Posts Tagged "Ice"

Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon, Iceland – Location Guide

»Posted by Mark on Jul 25, 2010 in Locations | 1 comment

There are some locations where you just need to stop and catch your breath, the glacial lagoon at Jokulsarlon on Iceland’s south coast is one of these places. It can only be described as awe-inspiring to sit and watch icebergs silently floating past. Without a doubt Iceland has some of the most inspirational scenery to be found anywhere on earth and Jokulsarlon is one of the best Iceland has to offer and well worth a visit.

Getting there: Jokulsarlon is about 4 hours east of Reykjavik along route 1 (Iceland’s main road around the whole island) and around 2 hours east Vik i Myrdal, another great location for some coastal photography. There is a car park just after the suspension bridge next to the lagoon, you can get some great shots even from the car park although a short walk around the edge of the lagoon can give you some different vantage points and compositions. The time of year can make a big difference to what the lagoon will be like, I visited in November I found there to be lots of icebergs floating around the lagoon.

Don’t rush back to the car just yet, you’re not done here. If you walk away from the lagoon and head over the bridge towards the coast you will find another spectacular sight with blocks of ice some the size of cars and some only inches across littered across the black sandy beach. The amount of ice found here is more dependent on the time of year than the lagoon itself, warm weather will melt the blocks of ice and ferocious seas will have the same effect. These shots were taken in November and there were literally hundreds of big blocks of ice on the beach.

To give you an idea of size in the above photo the curved block of ice was around 6-8ft in diameter and there would much bigger ones nearby. In the photo below the three ice cubes were each 2-3ft across. It is tricky to find a good composition at first as the shear amount of ice is mind blowing, just keep looking for simple patterns that really summarise this awesome place.

This has to have be one of my favourite spots I have even visited anywhere in the world, there is something special about watching 10,000 year old blocks of ice float down the river and in to the sea. If you are looking for accommodation nearby the closest I think is about 20-30 minutes east again in the form of a hostel with a restaurant and even a museum to the history of the Icelandic people that is worth a look too.


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