Continuing the ice theme of the land of fire and ice, it’s glacier tour day! Typically I like to do minimal tours to focus on experiencing the destination on foot and in a more personal way. I make an exception for exceptional tour opportunities and the Zodiac Boat Tour of the Ice Lagoon in Jökulsárlón definitely fits that criteria. 

The pick up point for tours is in the parking lot on the left side of the Ring Road if driving east; Diamond Beach parking is on the right but more on that a bit later. Be sure to look for kiosks to pay for parking. Some of the lots are a little less obvious than others and a ticket for not paying to park is just an inconvenience. After we parked and pulled on extra layers, we located the Arctic Adventures tour company for our Zodiac Boat Tour. I printed our confirmations, just in case, although we didn’t need them. We were quickly checked-in and given a winter-suit to don. Arctic Adventures has a big trailer with benches to make getting into the winter-suit easier. You will likely have to remove your shoes and may consider how many layer you have on under the winter-suit (we opted to remove one layer). Once the whole group is present and suited up, it’s time for a short ride from the parking lot to the lagoon. 

At the edge of the lagoon, you board the Zodiac Boats in groups of about 8-10 people. A Zodiac is an inflatable boat with a motor and no shelter on the boat. Our captain explained the safety rules and timing before we headed out to the glacier. Grab a seat on the inflated sides and hold on to the ropes attached … the ride can be a little bumpy but a whole lot of fun! You’ll be grateful for the winter-suit which is bulky but keeps you warm and dry. I recommend a scarf or balaclava to pull up over your mouth and nose to protect from the wind. Otherwise, the ride is rather comfortable and enjoyable. 

After a quick ride, you get an incredible up close view of the Jökulsárlón glacier. The different colors of the ice are incredible to see, and pictures do not adequately capture the raw beauty. It’s incredible to see ice that has existed for thousands of years and it is certainly the place to appreciate the effect of global climate changes. The landscape of the lagoon changes each day. That may sound a little odd … I mean how fast is the ice melting that the landscape changes daily?! Yet, it does. The differences are not necessarily due to huge glacial calvings or massive changes in the water level, but rather by changes in the ice colors due to sun exposure and the icebergs turning/flipping as they melt. The ratio of iceberg weight above versus below water also changes.  

While on the tour, you may have the opportunity to actually hold a piece of the glacier! Our captain grabbed a small piece of ice that calved off the main glacier and was floating near the boat. The texture of the surface was full of ridges and rivets (think about the surface of a gold ball but bigger), not at all the smooth surface I expected! We continued a leisurely ride around the lagoon, taking in the glacier and the lagoon from multiple angles. It was a clear, sunny day and I was ecstatic to see seals! As an animal lover, I am very happy any time I get to see the wildlife! The seals sunbathe on icebergs calved from the glacier and most are tolerant of the noise of boat motors. We were able to get close enough for some good pictures without getting so close as to upset the seal or pose any danger to seal or human. 

The Zodiac Boat tour lasts a total of about 1.25 hours and that time goes back much faster than you think it will. Once back to the lagoon edge, it’s time for a quick ride back to the parking lot to return the winter-suit. Our next stop for the day is right across the street from the Jökulsárlón parking lot at the Diamond Beach. 

Diamond Beach gets its name from the small chunks of ice that, with the right lighting, look like massive diamonds against the black sand of the beach. It can be a fun stop but the appearance changes drastically throughout the season. The amount of ‘diamonds’ is heavily dependent upon how much calving has happened at the main glacier so there are some times when you can’t walk without tripping over ice diamonds and other times when there are hardly any ice diamonds at all. It’s a good opportunity to walk along the black sand beach, take in the scenery, and stretch your legs before a car ride. 

We are driving to the Hveragerdi area and making a stop at Seljalandsfoss Waterfall to help break up the drive. Although we did stop here a couple days ago, this time we are completing the walking loop around the waterfall. Seljalandsfoss Waterfall is a pay to park lot and a great place to use the facilities, grab a small bite and a drink, and peruse the gift shop. They have some fun Icelandic gifts for family and friends, and they fit a reasonably wide range of price points. The walk up to the waterfall is easy, the sound of the crashing water growing louder with each step. Following the path counterclockwise, walk toward the right side of the waterfall as you are looking at it. The path does get wet, slippery, and uneven once at the base of the waterfall so exercise appropriate caution and be prepared to get wet. You do have some control over how much mist you encounter based on how close to the waterfall you get but the entire area has some fine mist. Continue following the path behind Seljalandsfoss, eventually returning to the front side of the fall on the other side. 

After a nice walk around the waterfall, take advantage of a stop at the toilets, grab a snack and a hot drink, and peruse the gift shop before continuing onward. We continued our drive to Hveragerdi where we are staying at the Greenhouse Hotel. The Greenhouse Hotel is conveniently located across the street from a Bonus grocery store and a fuel station just down the street. The hotel features a large greenhouse area, hence the name, with several options in the food hall. There is also  as a gift shop area featuring a variety of Icelandic souvenirs and goods. After check-in, rooms are accessed via key code rather than a physical key. The rooms are fairly spacious and, most importantly, clean. The food hall is a great place to have dinner, and each person can order something different and enjoy in a common area. 

I decided to turn in early and set an alarm to wake up for the Northern Lights. Our room was conveniently located by the exterior door to the rooftop area of the hotel making it a breeze to see if the lights were visible before committing to going outside. In the summer months the hotel operates a small outdoor bar. In winter months, there are some seats and it makes a good spot to watch the lights dance through the night sky. We were lucky and the Northern Lights made another appearance! The city lights do create light pollution but seeing the Northern Lights in Iceland is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a little light pollution won’t stop us!