Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Boat ToursFjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon sits 10 kilometres west of Jökulsárlón on the south edge of Vatnajökull, below the steep Fjallsjökull glacier tongue. It is the smaller and quieter of the two iceberg lagoons, reached by a short paved road off Route 1 with free parking at the operator site. This guide covers what you find there, how to get onto the water with the Fjallsárlón Boat Tour and Glacier Hike or ice floating, the walk to the shore, the Frost restaurant, parking, and how it compares with Jökulsárlón. For the bigger lagoon next door, see the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon boat tours comparison.
Icebergs in Fjallsárlón with Fjallsjökull and the mountains behind. Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quick answer Fjallsárlón in short
Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon is a 4 square kilometre iceberg lake about 10 kilometres west of Jökulsárlón on Route 1, sitting below the Fjallsjökull glacier tongue of Vatnajökull. Boat tours here run on Zodiacs, with the operator's standalone 75-minute Iceberg Boat Tour priced at 11,300 ISK (about $93).
Key takeaways
- The deepest experience is the Fjallsárlón Boat Tour and Glacier Hike: 4 hours, a 25-minute Zodiac ride each way and about 2 hours on the ice for $234 in a group of up to 10.
- The lowest priced bookable option here is Fjallsárlón Ice Floating, 90 minutes in an immersion suit for $125.88.
- Parking, the access road and the walk to the shore are covered in the section on parking and when to go, including the free operator car park and the 10-minute gravel walk to the dock.
- Not sure which lagoon deserves your time? The honest Fjallsárlón or Jökulsárlón comparison weighs size, boats, crowds and glacier distance, and the homepage Fjallsárlón section lists every boat option in one table.
Fjallsárlón at a Glance
Fjallsárlón is the small sibling of Jökulsárlón, closer to the glacier wall and far less crowded.
Key Facts
The table pulls the practical facts from the national park authority, the regional tourism site south.is and the lagoon operator. Fjallsárlón lies at the southern edge of Vatnajökull, about 10 kilometres west of Jökulsárlón on Route 1, and one detailed reader guide puts it at 11 kilometres. Skaftafell is about 45 minutes west, so the lagoon fits easily into any Vatnajökull itinerary.
The site is open all year and rates as an easy visit, though the boat season is shorter than the shore access.
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Southern edge of Vatnajökull, off Route 1, often a quieter alternative to Jökulsárlón |
| Distance from Jökulsárlón | About 10 km (one source says 11 km), roughly 10 minutes by car |
| Distance from Skaftafell | Skaftafell lies 43 km and about 45 minutes west of Jökulsárlón |
| The glacier | Fjallsjökull, a steep heavily crevassed outlet of Vatnajökull, with an ice front reported 20 to 30 m high |
| Mountain above | Öræfajökull, Iceland's largest active volcano, whose summit Hvannadalshnúkur rises to 2,109.6 m above the area |
| Lagoon size | 4.0 square kilometres |
| Parking | The operator states parking is free at its car park, a reader guide also describes a western lot that takes the Parka app fee |
| Facilities | Flush toilets, the Frost restaurant with seating for up to 90, tour reception behind Frost, no fuel, pharmacy or grocery, no campground |
| Frost hours | 10:00 to 16:00 |
The Landscape
Fjallsárlón is a periglacial lake at the foot of Fjallsjökull, one of the 30 outlet glaciers of Vatnajökull and one of the 14 named outlets of Öræfajökull above it. Vatnajökull holds about 3,000 cubic kilometres of ice and covers roughly 8 percent of Iceland, with an average thickness near 380 metres. The tongue that feeds Fjallsárlón is steep and heavily crevassed, and its calving front stands 20 to 30 metres above the water. Icebergs that break off float across the 4 square kilometre lake toward the shore.
A small river flows into Fjallsárlón from Breiðárlón, linking the lagoons of the Breiðamerkursandur outwash plain. The plain itself formed from gravel pushed out by Breiðamerkurjökull, Fjallsjökull and Hrútárjökull, and the land around it still rises 2 to 4 centimetres a year as the ice melts. In summer skúas nest on the ground around the shore, so stay on the marked line between the car park and the water. Hotel Rangá notes that many seals live in the lagoon. The area sits inside Vatnajökull National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 5 July 2019, and the park has marked Fjallsárlón as trail B4 on Breiðamerkursandur.
Sources: Vatnajökull National Park, south.is, Wikipedia
Ways Onto the Water
Three ways onto the water at Fjallsárlón are compared here, and the price differences are large.
Compare the Options
The table compares every way onto Fjallsárlón with prices from the tour listings and from the operator's own published fare for the standalone boat. The two bookable products below are sold in US dollars. The standalone Iceberg Boat Tour is priced by the operator in Icelandic krona and is not sold through this site, so the krona fare is shown with its conversion at about 122 ISK to the US dollar.
All Zodiac boats on the lagoon run up toward the walls of the Fjallsjökull tongue, and tours here are sold as small groups.
| Option | Price | Time | Who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boat Tour and Glacier Hike | $234 per person | 4 hours total, 25-minute Zodiac each way plus about 2 hours hiking | Ages 14 and up, groups limited to 10 |
| Ice Floating | $125.88 per person | 90 minutes in the water | Adults aged 15 to 75, groups up to 8 |
| Iceberg Boat Tour (not sold here) | 11,300 ISK (about $93) | 75 minutes on the water | Open season April to November |
Boat Tour and Glacier Hike
The Fjallsárlón Boat Tour and Glacier Hike is the full-day anchor of this lagoon at $234 per person. You ride a Zodiac 25 minutes up the lagoon, then spend about 2 hours hiking on Fjallsjökull itself with crampons, helmet and harness all included in the price, before the 25-minute ride back. Groups are limited to 10, which the operator markets as small-group format, and it is rated 4.8 from 75 reviews.
The minimum age is 14, so it rules out young children, and lunch is not included, though the Frost restaurant sits at the tour base. You meet at Fjallsárlón Iceberg Boat Tours in Öræfi, so you need your own car, since there is no hotel pickup. For everything the hike involves, the tour's own page has the detail.
Ice Floating
Fjallsárlón Ice Floating costs $125.88 per person and is the lowest priced bookable water option here. You wear an immersion suit and float among the icebergs for 90 minutes in a group of up to 8, ending with a hot drink at the Frost restaurant. It is rated 5.0 from 23 reviews, so early feedback is strong, though the sample is small.
Ages run 15 to 75 and you must be comfortable in cold water, so it is not a casual option for every traveller. Lunch and transport are again your own affair. The ice floating page explains the gear and the booking conditions in full.
The Standalone Boat
The operator's own Iceberg Boat Tour costs 11,300 ISK, which is about $93 at roughly 122 ISK to the US dollar, and runs 75 minutes from April to November. It is not sold through this site, so the price is listed only for comparison. It is the cheapest way to ride a Zodiac up toward the Fjallsjökull wall without committing to a hike or a swim.
Check-in for Fjallsárlón boat departures is 5 to 10 minutes before departure at the Tour Reception behind Frost, and the walk to the dock takes about 10 minutes on gravel. Passengers can taste ice from the lagoon. If you want the bigger lagoon's boats instead, the Jökulsárlón Zodiac boat tour runs 1 hour 15 minutes at 16,600 ISK (about $136) from May to October.
Sources: fjallsarlon.is, the booking platform, adventures.is
Fjallsárlón or Jökulsárlón
The two lagoons sit 10 kilometres apart on opposite sides of Route 1, and they deliver two different days.
Side by Side
This table lines up the two lagoons using figures from the national park authority, Wikipedia and the lagoon operators. Jökulsárlón is about 25 square kilometres against Fjallsárlón's 4.0, it is the deepest lake in Iceland at 284 metres, and about 968,000 people visited the wider Jökulsárlón area in 2023. Fjallsárlón trades size for proximity, because its boats head straight for a glacier wall reported 20 to 30 metres high.
| Feature | Fjallsárlón | Jökulsárlón |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 4.0 km2 | About 25 km2, up to 8 km long, 284 m deep |
| Boats | Zodiacs only, 75-minute tour, season April to November | Amphibian and Zodiac, commercial tours since 1985, Zodiac season May to October |
| Crowds | Often a quieter alternative | About 968,000 visitors in the area in 2023, crowds peak at midday |
| Glacier distance | Boats head up toward the Fjallsjökull wall | Zodiacs run about 8 km into the lagoon to reach the Breiðamerkurjökull wall |
| Facilities | Free operator parking, Frost restaurant 10:00 to 16:00, flush toilets | National park parking at 1,110 ISK (about $9) for cars up to 5 seats, flush toilets |
The Honest Answer
If you have one stop only and want the classic wide lagoon with seals hauling out on icebergs, Jökulsárlón delivers more scale, and the homepage comparison of Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon boat tours lines up the options there. If you want to stand closer to a glacier wall, pay less for the boat, and share the shore with fewer people, Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon is the better pick. It is easy to do both, since the drive between them takes about 10 minutes.
The strongest reason to choose Fjallsárlón is the combination tour: hiking on Fjallsjökull is offered here as a single 4-hour product, whereas at Jökulsárlón the on-ice option is the 6-hour Glacier Lagoon Kayak and Hike combination. The honest caveat is facilities, because Frost closes at 16:00 and there is no fuel, pharmacy or grocery on site, so plan fuel stops at Freysnes or Fagurholsmýri on the Kirkjubæjarklaustur to Höfn stretch.
Öræfajökull's ice cap spills down the mountain. Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Parking, the Walk and When to Go
Access is simple, but hours, seasons and the gravel shore all need a moment of planning.
Parking at Fjallsárlón
The operator states that parking at Fjallsárlón is free, which sets it apart from the national park fee areas at Jökulsárlón and Skaftafell, where a 5-seat car pays 1,110 ISK (about $9). A detailed reader guide describes the situation as two lots, a free car park about 1 kilometre east of a western lot that takes the Parka app fee, so check which lot you have driven into before paying anything. The access road from Route 1 is paved and about 600 metres long, so any rental car handles it.
Compare that with the national park rule at Jökulsárlón, where parking is valid until midnight on the day you pay, allows unlimited exit and re-entry, and a 50 percent discount applies if you already paid at another fee area such as Skaftafell the same date. Payment at the park lots is at machines or online through the Parka system.
The Walk to the Shore
From the car park the park marks trail B4, listed as 1.5 kilometres taking 45 minutes. One reader guide calls the same loop an easy 1.3 kilometres done in under 45 minutes, so expect a short but uneven outing either way, and a rental-car guide rates the route challenging because of loose gravel and mud. Sturdy waterproof boots are the right call, since the ground is slippery around the lagoon edge.
If you have booked a boat, the walk from reception to the dock takes about 10 minutes on gravel, and you check in 5 to 10 minutes before departure behind Frost. Keep to the path in summer, because skúas nest on the ground around the shore and will defend their nests.
Frost Restaurant
Frost is the on-site restaurant and the warming point for the tours, open 10:00 to 16:00 with seating for up to 90 guests. It serves a self service buffet of hot meals, salads, soups, sandwiches, cakes and drinks, and it opened in spring 2017. It matters practically, because none of the tours here include lunch and there is no fuel, pharmacy or grocery anywhere on the site.
If your boat or hike ends near 16:00, plan food before or bring it.
Seasons and Weather
The standalone boat runs April to November. General boat season across the lagoons runs May to November, Zodiacs May to October and kayaking May to September, with no winter boat tours. For shore visits the lagoon is accessible all year, and April is recommended as the balance of ice, access and crowds.
August is the busiest month at about 2,330 vehicles a day on the nearby counter, against about 1,165 in April. Weather cancellations were recorded at 2.7 percent in February, 0.4 percent in April and 0 percent in July and August. June brings up to 21 hours of daylight against about 4 in December, and the northern lights season runs late September to early April.
Wind matters more than temperature, because January wind at Höfn averages 31.3 km/h and gusts of 50 m/s have been recorded in the south-east in past storms.
Safety at the Edge
Visitors should not get too close to the lagoon edge, because icebergs can shift suddenly, and Guide to Iceland advises against stepping on icebergs since they can flip and waves can rush ashore. Iceland's weather changes fast and can sharply cut visibility and raise wind speed, so check SafeTravel Iceland and the Icelandic Met Office before you go. SafeTravel recommends sharing a travel plan with a trusted person, and its app lets hikers share GPS coordinates with emergency services.
The emergency number is 112, with a backup of 599 0112. Overnight stays are not permitted on Breiðamerkursandur, so this is a day stop, not a camp.
Sources: Vatnajökull National Park, SafeTravel Iceland, fjallsarlon.is
Do and Don't at Fjallsárlón
Five things worth doing and four that waste money or put you at risk.
Do
- Do book the Fjallsárlón Boat Tour and Glacier Hike ahead in summer, because groups are limited to 10 and the 4-hour format with crampons, helmet and harness included puts you on the Fjallsjökull ice.
- Do plan your fuel and food stop, because there is no fuel, pharmacy or grocery at Fjallsárlón and the only fuel stops on the stretch past Kirkjubæjarklaustur are Freysnes and Fagurholsmýri.
- Do wear sturdy waterproof boots, because the trail is gravel and mud, a rental-car guide rates the loop challenging underfoot, and the ground is slippery around the lagoon.
- Do visit in April if you want ice without peak traffic, because April sees about 1,165 vehicles a day against about 2,330 in August and weather cancellations fall to 0.4 percent.
- Do eat at Frost within its 10:00 to 16:00 hours, because no tour includes lunch and the self service buffet of hot meals, soups and cakes is the only food on site.
Don't
- Don't walk close to the lagoon edge or step on ice, because icebergs can shift suddenly and flip, and waves can rush ashore.
- Don't leave the path in summer, because skúas nest on the ground around the shore and great skuas dive at people who approach their nests.
- Don't count on winter boats, because boat tours are not available in winter and the Fjallsárlón boat season closes in November.
- Don't plan to stay overnight at the lagoon, because there is no campground or lodging at Fjallsárlón and overnight stays are not permitted on Breiðamerkursandur.
Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon FAQ
Where is Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon?
Fjallsárlón sits at the southern edge of Vatnajökull, about 10 kilometres west of Jökulsárlón and roughly 10 minutes by car from Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach, accessed off Route 1 by a paved road about 600 metres long. It lies about 4 hours from Reykjavík by car per Hotel Rangá. The guide to the Jökulsárlón Zodiac boat tour covers the larger neighbour.
How much does the Fjallsárlón boat tour cost?
The operator's standalone Iceberg Boat Tour costs 11,300 ISK, about $93 at roughly 122 ISK to the US dollar, and runs 75 minutes from April to November. The bookable Fjallsárlón Boat Tour and Glacier Hike costs $234 and adds a 2-hour glacier hike.
Is parking at Fjallsárlón free?
The operator states that parking at Fjallsárlón is free, though a reader guide describes a western lot that takes the Parka app fee, so note which lot you use. At Jökulsárlón the national park charges 1,110 ISK (about $9) for cars with 5 seats or fewer, paid at machines or through Parka. The details sit in the section on parking and access.
Which is better, Fjallsárlón or Jökulsárlón?
Jökulsárlón is far bigger at about 25 square kilometres against 4.0, with more boats and about 968,000 visitors to the area in 2023, while Fjallsárlón is the quieter lagoon whose boats head toward a glacier wall 20 to 30 metres high. The full breakdown is in the Fjallsárlón or Jökulsárlón comparison.
Can you hike a glacier at Fjallsárlón?
Yes, the 4-hour Boat Tour and Glacier Hike includes about 2 hours on Fjallsjökull, the steep outlet tongue of Vatnajökull, with crampons, helmet and harness in the $234 price for groups of up to 10 aged 14 and over. You can read how the day runs on the Boat Tour and Glacier Hike page.
What facilities are at Fjallsárlón?
There are flush toilets, the Frost restaurant open 10:00 to 16:00 with a self service buffet and seating for up to 90, and the tour reception behind Frost, but no fuel, pharmacy, grocery or campground on site. A homepage section on glacier lagoon boat tours lists every boat option at both lagoons for planning your day.