Northern Lights Forecast for Jokulsarlon

Northern Lights in Jökulsárlón

Jökulsárlón is the glacier lagoon at the foot of Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, beside the Ring Road about 380 km east of Reykjavík. There is no village. The lagoon and Diamond Beach lie on either side of the road on the open sands of Breiðamerkursandur, with the glacier to the north and the sea to the south. Because the lagoon is on the north side of the road, the view from its shore runs north across the icebergs to the glacier, so an aurora over the ice and its reflection in the water fit in the same frame.

Lagoon shore or Diamond Beach

• The main lagoon shore: the large car park is on the east side of the lagoon, with the shoreline viewpoint right beside it, looking up the lagoon to Breiðamerkurjökull. On calm nights the open water between the bergs reflects the sky.
• The west side: a smaller car park on the west side has a raised viewpoint over the water.
• Fjallsárlón: a smaller glacier lagoon a little further west, with its own car park and toilets.
• Diamond Beach: officially Fellsfjara, across the road, where blocks of ice wash up on black sand. Here the sea is to the south and the northern sky is behind you, over the road. Sneaker waves reach this beach.

The lagoon is part of Vatnajökull National Park, with rangers on duty every day of the year. Parking is paid: cameras photograph number plates on the way in, you pay online or at the machines, and the fee runs until midnight on the day you pay.

Seals, ice caves and a lagoon 284 m deep

The lagoon appeared in the 1930s as the glacier pulled back from the coast, and it has been measured at 284 m deep. In winter, seals gather at its mouth and haul out on the ice. Boat tours on the lagoon run from late spring to autumn, and guided ice cave tours run in winter.

No beds and little shelter on Breiðamerkursandur

There is nowhere to sleep at the lagoon itself. The nearest beds are at farms, guesthouses and hotels spread along the Ring Road in both directions. Höfn, about 65 km east, is the nearest town, Skaftafell is about an hour west, and Vík is roughly 190 km west. Wherever you stay, the drive back after a night at the lagoon crosses flat sand plains between the glaciers and the sea, with little shelter from the wind. Snow, ice and sudden storms are common from November to March, and storms can close the road for a while.