Amphibian or Zodiac

What is the difference between the amphibian and the Zodiac?

Length, closeness and age. The amphibian takes 30 to 40 minutes and suits all ages; the Zodiac takes about 1 hour 15, covers far more of the lagoon and starts at age 10.

The amphibian is a boat on wheels. It drives off the shore, floats among the icebergs and drives back out. The Zodiac is an inflatable that runs fast across the lagoon, and the operator says it gets closer to the icebergs than the amphibian and, when possible, almost all the way to the glacier.

Which boat gets closer to the glacier?

The Zodiac. When conditions allow it goes almost all the way up to Breiðamerkurjökull, as close as is safe. The amphibian cruises among the icebergs.

The glacier front is far up the lagoon, and a 30-minute amphibian cruise does not reach it. The Zodiac has the time and the speed. How close it gets depends on the day: ice and wind decide, and the crew will not go nearer than is safe.

That is the real reason to pay for the Zodiac. If what you want is to float between big icebergs, see the blue up close and maybe a seal, the amphibian does that well.

Which boat is better for children and families?

The amphibian. It takes all ages, children under 6 ride free, and a wheelchair can go on board. The Zodiac starts at age 10 and 130 cm.

On the operator's 2026 price list children aged 6 to 12 pay 3,500 ISK on the amphibian. The Zodiac's child fare (8,300 ISK) starts at 10. The operator's pages word the Zodiac limit two ways, by age or by height, so if your child is close to 10 or 130 cm, ask before you book.

Joining a day trip from Reykjavík? Then the day trip's age limit is the one that counts: the tour with the boat included and the most booked day tour do not take children under 6, and the two-day tour starts at 10.

Is the Zodiac cold, and what do you wear?

Colder than the amphibian, because it is open and fast. The operator gives every Zodiac passenger a flotation suit and a life jacket; wear warm layers, a hat and gloves under it.

The operator warns it is cold on the lagoon even in summer and asks for warm layers, a hat, gloves and waterproof outerwear. On the amphibian you wear a life jacket over your own clothes. On the Zodiac the flotation suit goes over everything, which keeps out most of the wind.

• Thin gloves for photos, warm ones over them.
• A hat or a neck gaiter: the wind comes straight off the ice.
• A phone strap or a camera leash: you are leaning out over very cold water.

How do you book each boat, and how much does it cost?

Both are sold by the operator at the lagoon and online: 7,100 ISK for an adult on the amphibian and 16,600 ISK on the Zodiac (2026). Buy the Zodiac ahead; its seats are limited.

The two boats book differently. An online amphibian ticket is an open voucher: you swap it at the ticket office for a boarding ticket with a departure time, and departures are frequent. The Zodiac runs to a fixed schedule with limited seats per trip, so book a set departure online and check in 30 minutes before.

For direct bookings the operator refunds in full up to 24 hours before, 50% inside 24 hours, and in full if it cancels for weather or ice. Date changes are free by e-mail. The amphibian also comes inside several GetYourGuide day trips, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. One includes the ticket; the others let you add it.

★★★★★

The tour is organized very well keeping all safety rules. The boat ride worth than just walking on the land.

The only day trip from Reykjavík with the 30-minute boat ticket always included: hotel pickup, an hour at the lagoon and Diamond Beach.

★ 4.7 · 14 hours · from $294

Explore the day tour with the boat ride included → Tour details

Can you still take the Zodiac in late October or November?

Only until the end of October. The amphibian keeps running to about mid-November, weather and ice permitting (operator's 2026 schedule).

The operator's tour hours from October to 15 November are 10am to 5pm, with the last amphibian about an hour before closing. It says it may still run boats outside the stated dates if conditions allow, but plan on the end of October for the Zodiac. Short days, wind and ice can stop either boat; a cancellation for weather or ice is refunded in full.

After the boats stop, the water is off the menu at Jökulsárlón until May. Winter visitors go on an ice cave tour from the lagoon car park instead, or float in a thermal suit on the Fjallsárlón ice floating tour, which the operator there runs all year. More in our winter guide.

Which boat comes with a GetYourGuide day trip?

The amphibian. One day trip includes the 30-minute ride, others offer it as an option or at extra cost. No GetYourGuide trip includes the Jökulsárlón Zodiac.

• Boat ride and Diamond Beach day tour: the 30-minute boat ticket is included, with hotel pickup. From $294.
• Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach day tour: the boat as an option when you book, in season. From $213.
• Day trip with the boat option: a 40-minute boat cruise as an option at an extra fee; Reykjavík bus stops, no hotel pickup. From $236.
• Two-day South Coast tour: the amphibious boat as an option, a night in the south. From $599.
• Small-group lagoon and canyon day: the amphibian at additional cost. From $229.

Want a Zodiac and a tour you can book on GetYourGuide? Look 10 km west: the Fjallsárlón Zodiac and glacier hike crosses the smaller lagoon by Zodiac to a guided hike on the ice, from age 14. The operator there runs that combination from June to September.

★★★★★

We started with the Zodiac boat ride in the lagoon and then continued with trekking, suitable for everyone, on the glacier with crampons and ice axe.

Amphibian or Zodiac: which should you pick?

The amphibian if you have children, little time or no car. The Zodiac if you are 10 or older, at the lagoon with time to spare, and want the glacier face.

• First visit, short stop: the amphibian. Half an hour among the icebergs, then Diamond Beach.
• Young children: the amphibian, the only one they can join.
• Photographers and repeat visitors: the Zodiac, for the reach and the angles on the ice.
• No car: the amphibian with a day trip. The tour with the ride included keeps it simple.
• Want to move under your own power: neither. Take the kayak tour on the lagoon, from age 14, swimmers only.

Doing both is easy if you drive: the amphibian leaves often, so book the Zodiac first and fit the amphibian around it. Which lagoon to pick is a separate question, answered in Jökulsárlón or Fjallsárlón.

Frequently asked questions