gone to Iceland (and I went with Caty, as well).

Jökulsárlón = ice

So, I have blogged about it before: in 2014, 2015, 2017 (two blogs), 2019 and 2021.

Stunning!

So, maybe just a quick overview and lots and lots of photos.

Photographer and cameras; Photos: Scott Stevens

Does that work?

Jökulsárlón ("glacial river lagoon") is on the edge of Vatnajökull National Park at the head of Breiðamerkurjökull.

Breiðamerkurjökull makes a wide arc

The word jökul or jökull means glacier so I try not to be redundant. So, if I accidentally write “Breiðamerkurjökull glacier" (translates to "broad banded glacier glacier"), forgive me.

Breiðamerkurjökull is part of Vatnajökull, the same ice cap that feeds Svínafellsjökull, which I just blogged about.

Two locations, same glacier; Map: Google Maps

Glaciers coming off Vatnajökull

The lagoon was formed in the 1930s when Breiðamerkurjökull began to recede from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, leaving a strip of land between the glacial face and the sea. Melting ice and calving hunks of ice created a puddle, then a pool and then a lagoon that is now about a mile from the ocean's edge.

And the process continues

The lagoon now covers seven square miles, four times as big as it was in the 1970s.

At over 814 feet deep, Jökulsárlón is the deepest lake in Iceland

Jökulsárlón is filled with icebergs that calve off the glacier and are carried by the tides under a bridge and out to sea.

Icebergs at the entrance to the channel;

Many strand themselves on a black sand beach before finally being washed away

The amount of icebergs in the lagoon varies, depending on both how much ice has calved off the glacier and the tides.

Lots of ice this time

This is because the lagoon empties into the ocean via a channel that is far shallower than the main lagoon. Icebergs (and smaller bergie bits) traveling toward the outlet often get stuck in the shallows.

Grounded!

Then they must wait for either a high enough tide to lift them and float them out or for the water to melt them enough to be lifted.

You can see the extent of melting

While they float or while they sit and wait, they become resting spots for Harbor Seals and seabirds, including Black-legged Kittiwakes, Ravens and Black-headed Gulls.

Hauled out

Black-legged Kittiwake party

And, a party of one

Common Eiders can also be found in the lagoon and I’ve seen songbirds in the parking lot.

White Wagtail

Snow Bunting

The channel is obviously a rich feeding ground for birds. I spent quite a bit of time there practicing with my new camera (Canon R7).

Black-headed Gulls scooping up herring

It was also a great place to see Harbor Seals

And more Gulls flying at eye-level

But, I am getting a little ahead of myself.

We made a stop before actually arriving at Jökulsárlón.

Fjallsárlón

In my last blog I talked about all the places we visited on the way to Jökulsárlón. Except one: Fjallsárlón, a lake about six miles to the west that shares many characteristics with Jökulsárlón.

The lake is fed by Fjallsjökull, which also extends from Vatnajökull; Map: Google Maps

It is the result of a melting and calving glacier, it fills with icebergs and the icebergs eventually make their way to the ocean, just like they do at Jökulsárlón.

An iceberg in Jökulsárlón

But, the lake is farther from the main highway and less crowded. Because Fjallsárlón is much smaller, you get a closer view of the glacier face from land.

Looking Fjallsjökull in the face

Unfortunately, on this visit, the lake was almost completely devoid of icebergs.

Where's the ice?

In past visits, we have seen more ice in the lake.

Lots more! This is 2014

We stopped to take a look and had lunch at the little café/bistro on the edge of the moraine between the parking lot and the lake. Then we walked up over the hill and down to the shore on the wide, well-maintained gravel path.

One thing really special about Fjallsárlón is the heart-shaped rock face next to the glacier. In 2014, I photographed a heart-shaped rock on the shore of that same lake.

There’s a lot to love about Iceland; Left: Scott Stevens

Just like at Jökulsárlón, where we were going next, there are Zodiac boat tours that take visitors to the edge of the glacier. I am not sure they were running the day we were there; I don’t think they were.

We haven’t taken the boat tour here. Back in 2014, Scott and I took a tour on Jökulsárlón and were extremely disappointed because our driver seemed afraid to get even remotely close to the glacier (I think he was a novice captain), so we couldn’t see much more than what we could see from standing on the shore.

Our ride in 2014

Maybe next time we should give it another try.

Now, back to Jökulsárlón ...

Diamond Beach

The channel from the lagoon flows under a bridge and, because it is narrow, some of the icebergs and bergie bits don’t make a clean escape.

Instead, they become stranded on the black sand beach at the mouth of the channel

Scott's selfie with stranded ice

The beach’s name is Fellsfjara, but it is commonly called “Diamond Beach.”

The reason for the name is obvious

How many “diamonds” are scattered on the beach varies dramatically, depending on tide, wind, temperature and, if you are a true Icelander, the whims of the ice fairies.

The fairies were busy

I have been there when both sides are blanketed, when one side is blanketed and one side is bare and when a chunk of ice is as difficult to find as iced tea in Europe.

Clear ice

That's when you have to concentrate on the interesting rocks

This trip was pretty rich in ice (and in tourists admiring the ice), but there was a dramatic difference in volume from side-to-side (and it shifted from one side to the other while we were there).

Early morning fog and ice on the west side

I am sure the wind – which was stiff – had a lot to do with where the ice ended up.

We spent a lot of time wandering among the stranded icebergs, taking pictures and admiring natures glory.

We took a break to get a photo together

The ice is interesting because it takes many different forms ..

Clear, sculpted ice

Blue ice

White ice

Porous ice

Dirty ice

Really cool ice; Photo: Scott Stevens

We also spent a lot of time watching, photographing and taking video of huge bergs stranded in the shallow water that were being absolutely pounded by waves.

A violent sea

I don’t know why, but I just love watching the ocean break over inanimate objects.

Fun to watch

Of course, trying to catch that on video was harder than I thought it would be. I got some cool time-lapse, but with not as many big waves.

Every now and then, an iceberg that was either shallow on the bottom or well-positioned in the center of the channel made it through and sailed past, appearing to mock their bigger cousins who almost escaped, but instead were stuck waiting for a good wave or a higher tide.

This one made it!

Watch the progress here:

And, watch another escapee here.

The violent surf also seemed to stir up fish, because hundreds of Black-legged Kittiwakes were circling and diving into the surf to catch fish.

Hungry birds

Facilities

The Jökulsárlón area has multiple parking lots. The businest one is by the main part of the lagoon.

Jökulsárlón main lagoon

It has restrooms (a small one in the café and a bank of porta-potties), a small bakery/café, food trucks (Icelandic hotdogs!), and tour departures, including for the boat trips on the lagoon and for other trips, such as glacier hiking and, during colder months, ice cave tours.

National Park facilities and services

Another parking lot is on the other side of the bridge and accesses a series of trails, some of which skirt the lagoon.

View from the trail

Then, there are parking lots on either side of the canal for accessing Diamond Beach.

Early morning on Diamond Beach

One parking fee covers all of them. But, on good days, finding a space can be tough. So, it’s best to pick a lot and then just walk to alternate locations.

A good place to walk

That does require crossing the highway (a little scary) and/or walking across the bridge (a little more scary).

On foggy days, I’d be extra careful

As with most parking in Iceland, the fee is paid via cell phone. Always have a working phone when traveling there.

While walking around, we noticed that the paths and parking lots had been significantly improved since our last visit. For example, there is a gravelly hill that looks down on the lagoon from near the main parking lot. Climbing up it was tricky in the past because of loose rock.

In 2015, Caty climbed and I didn't

Now, it has a wide path anchored by a metal grid.

Much nicer facilities

I found walking much easier and didn’t really mind that the new paths restricted access to the lagoon’s edge and the sides of the hill. I am all for saving the environment – and not sliding down a hill.

Lodging

This time we visited for three days, staying at the Hali Country Hotel, just nine miles east of the lagoon.

Hali

In the past, we have stayed at several different accommodations on the Hali farm, including the Skyrhúsið Guesthouse (a hostel), the Guesthouse Gerði and the Hali Country Hotel. All are great and all are exceedingly convenient to the lagoon.

Cliffs across the highway with early morning fog

The Hali Country Restaurant is also excellent.

The restaurant shares space with a small museum

We had several great meals there during our stay.

And a really good dessert; Photo: Scott Stevens

While you can day-trip to Jökulsárlón from other locations (most commonly Höfn to the east or Vík í Mýrdal to the west), we like to be close because often the prettiest time to be there is sunrise.

Early bird catches the shot

Once, we were lucky enough to see aurora over the lagoon.

Aurora in 2017

This time we went to bed expecting overcast all night long only to find the next morning that we may have missed some lights.

The Experience

Over the three days, we had a variety of weather: a little rain, a lot of wind, some fog, lots of overcast and a little sun. All was magical, but sun is the best, especially when it’s during the golden hours of dawn and dusk.

Morning light on the lagoon

This might just be one of the places we have photographed the most.

Moody light at Diamond Beach

It is certainly one of Scott’s favorite places.

Happy place!

Although we spent most of our time at the lagoon, we did venture a little further east, having a nice lunch at Kaffi Hornid in Höfn (or Höfn í Hornafirði), a charming fishing village known as the "Lobster Capital of Iceland." We had fish and chips, not lobster.

Located in the Hornafjörður Fjord, it is the last major town before the East Fjords when traveling along Route 1 (Ring Road).

Our drive there and back produced some pretty vistas ...

Breiðamerkurjökull

... and some of Iceland’s furrier (woolier?) friends.

Icelandic Horses with Breiðamerkurjökull in the background

We hadn’t seen a lot of Icelandic Horses on this trip. Maybe they were already stabled for the winter? Or just hiding from the wind.

And, you just have to photograph Icelandic Sheep ...

... especially ones as fluffy as these!

After our time at Jökulsárlón, we needed to get back to Reykjavik so we could start our real Adventure: Greenland!

One our drive back, we saw a few more animals ...

Barnacle Geese

Whooper Swans

... but we didn’t really make any stops.

By the time we got to Reykjavik, it was starting to rain again.

We had had a lovely time in Iceland, but the weather had been less than perfect. In fact, I think it is fair to say it was the worst we had experienced in seven trips.

Gloomy

Because we had already had spectacular experiences in Iceland and because we always managed to have a few windows of sunshine despite the rain and wind, we weren’t upset. But, we were getting increasingly worried about our voyage to Greenland.

Well, I said I didn’t have much to write, but I managed to drone on anyway. And share lots of photos.