Zodiac boat on Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon

Fjallsárlón is the smaller glacier lagoon ten minutes west of Jökulsárlón, and its boat tour is a Zodiac trip of about 75 minutes among the icebergs to the face of Fjallsjökull. It suits anyone on the Vík–Höfn stretch of the Ring Road between April and November, children from five, and travellers who want a small boat rather than a large amphibian. At 11,300 ISK it costs about 1.6 times the 7,100 ISK Jökulsárlón amphibian, and open boats are cold.

The figures, read today on fjallsarlon.is: the iceberg boat tour costs 11,300 ISK and runs from April to November; about 75 minutes in all, up to 12 people per boat, age limit five, difficulty easy. A warm flotation jacket and life vest are included, with guiding in English. From reception to the boats is about a 10-minute walk on gravel. Check-in is at the reception building from May to September, 15 minutes before a boat tour, and at the FROST restaurant from October to April, 20 minutes before. A no-show is non-refundable. The operator gives travel times of 10 minutes from Jökulsárlón, 40 from Skaftafell, an hour from Höfn and two from Vík. The national park's page notes flush toilets at both lagoons.

#The arithmetic

On the Vík–Höfn day of the seven-day and ten-day Ring Road journeys, the lagoon is beside Route 1, so the detour is the car park: 75 minutes on the tour, 20 minutes' check-in in the winter months, and a 30-minute buffer to land on a departure, about 125 minutes. Doubling back from a Höfn bed, using the operator's one hour each way, the boat costs 245 minutes. On the five-day South Coast and Golden Circle journey, which sleeps in Kirkjubæjarklaustur on day 4, it fits that day's Jökulsárlón stop.

#What goes wrong

Weather: the operator may reduce the number of people per boat in strong wind, which can split groups across departures. Timing: tours depart on schedule and cannot wait for late arrivals, and a missed departure counts as a no-show. Season: from December to March there is no boat; the same operator lists Vatnajökull ice-cave tours instead.

#Alternatives on the same road

The Jökulsárlón boats ten minutes east run amphibians and Zodiacs from May. The Diamond Beach at dawn is across the Jökulsárlón bridge and free. In Skaftafell, the glacier hike is the on-foot version of the same ice.

#Sources

Fjallsárlón's boat-tour and location pages, and Vatnajökull National Park's area page, all read 1 November 2026.