Kayaking Among Icebergs, Jökulsárlón

The tour begins at the main car park at Jökulsárlón, where guides fit dry suits and life vests and run through the handling of the sit-on-top kayaks before launching. No prior kayaking experience is required. The kayaks are stable and easy to manage, and the lagoon is calm in most conditions.

From the launch point, icebergs fill the lagoon in every direction. The glacier wall at the far end of the lagoon is visible across the water, with the outlet glacier feeding new ice into the lagoon from above. The icebergs move slowly with the current, some rotating as they drift, and their true scale only becomes apparent at water level, where several metres of glacial ice rise above the surface of the lagoon.

Seals are a regular presence on and around the icebergs. They use the ice as a resting platform and are accustomed to the kayaks, allowing close observation without disturbance. Arctic terns nest nearby and are visible throughout the season, diving into the lagoon from above.

Jökulsárlón formed in the 1930s as the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, an outlet of Vatnajökull, began retreating inland. Once reaching almost to the Ring Road, the glacier has since pulled back, allowing the lagoon to expand to 18 square kilometres, with further growth expected as retreat continues.

The lagoon’s icebergs vary in age and appearance. White ice is younger and contains air bubbles that reflect light, while older blue ice has been compressed over centuries, forcing out most of the air. Some icebergs have spent hundreds of years within Vatnajökull before beginning their journey to the sea.

Jökulsárlón’s otherworldly landscape has featured in several major films, including James Bond and Batman Begins, thanks to its easy access from the Ring Road and scenery unlike anywhere else in Europe.

Jökulsárlón receives a significant number of visitors and the shared boat tours running throughout the day from around 9am. The boat tours carry groups of 20 to 40 passengers and cover the lagoon at speed, with a fixed departure and a fixed return time.

A private kayak tour in the early morning, before the boat tours begin and before the car park fills, gives a different relationship with the same space.

At water level the icebergs read at their actual scale. The silence of the lagoon in the early morning, before the motors start, is one of the most distinctive qualities of the experience. The guide’s attention is entirely on the group, the pace is set around whoever is in the kayak and the route can adjust to where the ice is most concentrated on that particular morning.

The early morning departure also coincides with the best light of the day and the lowest number of people on the lagoon. By mid-morning the boat tours are running and the surface of the lagoon is busy. A private departure at 8am or earlier gives the lagoon largely to itself.

The launch takes place from a flat section of shoreline, with the glacier wall and icebergs visible directly ahead. The dry suit provides insulation against water temperatures that remain between 2 and 6 degrees Celsius year-round, and the sit-on-top kayak is stable enough for paddlers with no prior experience to feel comfortable within minutes of launching.

The icebergs are distributed across the lagoon in varying concentrations, with the densest formations closer to the glacier wall. Paddling between them requires care, as the icebergs move and rotate with the current and can shift position between the outward and return journeys. The guide leads the route and manages proximity to the ice, ensuring guests can get close without risk.

The surface of many icebergs has been sculpted by meltwater and wind into curved formations that reflect light differently throughout the day.

The tour lasts two to three hours and ends back at the launch point. Diamond Beach, where smaller icebergs wash ashore onto black volcanic sand before melting into the sea, is a short walk from the lagoon and pairs well with the kayak tour on the same morning.

Private kayaking tours at Jökulsárlón require advance booking and the early morning slots, which give the best conditions and the fewest people on the water, book out ahead of peak season.

Do Not Disturb secures the booking in advance and coordinates the timing, equipment and any additional south coast or Iceland experiences around the morning on the lagoon.

For guests combining the kayak tour with an ice cave visit at Vatnajökull, a glacier hike at Skaftafell or an overnight on the south coast, both are arranged as part of the same itinerary.

Ready to plan your kayaking experience at Jökulsárlón in Iceland? Speak with Do Not Disturb to begin your journey.