* This post is in no way sponsored by Arctic Adventures. We paid for this tour with our own money, and simply want to share what a fun and unique experience we had with Arctic Adventures in Iceland.
Iceland’s nickname is “the land of fire and ice.” We saw the fire right when we landed, and three days later, it was time to see the ice.
One of Iceland’s top attractions is the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon in South Iceland. The lagoon is a popular stop for tourists because when large chunks of ice break off the nearby glacier, they float through the lagoon out into the sea, creating a wonderous, ever-changing landscape. Some of those chunks of ice then wash back up on the shore, the Insta-famous Diamond Beach. There was no question about putting this amazing spot on our Iceland road trip itinerary, but when I started to get into the nitty-gritty of planning, I came across an organized tour that would let us experience Jokulsarlon in a really fun way: a kayak trip. Even better, this kayak trip could be combined with a glacier hike for the ultimate “ice”-land adventure. (Look at me, aren’t I clever!)
The Glacier Hike and Kayak combo tour was organized by Arctic Adventures, although we were in charge of our own transportation from one location to the next. This worked well for us, since it meant not having to leave our rental car behind and double back. The tour can be booked with either the glacier hike first or the kayak first, depending on which way you are traveling around the Ring Road. Since we were driving counter-clockwise, we started with the glacier hike.
Glacier Hike
We met Arctic Adventures at their office in Skaftafell at the edge of the mighty Vatnajökull glacier. We were hoping to arrive at the national park early enough to squeeze in a hike to Svartifoss before the tour, but didn’t quite make it. Instead, we wandered around the area visitor center area for a bit until it was time to check in for our glacier hike.
During check-in, we were given a harness, ice pick, and crampons. You must wear hiking boots for this tour (which they tell you when booking), and if you don’t have any, you can rent them from Arctic Adventures. They are pretty picky about this too. I saw one girl who was wearing some cute “street boots” who was asked to change, along with another guy who had boots with mesh sides. Getting our gear didn’t take too long, and soon they split us into smaller groups to hike together.
We drove a short distance in our own car to another glacier tongue a few minutes away. Honestly, I can’t remember now which glacier it was, but their website says Falljökull, so we will assume that is correct. It is a short hike from the parking lot to the actual glacier, all along volcanic soil. It was not a long or difficult hike, but you need to be prepared and know your level of fitness. One woman in our group turned around about half a mile in, deciding that the walk was too much for her.
We crossed a rickety bridge, then reached the edge of the ice. Here, we sat down and put our crampons on, then started walking on the glacier. This landscape is truly magnificent, unlike anything I’d ever seen before. We explored the area for about twenty minutes, all the while closely looked after by our guide, who explained the history and ecology of the glacier, and took us to some cool photo spots. Then we climbed back down and returned to the parking lot.
As far as the glacier hike portion of the tour went, it was extremely cool, but we both wished we had more time on the ice. From start to finish, this portion of the tour took about three hours, and we only spent twenty minutes of that time actually on the glacier. I get that this is just kind of the deal when doing group tours of this type—there’s a lot of wasted time—but I would have liked to explore a little farther.
Glacier Lagoon by Kayak
After our glacier hike, we hopped in the car and drove to Jokulsarlon. We had about an hour, hour and a half to have lunch before the kayak tour started, so we grabbed some tasty fish and chips from the stand right on the lagoon’s edge. I can’t imagine how much business that little shop gets! We had enough time to eat and to admire the lagoon, then found our way to the kayak office (which is actually just a large shipping container!)
Unfortunately, some of the people who were booked for the same tour time as us got a bit lost, and we had to wait around for quite a while before they showed up. Luckily for them, the tour operators were willing to wait. Luckily for us, they were willing to extend the end time of the tour, so we still got to spend the same amount of time on the lagoon.
Once our group was assembled, we grabbed our kayaks and headed to the water. We chose a double kayak because, let’s be honest, my arms are weak and I get tired of paddling. I wanted to be able to make Ben do the work if I got tired!
I am convinced that a kayak is absolutely the best way to see Jokulsarlon!! The icebergs in the water had a wild, almost fierce beauty that is best appreciated up close (but not too close, since that’s dangerous). We also saw seals darting through the water and relaxing on the icebergs.
Diamond Beach
When we finished our kayaking tour, there was one final thing to visit in this area before heading to our accommodation for the night: Diamond Beach. I had seen some truly incredible photos of Diamond Beach online, but sadly, our experience didn’t quite live up to the hype. While in pictures, there are hundreds of chunks of ice strewn across the beach, when we visited, there was just a small handful. It was still cool, but a bit of a letdown compared to my expectations. I think, perhaps, there is less ice in the summer. The tides and the time of day you visit may also affect how much ice there is. Either way, our experience at Diamond Beach was okay, but I definitely want to visit this place again next time we visit Iceland (because there will be a next time!)
We finally reached our accommodation for the night at about 8:00. It had been a very full, very fun day. I’m so glad we booked this tour. Hiking on a glacier is something I was really looking forward to, and we enjoyed it, but kayaking was definitely the highlight of the day. In fact, we both agreed it was one of our favorite activities in Iceland! So definitely book this combo tour with Arctic Adventures for a truly magical day in Iceland.
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