Kayaking among Icebergs at Jokulsarlon

Eye Level with Ancient Ice

Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon is one of Iceland's most photographed locations, where icebergs calved from Breidamerkurjokull glacier float slowly toward the ocean in an ever-changing display of blue, white, and crystal ice. Most visitors experience it from the shore or from an amphibian boat. Kayaking puts you directly among the icebergs at water level, where the scale and beauty of the ice becomes visceral rather than scenic.

Iceguide runs this kayaking operation with small groups of up to 14 people in tandem kayaks, making it both accessible and intimate. The 1.5-hour experience packs more visual impact per minute than almost any other activity in Iceland.

Gearing Up and Getting In

At the lagoon edge, guides help you into a full drysuit that goes over your regular clothing. Combined with neoprene gloves and a life jacket, you are prepared for the near-freezing water even though the goal is very much to stay out of it. A paddling briefing covers basic strokes, turning, and safety protocols before you launch from a gentle beach into the lagoon.

The first moments on the water are immediately striking. From shore, Jokulsarlon looks like a lake with ice in it. From kayak level, it feels like an ice world that happens to have water. Icebergs that appeared modest from land suddenly tower above your head, and the deep blue veins running through the compressed glacial ice glow with an internal light.

Among the Bergs

The guide leads the group on a route through the lagoon, weaving between icebergs of varying size and shape. Some are smooth and sculpted by waves, others are jagged and freshly calved with crystalline surfaces that catch the light. The variety of blue — from pale sky blue through deep sapphire to an almost black indigo in the densest ice — is remarkable.

Sounds carry differently on the water. You hear the creaking and popping of ice under thermal stress, the splash of chunks calving off larger bergs, and the occasional bark of a harbor seal surfacing nearby. Seals are frequent companions on these tours, their curious heads bobbing in the water between ice floes.

The guide shares knowledge about the glacier and lagoon system. Breidamerkurjokull has been retreating for decades, and the lagoon has grown significantly. The icebergs you paddle past can be hundreds or even a thousand years old — compressed snow from an era long before modern Iceland.

A Perspective You Cannot Get Any Other Way

The amphibian boat tours at Jokulsarlon are popular and enjoyable, but they operate at a fundamentally different scale. Sitting in a kayak, your eyes are barely above the waterline. An iceberg that looked picturesque from the shore becomes an imposing mass of ancient ice that you approach with respect and wonder. The physical engagement of paddling connects you to the environment in a way that passive boat riding does not.

At 1.5 hours, the tour is short enough to fit into a south coast itinerary without dominating the day, yet long enough to deliver a complete and memorable experience. Combined with a walk along nearby Diamond Beach where ice chunks wash ashore, a kayaking session at Jokulsarlon creates one of the finest outdoor experiences available in Iceland.