Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Boat ToursJökulsárlón Day Trip from Reykjavík
This Jökulsárlón day trip from Reykjavík is Icelandia's 14 to 15-hour coach run down the whole South Coast, priced at $225 per person and rated 4.5 from 1,449 verified GetYourGuide bookings. You get 1.5 hours at the lagoon itself, plus stops at Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Diamond Beach and Vík. The 40-minute boat cruise is not in the base fare. It is an optional extra in the warmer months, and the listing does not state its price before checkout. This page sets out exactly what you get, what the day feels like hour by hour, and who should book a different listing, such as the day trip with the boat ride included. Compare it with the other Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon boat tours.
About This Tour
Icelandia runs this as a long coach day from Reykjavík to Jökulsárlón, the iceberg lagoon at the edge of Vatnajökull. The itinerary from the listing has a 1.5-hour bus leg to Hvolsvöllur, a photo stop at Skógafoss, a 40-minute lunch at a local restaurant at an extra fee, then 1.5 hours at Jökulsárlón. The boat cruise of 40 minutes is optional and costs extra.
After the lagoon you cross the road to Diamond Beach, then stop 45 minutes in Vík for dinner at your own cost, and finish with a photo stop at Seljalandsfoss before one of 36 Reykjavík drop-off locations. The listing is marked likely to sell out, so check dates early. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure, and you can reserve now and pay later.
$225 per person, per GetYourGuide. The base fare covers the bus, guide, onboard WiFi and hotel pickup. The boat is not in it.
14 to 15 hours door to door. This is a very long coach day, so plan for an early start and a late return.
Depends on the option you select. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, with times shown when you check availability.
Group size is not stated. The guide is an expert local guide and the tour language is English.
1.5 hours at Jökulsárlón on foot, plus a separate optional 40-minute boat cruise. Diamond Beach and the waterfalls are photo stops with no set time stated apart from the listed legs.
Food and drinks cost extra, including the 40-minute lunch stop and the 45-minute dinner in Vík. The boat is an add-on with a price not stated in the listing. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Check Dates and Availability
Starting times and pickup options are shown when you check availability for your date. The listing is marked likely to sell out, so look ahead.
Quick answer Price, duration and the boat question
This Jökulsárlón day trip from Reykjavík costs $225 per person, lasts 14 to 15 hours and gives you 1.5 hours at the lagoon. The 40-minute boat cruise is an optional extra in the warmer months and the listing does not state its price.
Key takeaways
- Want the boat already in the ticket? See the Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride Day Trip at $279 with a 30-minute amphibian cruise included.
- Want a lower base fare on a near-identical day? Compare the Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach Tour at $203.
- Short on time? Look at the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon boat tour options, including shorter lagoon-only activities such as the 1.5-hour kayak tour.
What the Price Actually Covers
The base fare at $225 is a transport and guiding ticket. Here is what sits inside it, what does not, and where you may spend more on the day, based only on the operator's own listing.
Included and Not Included
The listing includes transportation by bus, an expert local guide, WiFi onboard and hotel pickup and drop-off at one of 36 Reykjavík locations. Food and drinks are explicitly excluded. Lunch is a 40-minute stop at a local restaurant and dinner is a 45-minute stop in Vík, both paid by you. Bring warm clothing and rain gear, because nothing is said about gear being provided.
The boat is the big caveat. It appears in the includes list only as an option you select. The listing does not state the price of that add-on, so you see it at checkout.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bus transport and guide | Yes | Expert local guide, English, WiFi onboard |
| Hotel pickup and drop-off | Yes | One of 36 Reykjavík locations, depending on the option |
| Jökulsárlón time on foot | Yes | 1.5 hours at the lagoon |
| Boat cruise, 40 minutes | Optional, extra fee | Add-on in the warmer months, price not stated in the listing, see it at checkout |
| Lunch, 40 minutes | No | Local restaurant, you pay |
| Dinner in Vík, 45 minutes | No | You pay |
| Diamond Beach stop | Yes | No set time stated in the itinerary |
A block of ice rests on black sand under northern lights. Photo: Richard Banton, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Day Is Really Like
The itinerary below follows the operator's listing, stop by stop, with the durations it states.
Out of Reykjavík and Down the Coast
You are picked up at a Reykjavík location or hotel, depending on the option selected. The first leg is 1.5 hours on the coach to Hvolsvöllur for a break. From there the bus continues east, with a photo stop and visit at Skógafoss, the waterfall with a 60-metre drop named in the listing text. Next comes a 40-minute lunch at a local restaurant, at your own cost.
The longest stretch follows, passing Skaftafell National Park and the black sand desert, with views of Hvannadalshnjúkur if weather allows. That leg runs to Jökulsárlón, 370 kilometres from Reykjavík by road, about 4.5 hours of driving in total.
The Lagoon, the Boat and Diamond Beach
You get 1.5 hours at Jökulsárlón to walk to the edge of the water and watch ice that broke off Breiðamerkurjökull, part of Vatnajökull. The listing notes ice between 1,000 and 1,500 years old and filming locations such as Batman Begins and Tomb Raider. If you selected the boat option, a guided 40-minute cruise among the icebergs follows.
Then the bus crosses to Diamond Beach, just across the road from the lagoon, where stranded ice glitters on black sand. Keep back from the waterline, since waves here are dangerous and the standard advice is to stay at least 30 metres from the surf.
Vík and the Way Home
On the return the coach stops 45 minutes in Vík for dinner, again at an extra fee. A final photo stop at Seljalandsfoss, where you can walk behind the cascade, comes before the drop-off. The day ends at one of 36 Reykjavík drop-off locations, chosen when you book.
No return time is stated, but with a 14 to 15-hour duration, expect a late evening.
Who This Tour Rules Out
Some travellers should book something else, and the listing itself draws the lines.
Children, Stamina and the Winter Season
Children under 6 are not suitable, and one adult may accompany up to two minors. No fitness level or swimming ability is stated, and no wheelchair access is stated either. The real filter is the 14 to 15-hour coach day. If that sounds too much in one go, the 2-Day South Coast with Boat and Hike splits the distance across two days with a night's stay and a boat ride in the fare.
The boat only runs in the warmer months, and boat tours on the lagoon are not available in winter. The amphibian season at the shore is May to November. If you travel outside that window, this tour still runs, but expect no boat. Pickup times are shown when you check availability, so be ready early. For a day with the boat guaranteed in the ticket at $279, look at the Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride Day Trip.
Reynisfjara beach and the Reynisdrangar stacks seen from Dyrhólaey. Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting There and What to Add
If you would rather go without a tour, or want to add time around it, here is what to know about the site itself.
Driving to Jökulsárlón Yourself
The lagoon sits 370 kilometres from Reykjavík by road, about 4.5 hours of driving. Vík is 187 kilometres out, around 2.5 hours, and Skaftafell is 327 kilometres, about 4 hours. Fuel is the planning point: the Kirkjubæjarklaustur to Höfn stretch runs about 205 kilometres with fuel limited to Freysnes and Fagurholsmýri. In winter, four wheel drive gives better traction and road closures are possible.
At the lagoon, the Vatnajökull National Park parking fee is 1,110 ISK (about $9) for a car with 5 seats or fewer, paid at machines or through the Parka system. Public toilets, a café, a souvenir shop and accessible parking are on site. The café serves sandwiches, lobster soup, cakes and drinks, with vegetarian and vegan options, open 09:00 to 19:00 from June to September.
Adding a Boat, a Second Lagoon or a Night Nearby
Doing it yourself means buying the boat at the shore. The amphibian tour costs 7,100 ISK (about $58) for adults and 3,500 ISK (about $29) for children aged 6 to 12, lasts 30 to 40 minutes and runs May to November. The Zodiac costs 16,600 ISK (about $136) for adults, lasts 1 hour 15 minutes and gets closer to the ice, for passengers aged 10 or over, or at least 130 centimetres tall. Read the Jökulsárlón amphibian boat tour and Jökulsárlón Zodiac boat tour guides before choosing.
Fjallsárlón is the neighbouring lagoon, and Diamond Beach needs only a 2 to 5-minute walk from its parking. If you stay over, see hotels near Jökulsárlón, which also lets you reach Diamond Beach in morning or evening light, when it is quieter.
Sources: icelagoon.is, Vatnajökull National Park, Guide to Iceland, Troll.is
Itinerary Step by Step
Times and durations below are the ones the listing states. Stops without stated lengths are photo stops.
-
Start
Reykjavík pickup
Hotel pickup and drop-off are included. The meeting point and pickup window depend on the option you select and are shown at checkout.
-
After 1.5 hours
Hvolsvöllur break
A 1.5-hour coach leg from Reykjavík ends with a break stop at Hvolsvöllur.
-
Next
Skógafoss
Photo stop, visit and walk at the waterfall with a 60-metre drop. No set duration is stated.
-
Then
Lunch, 40 minutes
A 40-minute lunch at a local restaurant, at an extra fee.
-
After the drive
Jökulsárlón, 1.5 hours
The drive passes Skaftafell National Park and the black sand desert. At the lagoon you get 1.5 hours of free time to walk the shore and watch the icebergs.
-
Optional, at the lagoon
Optional boat cruise, 40 minutes
If you selected the option, a guided 40-minute cruise runs among the icebergs. It is an extra fee and only offered in the warmer months.
-
After the lagoon
Diamond Beach, Vík and Seljalandsfoss
Cross the road to Diamond Beach for a visit, then 45 minutes in Vík for dinner at an extra fee. A final photo stop at Seljalandsfoss, where you can walk behind the falls, precedes drop-off at one of 36 Reykjavík locations.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of this listing against the others sold for the same lagoon.
What we genuinely like
- Hotel pickup and drop-off at one of 36 Reykjavík locations is in the fare at $225
- 1.5 hours at the lagoon, the same time on site as the $223 Gray Line day
- Six South Coast stops in one day, including both big waterfalls and Diamond Beach
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure and reserve now, pay later
- Rated 4.5 across 1,449 GetYourGuide reviews
The honest downsides
- The boat is an add-on in the warmer months and the listing does not state its price before checkout
- 14 to 15 hours on a coach is a very long day for one stop of 1.5 hours at the lagoon
- Every meal costs extra, including the 40-minute lunch and 45-minute Vík dinner
- No children under 6, and one adult can accompany only two minors
- Marked likely to sell out, so late bookers may miss their date
Who it's NOT for: Not for families with children under 6, anyone who cannot face a 14 to 15-hour coach day, or travellers who want the boat ride guaranteed in the ticket price.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the boat ride included in the $225 price?
No. The 40-minute cruise is an optional extra in the warmer months and the listing does not state its price, so you see it at checkout. If the boat matters, book the Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride Day Trip, which includes a 30-minute amphibian ride.
How long do I get at Jökulsárlón?
The itinerary gives 1.5 hours at the lagoon, with the boat cruise listed as a separate 40-minute stop. That is the same lagoon time as the South Coast and Jökulsárlón Day Tour.
What does the boat cost if I pay at the lagoon instead?
The amphibian ticket bought at the shore costs 7,100 ISK (about $58) for adults and 3,500 ISK (about $29) for children aged 6 to 12, at about 122 ISK to the US dollar. That is the lagoon operator's own ticket, not this listing's add-on, whose price is not stated. Details are in the Jökulsárlón amphibian boat tour guide.
Can I bring a 5-year-old?
No. The listing says children under 6 are not suitable, and one adult may accompany up to two minors. For a trip that lists children from 0 to 12, compare the 2-Day South Coast with Boat and Hike.
When does the tour run the boat?
Only in the warmer months, per the listing. At the lagoon the amphibian season runs May to November and boat tours are not available in winter. The Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon boat tour homepage explains the seasons.
What should I bring on the day?
The listing says bring warm clothing and rain gear. The ground near the lagoon and beach is wet and slippery, so waterproof shoes help. See the Jökulsárlón weather guide for what to expect.
Can I cancel this tour?
Yes. You can cancel free up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, and reserve now and pay later keeps the booking flexible. Compare all options on the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon boat tours list.
What Travelers Said
Long day trip to see the glacier lagoon and diamond beach, plenty of stops along the way including at beautiful waterfalls. Guide Benedikt very friendly and knowledgeable.
It was great! We had a Great Guide and the stops were impressive ☺️
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
We may earn a commission if you book through one of our links, at no extra cost to you. Full affiliate disclosure