Jökulsárlón Zodiac Boat Tour

Key Facts and Figures

The table gathers the operator's published details in one place. It is the fastest way to check whether the Zodiac fits your day before you look at anything else. Children pay roughly half the adult fare, the season is shorter than the amphibian's, and the age and height rules are stricter because the boat is open and sits at water level.

Check-in is 30 minutes before departure, which is longer than the amphibian's window, and the ticket includes a truck transfer from the main parking area to the Zodiac dock.

What the Ride Is Like

The Zodiac is an open inflatable boat and you sit low at water level among the icebergs. It covers large areas of the lagoon and gets closer to the icebergs than the amphibian does, and when conditions allow it goes almost all the way up to the glacier. The lagoon is up to 8 kilometres long.

One reseller describes the route as running about 8 kilometres into the lagoon to reach the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier wall, and puts the total experience at about 2 hours including check-in and the truck transfer. Icebergs calve from Breiðamerkurjökull, which recedes by roughly 200 metres a year, and float in the deep water for about 5 years before they leave. One reseller reports frequent harbour seal sightings on the Zodiac from May to September, and common seals gather at the lagoon in large numbers in winter.

The lagoon water stays between 0 and 3 degrees Celsius all year, so dress warm, and book ahead, because the operator says departures have limited seats.

Side by Side

The amphibian is a wheeled boat that drives into the water, takes all ages and has no minimum height. The Zodiac is a smaller open boat with more reach, and it is the one that goes almost up to the glacier when conditions allow. The amphibian season runs to 15 November while the Zodiac stops at the end of October.

Note that the amphibian tour is covered in depth in its own guide, the Jökulsárlón amphibian boat tour page.

Who Should Pick Which

Pick the Zodiac if you want the longest time on the water, the closest approach to Breiðamerkurjökull and you travel with children who are at least 10 years old or 130 centimetres tall. It costs more than double the amphibian fare, 16,600 ISK (about $136) against 7,100 ISK (about $58), and the ride is 1 hour 15 minutes against 30 to 40 minutes. Pick the amphibian if you have toddlers, a mixed group with limited mobility or a tight budget.

The wheeled design lets passengers board without docks or climbing, and four amphibian boats run the route, usually departing at least every 30 minutes in June to August. If you want a day trip from the capital with the boat already in the ticket, look at the Glacier Lagoon Day Trip with Boat Tour at $328 or the 2-day 2-Day South Coast with Boat and Hike at $698.07.

How to Book and What Happens in Bad Weather

The operator says Zodiac departures have limited seats and recommends online advance booking. Tickets are sold on the operator's own site and at the shore, and the operator address is Jökulsárlón, 781 Hornafjörður with the email info@jokulsarlon.is. Weather can affect Zodiac availability, and the operator says it may run outside the May to October dates if conditions allow but equally may not sail on a given day.

If a tour is cancelled for safety reasons you can rebook or get a full refund. For your own cancellation, the refund ladder the operator lists with the amphibian tour is a full refund at 24 hours or more before the tour and a 50 percent refund from 23 hours until 2 hours before. Iceland's weather can change fast, as SafeTravel Iceland warns, so build slack into your drive on Route 1 and check the forecast the evening before.

• Book online in advance because departures have limited seats
• Check in 30 minutes before departure at the main parking area
• Full refund if you cancel 24 hours or more ahead
• 50 percent refund from 23 hours until 2 hours ahead
• Safety cancellations: rebook free or take a full refund

When the Boats Stop

The Zodiac season ends in October, though operating hours run to 17:00 in that month, and the amphibian keeps going to 15 November. From then until the season opens again in May there are no boat tours on the lagoon at all, so winter visitors plan their time around the shore. If your dates fall outside the season, a guide suggests about 2 hours at the lagoon and 1 to 2 extra hours for Diamond Beach instead of a boat ride.

Wind is the main hazard on this coast, and past storms on the Route 1 stretch through Skeiðarársandur and Öræfi have brought expected winds of 45 m/s, with road closures recorded along this coast. For what to expect from the sky month by month, see the Jökulsárlón weather guide, and for the full season picture the homepage has a section on when the boats run under Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon boat tours.

A Smaller Lagoon, a Quieter Boat

Fjallsárlón sits about 10 kilometres west of Jökulsárlón at the foot of Fjallsjökull, a steep tongue of Vatnajökull, and its official boat tours all use Zodiac boats. The standalone Fjallsárlón Iceberg Boat Tour costs 11,300 ISK (about $93), lasts 75 minutes and runs April to November. It is sold directly by that operator and not on this site.

The lagoon is far smaller than Jökulsárlón at 4 square kilometres, the tours are described as small groups and they go up toward the walls of the Fjallsjökull tongue, whose ice front is said to be 20 to 30 metres high. One reseller puts the trip at about 75 minutes in total with 45 minutes on the water and describes a walk of about 10 minutes on gravel to the dock with check-in 5 to 10 minutes before departure at the Fjallsárlón Tour Reception behind Frost. Passengers can taste ice from the lagoon.

The Boat and Hike Combination

The one Zodiac product sold through this site is the Fjallsárlón Boat Tour and Glacier Hike at $234 per person. It runs 4 hours in a group limited to 10, with a 25-minute Zodiac cruise each way and about 2 hours hiking on Fjallsjökull. The boat, crampons, helmet and harness are all in the price, and children under 14 are not considered suitable.

Meeting point is Fjallsárlón Iceberg Boat Tours, 785 Öræfi, with no hotel pickup, and lunch is not included, though the Frost restaurant sits at the tour base. It is rated 4.8 from 75 reviews. If you would rather float than climb, the neighbouring product is Fjallsárlón Ice Floating at $125.88, a 90-minute drift in an immersion suit for adults aged 15 to 75.

Parking and Check-in

The Zodiac tour includes a truck transfer to the dock from the main parking area, where one reseller says passengers meet at the Ice Lagoon Truck. Parking at Jökulsárlón is a Vatnajökull National Park fee, and the current charge for a car with 5 seats or fewer is 1,110 ISK (about $9). A passenger car with 6 to 9 seats pays 1,440 ISK (about $12), a motorcycle pays 450 ISK (about $4) and buses run from 2,770 ISK (about $23) for 10 to 21 seats up to 9,400 ISK (about $77) for 33 or more.

The fee is valid until midnight on the day you pay and allows unlimited entry and exit, you pay at machines in the lots or online through the Parka system, and you get a 50 percent discount if you already paid at another fee area of the park, such as Skaftafell, the same day. The lagoon is about 380 kilometres east of Reykjavík, entry to the area itself is free, and the café, toilets and souvenir shop are on site. Check in 30 minutes before departure.

Arriving with a Day Trip

Driving yourself takes planning, and the homepage section on driving there yourself has the full Route 1 picture. If you would rather leave the wheel to someone else, two day trips from Reykjavík carry a boat in the fare. The Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride Day Trip from BusTravel Iceland costs $279, runs 14 hours with hotel pickup and a 30-minute amphibian boat ride among the icebergs, and is rated 4.7 from 310 reviews.

The Glacier Lagoon Day Trip with Boat Tour from Reykjavik Excursions costs $328, runs 14.5 hours with a boat tour of about 30 minutes included and groups up to 45. The first is an amphibian ride and the second does not name its boat type, and the Zodiac is sold by the lagoon operator at the shore. If you specifically want the Zodiac experience inside an organised trip, the closest match sold here is the Fjallsárlón boat and hike combination described above.