Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon - August 31

Iceland is beautiful!!

On the second day of our tour, we spent much less time on the bus, and got a little exercise instead. Our day began with a drive for about an hour and a half to Skaftafell base camp, from which Arctic Adventures, our company, runs glacier tours. We were led to an outfitting station to pick up the necessary equipment. In my case, although I wore hiking shoes for most of the trip, I needed something with ankle support for this activity so I rented a pair of hiking boots. All of us were measured for crampons, which were hooked onto a pick axe. We were ready to go. 

Looking towards the largest glacier in the country.

Moss blankets the ground below the glacier.

Our group of seventeen joined another of similar size on a larger bus that travelled for about fifteen minutes to the parking area below Iceland's largest glacier, located in Vatnajókull National Park. We were accompanied by two certified guides, both Polish women. (I learned on the trip that Iceland attracts a lot of eastern Europeans as guides, similar to the way Canada attracts Australians to work at ski areas in the west.) After we disembarked, we were asked to select whether we wished to attempt the relatively easy hike or the "vacation" hike, which would be even easier. I chose the latter, and by default, so did Jess, since we wanted to stay together.

Ready to ascend

Ola, our guide. 

We walked for some fifteen minutes until we reached a lagoon that lies below an outlet glacier, which would be more accurately called an "ice field". Ola told us that this body of water is getting larger all the time, as the glacier above it recedes. This is a sad reality of climate change. Close by, we saw a path with a series of switchbacks which we would soon take to reach the glacier tongue. 

This group is heading up on the path of switchbacks.

Another group putting on their crampons

I had brought my walking sticks with me, and I was glad I had, since the path up was full of loose stones, making footing a little slippery. After we successfully navigated that route, we were instructed on how to attach our crampons to our boots. We were now ready to walk on ice.

Robin leads the way. 

We made it!

We walked up onto the outlet glacier, where Ola taught us a great deal about our environment. We passed by small water pools, and were told to be careful to avoid these and other cracks in the ice. Glaciers are always moving, and melting as well. We also were shown a piece of glacial ice that contained a rainbow. That was cool!!

Small pool in the ice

Can you see the rainbow?

I was surprised that the glacier had a lot of grit in it. I expected an expanse of white, but it is full of greys and blues, with specks of black. We had fun with Ola. She was a very good teacher with a great sense of humour. At one point, she did a plank over a rivulet of melting glacial water to demonstrate how to drink the fresh water here. That was delightful! Afterwards, one of the men with us (not part of our group) did five pushups over the same spot. Show off!

Looking up, you can see our other group in the distance. 

I posed with my ice pick but Ola carried it for me. 

Of course, we had to pose for photos while in this special place, so I have included two of them. Then it was time to retrace our steps and descend. I did not set any speed records as I retreated from the glacier but I made it safely to the bottom, sometimes with a helping hand from my sweet daughter, who was careful to make sure her mom did not fall. 

Jess got this pose better than me. 

Navigating the glacier

We spent between two and three hours on this excursion but it felt like much less. It was fascinating to be so close to a part of our world that is normally inaccessible. While leading and instructing us, Ola was always very respectful of nature. She explained that the remote parts of the glacier are off-limits to tourists in order to protect them. Jess and I loved this special hike. 

Looking back at where we were.

A relief map of the glacier, the largest in the country.

Back in Skaftafell base camp, we returned our equipment and then stopped for lunch at a small restaurant nearby before heading off to the next stop of our day. We remained in Vatnajókull National Park the entire time, but it took about forty-five minutes to travel from one place to the next. Soly stopped close to Diamond Beach, and let us off to walk in that direction, while he parked the bus in a lot close to the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. 

Diamond Beach

The piece in the foreground toppled as we watched it. 

These attractions are very close to each other. Diamond beach (its official name is Breidamerkursandur) is another black sand one, but it is more notable for the pieces of ice that accumulate on its shore, glistening like diamonds, hence the name. Standing there, it was fascinating watching the waves roll in from two directions, as they sometimes toppled these ice blocks. 

The bridge

Heading to the lagoon.

The ice had floated to the beach from the Jokülsárlón glacier lagoon, which we could see in the distance. Soly had instructed us to walk along the beach in that direction, under the bridge we had crossed to arrive at this destination. He said we had ninety minutes before we had to meet at the bus. I thought that was a very long time considering how close we were to the lagoon. But Soly had it right! The luxury of time suited this setting perfectly.

The lagoon and the ice field that feeds it.

Stunning place!

This was a place that took my breath away. The first things I noticed were the colours. Blue, white, turquoise and black streaked icebergs loomed in front of us as they floated in water of the same turquoise colour. The unique blue-green shade is the result of a mixture of salt and fresh water. 

Jess on the rocks.

Jess, Tiffany and Michelle pose on the rocks beside the lagoon. 

The shore is full of large rocks which are not easy to navigate in order to get closer to the water, so I left that task to Jess and other younger members of our group, while I took photos from a safe distance. 

Swimming seal

Posing bird. 

As we strolled along the shore, we looked for seals in the water or resting on a slab of ice. We saw a few but they were generally quite shy and only emerged for short periods of time. We did have better luck with a bird that stood for a while atop a very large ice sculpture, as you can see above.

Sky, ice and water

The speedboat gives an idea of the size of the lagoon. 

Some as much as a thousand years old, these icebergs originate form the retreating Oraefajokull glacier. It is interesting (and sad) to know that there was no lagoon here ninety years ago, but today it is the largest and deepest lake in Iceland. Over the next ninety years, it may disappear altogether, becoming an inlet of the Atlantic ocean. 

The view from the hill.

Another view from above.

After walking along the shore, we made a u-turn and climbed up a path that provided us with views over the lagoon from a height of about thirty metres. Thus we saw the lagoon a second time from a diffrent angle. It never disappointed us, and although I have provided many of them, photos do not do it justice. It is one of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen. Others feel the same way too, as this setting has been used in films, including a couple of James Bond movies. 

A spectacular place

Our hotel. 

Back in the van, we drove for an hour or so to our destination for the night, the town of Höfn. Here we stayed at the Hotel Höfn, where we also enjoyed dinner together. Our day had worked to unify the seventeen of us and that evening, we created a WhatsApp group so that we could share our photos. You will see some of these in these posts.