Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Boat Tours2-Day South Coast Tour Iceland With an Optional Amphibian Boat
This 2-day South Coast tour Iceland from Nicetravel covers the waterfalls and black sand beaches of the south on day 1 and Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon on day 2. It costs $590 per person and includes pickup in Reykjavík, an English-speaking guide, one night in a double or twin room with an ensuite bathroom and breakfast. The amphibious boat ride on the lagoon and a glacier hike of about 2 hours are options you select at booking, and the listing does not state their prices. This page breaks down what that money actually buys, where the itinerary is generous and where it is thin, and which travellers should book something else. Compare it with the other glacier lagoon boat tours.
About This Tour
Nicetravel runs this two-day trip from Reykjavík along the south coast. Day 1 covers Seljalandsfoss, Gljúfrabúi, Skógafoss, the Eyjafjallajökull glacier volcano and Reynisfjara before a night in countryside accommodation. Day 2 reaches Jökulsárlón, where an amphibious boat tour can be added, then calls at Hofskirkja church and the Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon before the drive back to Reykjavík.
The base price of $590 covers transport, the guide, the night and breakfast only. Lunch and dinner are at your own cost at scheduled stops. The boat and the hike are options at booking and the listing does not state what they cost, so ask before you select them or compare it with the lagoon operator's own ticket price quoted below.
$590 per person. Reserve now and pay later is offered.
2 days, with a night in a double or twin room with ensuite bathroom.
Pickup and drop-off within Reykjavík. The pickup window is not stated, so check availability for details.
Group size is not stated. The guide speaks English.
The amphibious boat tour on Jökulsárlón is an option you select at booking. Its price is not stated in the listing.
Breakfast is included. Lunch and dinner are not. No luggage or large bags are allowed. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Check Dates and Availability
Starting times and the pickup window are not stated in the listing, so use the calendar to see live dates for your travel period.
Quick answer The short answer
This 2-day South Coast tour Iceland costs $590 per person, lasts 2 days and is rated 4.9 from 123 reviews. Children under 10 are not suitable and the amphibian boat is an optional extra with no stated price.
Key takeaways
- The boat is not in the base fare. If you want it included in the ticket, look at the 2-day South Coast with boat and hike instead.
- Short of time? A glacier lagoon boat ride day trip does Jökulsárlón in 14 hours with the boat already in the fare at $279.
- See the full Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon boat tour before deciding.
- Cancel free up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
What the Price Actually Covers
The $590 fare is for transport, the guide, one night and breakfast. Everything else on this trip is either an option at booking or a cost you carry yourself.
Included in the Base Fare
The listing is clear about the inclusions: pickup and drop-off within Reykjavík, an English-speaking guide, one night in a double or twin room with an ensuite bathroom, breakfast, and free WiFi with USB chargers on the bus. That is the whole base package for $590 per person.
The glacier hike of about 2 hours and the amphibious boat tour on Jökulsárlón are included only if you select them as options at booking. The listing does not state the price of either option, which makes real comparison hard. If the boat matters to you, either ask the platform for the option price or consider the 2-day South Coast with boat and hike, which has both in the ticket at $698.07.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík pickup and drop-off | Yes | Within Reykjavík, window not stated |
| English-speaking guide | Yes | Whole trip |
| Night in ensuite double or twin | Yes | Countryside accommodation |
| Breakfast | Yes | Day 2 morning |
| Amphibian boat tour | Only if selected | Option price not stated, listing does not say |
| Glacier hike about 2 hours | Only if selected | Option price not stated, safety gear provided with the option |
| Lunch and dinner | No | Buy at scheduled stops |
| Free WiFi and USB chargers on the bus | Yes | Stated by the listing |
What You Pay on the Day
Lunch and dinner are the main extra. The group makes scheduled stops so guests can buy their own food, so carry cash or a card for both days.
The lagoon operator's own amphibian ticket costs 7,100 ISK for adults aged 13 and over, about $58 at about 122 ISK to the US dollar. This is a reference point only, because the listing does not state the price of the option on this tour. Children aged 6 to 12 pay 3,500 ISK (about $29) and children 0 to 5 ride free. Boat tours run May to November and do not run in winter, so a winter departure means no boat at all. For more on the ticket, see the Jökulsárlón amphibian boat tour.
Rules on Bags and Booking
Luggage or large bags are not allowed on the bus, so leave the big suitcase at your Reykjavík accommodation and pack a small overnight bag. Smoking is not allowed. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, and reserve now and pay later keeps your plans flexible.
Starting times are not stated in the listing, so check availability for the exact pickup details before you plan anything around them.
Sources: Vatnajökull National Park, prices, Jökulsárlón
Reynisdrangar rise from the sea beyond basalt columns. Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Day Is Really Like
The listing gives the stop order and the one stated duration, the hike. Exact times at each stop are not stated.
Day 1: Waterfalls and Black Sand
The bus leaves Reykjavík and drives east to Seljalandsfoss, the first stop, and Skógafoss follows, then the lesser-known Gljúfrabúi. Three waterfalls open the trip.
The route then passes beneath the Eyjafjallajökull glacier volcano and the Mýrdalsjökull glacier cap. Here comes the stated figure of the day: an optional glacier hike of about 2 hours, with all necessary safety equipment provided if you pick the option. Reynisfjara is the last major stop, with black sand, hexagonal basalt columns and tall rock stacks. The night is spent in a traditional Icelandic countryside accommodation, a double or twin room with an ensuite bathroom. Breakfast is included the next morning.
Day 2: the Lagoon and the Long Drive Home
Day 2 is the reason many people book. The bus reaches Jökulsárlón, where icebergs that calve off Breiðamerkurjökull float across the lagoon before drifting to sea. This is where the optional amphibious boat tour sails for 30 to 40 minutes among the icebergs if you selected it. Seals can be spotted in the water, and common seals gather in large numbers here in winter.
After the lagoon the group stops at the turf-roofed Hofskirkja church and then at the Fjaðrárgljúfur river canyon, before the return journey to Reykjavík. Jökulsárlón is about 370 kilometres from Reykjavík, roughly 4.5 hours of driving, so a reviewer's note that the second day is long in the car on the way back is worth taking seriously. Bring entertainment for the ride and plan nothing for the evening you get back.
Who This Tour Rules Out
The listing names two groups directly and the format rules out several more.
The Stated Limits
Children under 10 are not suitable and wheelchair users are not suited to the trip. That is firmer than most day tours on this site, where the cutoff is usually 6. If you travel with young children, the Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride Day Trip at $279 accepts children from 6, and the South Coast and Jökulsárlón Day Tour also uses a 6-year cutoff on child tickets.
No luggage or large bags are allowed, so this does not work as a leg of a longer self-drive plan where you carry your bags. Difficulty is not stated, but the optional glacier hike of about 2 hours lists comfortable shoes under what to bring. One reviewer rented crampons for it.
Limits the Format Creates
The boat is an add-on with no stated price, and boats only run May to November. Outside the May to November boat season there is no boat at all on this trip, so if sailing among the icebergs is your goal, pick a departure inside those months. The 14-hour-plus single days on this site at least end in your own bed.
This one asks for two full days, which suits travellers with the time and rules out anyone on a tight schedule. Group size is not stated, so if a small bus matters to you, compare with the 2-day South Coast with boat and hike, which caps groups at 18.
The green walls of Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon. Photo: Syrio, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting There and What to Add
Pickup is in Reykjavík, so your job is to be ready on time. But if you want more lagoon time than the itinerary gives, the area rewards an extra day on your own.
Getting to the Start
Pickup and drop-off are within Reykjavík, though the pickup window is not stated, so confirm the time on your booking confirmation and be at the door early. Treat the pickup time on your confirmation as fixed.
For reference if you later drive yourself, Reykjavík to Jökulsárlón is about 370 kilometres and 4.5 hours on Route 1. Vík sits at 187 kilometres from the capital, about 2.5 hours, and the stretch from Kirkjubæjarklaustur east has few fuel stops, limited to Freysnes and Fagurholsmýri. The tour bus handles all of this for you, which is the point of booking.
What to Add Before or After
Diamond Beach sits just across the road from the lagoon, and icebergs that drift out to sea wash back ashore there, polished smooth by the waves. The walk from parking is 2 to 5 minutes and mornings and evenings give the best light. Stay 30 metres from the water and never turn your back on the ocean, because the waves are dangerous and swimming is strongly discouraged.
Fjallsárlón, a smaller neighbouring lagoon, offers a Zodiac boat tour and glacier hike at $234 in groups of up to 10, or ice floating at $125.88 in a suit among the icebergs. If you want a night in the area so you can see the lagoon in evening light, look at hotels near Jökulsárlón.
Itinerary
The listing names each stop and gives one duration, the hike. Times at stops are not stated, so phases below follow the order the operator publishes.
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Start
Pickup in Reykjavík
Pickup and drop-off are within Reykjavík. The exact window is not stated, so check availability and your confirmation for the time.
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Morning
Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss and Gljúfrabúi
Three waterfalls in a row. Seljalandsfoss comes first, then Skógafoss, then the canyon-hidden Gljúfrabúi.
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Midday
Eyjafjallajökull and the optional glacier hike
The route drives beneath Eyjafjallajökull and the Mýrdalsjökull glacier cap. The optional hike here lasts about 2 hours with all safety equipment provided.
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Afternoon
Reynisfjara black sand beach
Black sand, hexagonal basalt columns and tall rock stacks.
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Evening
Countryside accommodation
A night in a double or twin room with an ensuite bathroom. Breakfast is included.
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Day 2
Jökulsárlón and the optional boat
The lagoon, with icebergs calved from Breiðamerkurjökull. The optional amphibian tour sails 30 to 40 minutes among them.
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Last half of day 2
Hofskirkja, Fjaðrárgljúfur and the return
The turf-roofed church, then the Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon, then the drive back to Reykjavík. A reviewer notes this return leg feels long in the car.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of what this listing does well and where it asks you to compromise.
What we genuinely like
- Two days instead of one, so the lagoon comes on day 2 rather than at the end of one long coach day
- The night in an ensuite double or twin room with breakfast is included in the $590 fare
- Pickup and drop-off within Reykjavík with free WiFi and USB chargers on the bus
- Rated 4.9 from 123 verified bookings on GetYourGuide
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure and reserve now and pay later
The honest downsides
- The amphibian boat and the 2-hour glacier hike are options with no price stated in the listing, so the real total is unclear until you book
- Children under 10 are not suitable, a stricter cutoff than most comparable tours
- The return leg on day 2 is long in the car, as one reviewer notes, with Jökulsárlón about 370 kilometres from Reykjavík
- No luggage or large bags allowed, which rules out combining the trip with a longer journey
- Boats run May to November only, so a departure outside those months loses the lagoon boat
Who it's NOT for: Not for families with children under 10, wheelchair users, or anyone who wants the boat and hike already included in a single clear fare.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the amphibious boat ride included in the $590 price?
No. It is an option you select at booking and the listing does not state its price. The lagoon operator's own adult amphibian ticket is 7,100 ISK (about $58), a reference point only. For a fare with the boat included, see the 2-day South Coast with boat and hike.
How long is the glacier hike option?
About 2 hours, on the route beneath Eyjafjallajökull and the Mýrdalsjökull glacier cap, with all necessary safety equipment provided when you select it. A similar boat-and-hike pairing runs at Fjallsárlón too, described on the Fjallsárlón boat tour and glacier hike page.
Can I bring my suitcase on the bus?
No. Luggage or large bags are not allowed, so pack a small overnight bag and leave the rest in Reykjavík storage.
When do the boats on Jökulsárlón run?
The amphibian season at the lagoon is May to November, and boat tours do not run in winter. If your dates fall in the cold months, read the guide to Jökulsárlón weather and plan for a boat-free visit.
What is the food situation over the two days?
Breakfast on day 2 is included with the room. Lunch and dinner are not, and the group makes scheduled stops where you buy your own food. On a self-drive plan you could instead eat at the lagoon café, which serves sandwiches, lobster soup and cakes, as covered on the Jökulsárlón amphibian boat tour page.
How does this compare with the one-day lagoon trips?
This tour costs $590 over 2 days with a hotel night, while day trips such as the South Coast and Jökulsárlón Day Tour at $223 compress a similar stop list into about 14.5 hours. The two-day format is easier on the body but stricter on children, with under 10s not suitable here.
What happens if the weather stops the boats?
The listing states no weather policy, so rely on the platform terms instead. Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, and the general context for sailing conditions is on the main glacier lagoon boat tours comparison.
What Travelers Said
Our driver-guide, Brad, took us everywhere. The drive along the south coast offered stunning scenery. For the glacier hike, we rented crampons. It's best to wear your own hiking boots.
The tour was perfectly organized. The guide David not only took us to the planned locations, he also arranged some additional stops at other great places. The route, timing and also the hotel were optimal - I can only recommend the two-day tour and especially guide David.
The tour was incredibly beautiful and exceeded all our expectations. Mika was very knowledgeable, timed all the stops perfectly, and accommodated all our requests (even with an extra stop so we could see puffins). It was a lot of fun listening to him, and we learned a lot of new things. Whatever this man earns, I hope he gets a raise!
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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