When I was researching for our trip to Iceland, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon was one of the most frequently mentioned destinations in any guide and forum. As a result, it became our most highly anticipated locations to visit for our trip. And it definitely did not disappoint.
The glacial lagoon is located in south-eastern Iceland. Formed at the foot of the retreating Breiðamerkurjökull Glacier, the glacial lake is connected to the neighbouring ocean by a single narrow waterway. As such, the icebergs that break off from the glacier linger in the lake for long periods of time, creating a landscape that is quite breath-taking.
The main activity to do at the lagoon was to catch one of the amphibious boat tours that brought you around a section of the lake, going fairly close to some of the icebergs that occupy the lake. It was a fairly surreal experience to sail past these large chunks of ice, each unique in their shapes, sizes, and hues of blue, white, and grey. We also got to try eating a piece of ice from the lake, which they fished up onto the boat right as you sailed along. Overall, each tour lasts approximately 40 minutes (which is fairly short to me, because I just wanted to photograph the icebergs non-stop), but it was definitely worth the money spent.
After touring the lagoon, we headed across the road to the ocean beach adjacent to the glacier lagoon, where the landscape is no less amazing. The beach consists of black volcanic gravel/sand, so the contrast of the pale icebergs that get washed up by the waves is quite other-worldly.
It was here that I also had the opportunity to try out a project that I had always dreamed of doing: Long exposures with icebergs. While I didn't have the beautiful blazing skies of the many awesome shots that you'd find online, I was fairly satisfied with the results that I did get in the limited amount of time that I had at the beach.
In all, we spent almost half a day at Jökulsárlón, exploring both the lagoon and the beach. I would have loved to stay for longer, but the next nearest town, Höfn, where we were staying the night, was still several hours drive away, so we had a limited amount of time that we could spend.
But I was glad to have experienced what I did, and will agree with pretty much anyone who has visited the place: It is a destination not to be missed. There is no question that I would return for more photographic opportunities if I could, because one can never have enough photos of the place.
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Till the next time,
Raylen