Seeing icebergs up close in a RIB on Iceland’s Jökulsárlón

Taking a rigid inflatable boat cruise on Iceland’s Jökulsárlón allows you to get up close to icebergs and the glacier wall.

Flotation suits on Jökulsárlón

Nobody is ever going to look dignified in a flotation suit. But better to look undignified than to fall into Jökulsárlón without one. The water is the tiniest smidgeon above freezing point, and the shock factor alone could be lethal.

For the most notable inhabitants of the lake, however, the water is a touch too warm. The icebergs that break off Iceland’s largest glacier face a slow melt, then eventual disappearance. But there are always plenty more waiting to take their place.

Why book a 2-day tour to Jökulsárlón with glacier hike and boat tour?

🧊 Hike on a real glacier with expert guides for an unforgettable Icelandic adventure
🚤 Cruise among floating icebergs on the breathtaking Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon
💦 See dramatic waterfalls like Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss along the scenic south coast
🏨 Overnight accommodation included, so you can relax and enjoy the journey
🚌 Hassle-free transport from Reykjavík with small group sizes for a personal experience

👉 Book this Iceland adventure now

Jökulsárlón as a filming location

From the shore, it’s quite the spectacle, and it’s no coincidence that Jökulsárlón is regularly used as a filming location.

Bond film Die Another Day shot major scenes here, and the Game of Thrones camera crews followed.

Seeing the icebergs on a rigid inflatable boat

But where there are icebergs, there are Titanics.

Our craft for the adventure to the edge of the glacier is a Zodiac rigid inflatable boat – which is small enough to get up close and manoeuvre, but exposed to the elements.

Those massive, puffy flotation suits seem an even better idea now.

The glacier looks close, but is just under five miles away. It’ll get further – the glacier is retreating, and the lake growing, by about 300ft a year.

Icebergs on the Jökulsárlón lagoon, Iceland. Photo by David Whitley.

How old is the ice on Jökulsárlón

The lake itself is relatively new – it has only been there for around 80 years. But the ice is much older.

The chunks that have worked their way to edge and into the water are around 600-years-old.

Scientists can tell what air quality was like centuries ago by looking at the bubbles trapped in the ice, while stripes of ash neatly date volcanic eruptions.

The danger signs of icebergs

The icebergs are not placid beasts, though, and a great deal of care has to be taken while weaving around them.

The Zodiac skipper keeps an eye out for signs of cracking, as it’s when one chunk of ice falls off that they become dangerous.

It’s not so much the piece falling off that’s the problem, but the unbalancing effect that it has. The distribution of weight changes, and the iceberg can suddenly flip. And when nine-tenths are under the water, that can be worrisome.

Flipped icebergs

Spotting the ones that have flipped recently is fairly easy – they have a lot of eerie, otherworldly blue colouring. This is actually the standard colour – it’s only exposure to the outside air that turns them white.

The really new ones also have a weird, scale-like effect on them. They look less like chunks of ice and more freeze-framed sections of sea.

Approaching the glacier wall

Eventually the Zodiac pulls up next to the glacier wall. Not too close – this is the most dangerous part of the lake as chunks 600ft tall can break off.

From a distance, it looks like an intimidating solid block, but up close, it’s possible to see the weathered columns that look like a frozen version of Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys.

This time, nothing is breaking. But tomorrow, the lake will look totally different again.

Booking the Jökulsárlón RIB tour

The Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon Zodiac tours last around one hour and 15 minutes. Tickets cost ISK 15,700 at the time of writing, and can be booked online.

Other adventures nearby include ice cave tours and kayaking adventures. You can also visit as part of a loooooong day trip from Reykjavik, but I’d advise splitting the journey over two nights.