Float among ancient icebergs,
Boat trip lets you enter another world of awe-inspiring beauty
On the south coast of Iceland is a not-so-secret lagoon, filled with wondrous icebergs that have been sculpted by nature.
It would be awe-inspiring enough just to gaze from the shore of this lagoon, but taking a boat trip through the icebergs is to enter another world.
Huge chunks of ice break off the Vatnajokull glacier float and eventually melt and drift down a short river to the sea.
Best of all, this can be experienced as a long day trip from Reykjavik. Travelling east on Hwy. 1 — the road that circles Iceland — you can see the glacier beside and above you for hours.
Jokulsarlon lagoon is located 380 kilometres east of Reykjavik, in the corner of the Vatnajokull National Park, and is worth the time on the road.
Why it’s cool: Cruising around Iceland’s iceberg-filled lagoon is a surreal experience and it is literally cool, even in summer. Nature has created those icy works of beauty but in a poignant way, every person on this planet has had a hand in making those icebergs because global warming is causing glaciers to melt.
Gazing at the icebergs created from pieces of the1,000-year-old glacier is awe- inspiring. Some are as large as buildings, some as small as an ice cube and the shapes are like works of art. Every hue of blue, white and black from ancient volcanic eruptions appear in the ice. The icebergs float against a backdrop of the immense Breidamerkurjokull glacier — a branch of the Vatnajokull Glacier, it’s an ice cap that covers 8 per cent of Iceland.
The story: A recent creation, often referred to as one of Iceland’s greatest natural wonders, this glacial lake, or lagoon, began forming 60 years ago as the result of the Earth’s warming trend. Years ago, ice fell from the immense Breidamerkurjokull glacier into the ocean, but as the glacier receded, huge gorges were created that filled in with melted water and icebergs creating the Jokulsarlon lagoon.
Also known as the deepest lake in Iceland, it has doubled in size in the past 15 years and is now17.9 square kilometres in size and it is growing each year.
Floating through icebergs: You can get up close and personal with the icebergs by taking a 40-minute cruise on an amphibian boat. Life-jacketed passengers are loaded onto the boat on land and driven into the lake. The current price of the tours is ISK 4,500 ($46.50 Canadian). Tour talks are given in English and pieces of an ancient iceberg are served for tasting. Boat trips are offered from April to October.