Diamond Beach, Iceland

Where is Diamond Beach in Iceland?

On the south side of Route 1, right next to Jökulsárlón in South-East Iceland, about 370 km east of Reykjavík. The national park calls it Fellsfjara.

Vatnajökull National Park describes Fellsfjara as the beach next to Jökulsárlón, south of road number 1, and says the name "diamond beach" is used among travellers. Wikipedia, citing RÚV, gives the official name as Eystri-Fellsfjara. The beach runs on both sides of the river mouth, and there are car parks at the beach as well as at the lagoon: the Eystri-Fellsfjara lot on the east side and the Vestri-Fellsfjara lot on the west.

The national park's parking fee is 1,110 ISK per car (2026), paid through the Parka app or at the machines and valid until midnight, so you can move between the lagoon and the beach that day without paying again. Getting here from the capital is a long day; our Reykjavík guide has the options.

Can you walk from the Glacier Lagoon to Diamond Beach?

Yes. It is about 500 m, a few minutes on foot, on the path along the river that goes under the Route 1 bridge. Do not walk over the bridge.

The park is clear on this: "Do not hike over the bridge - it is possible to hike under the bridge." The bridge carries the Ring Road with fast traffic and no room to walk. The path underneath is part of trail B2, Eystri-Fellsfjara, which the park rates easy and "available to most":

• Length: 1 km, back and forth, with no climbing.
• Time: 20 to 40 minutes (the park gives both figures).
• Route: from the Eystri-Fellsfjara car park south past a photo exhibition by Ragnar Th., down to the beach, then west along the Jökulsá, under the bridge and up to the lagoon.
• On the way: signs on wildlife and the retreat of Breiðamerkurjökull.

Start from the lagoon side and you simply walk the same trail in reverse. On a day tour the bus usually moves you across to the beach car park instead.

Why is there ice on Diamond Beach?

Because Jökulsárlón empties into the sea right here. Ice from the lagoon floats out through the river mouth, and the waves wash pieces back onto the black sand.

The lagoon is fed by Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, Iceland's largest glacier. The glacier calves into the lagoon, the icebergs drift towards the Atlantic, and the lagoon's surface sits at sea level, so the tide pushes sea water in and pulls the ice out. Jökulsárlón is up to 284 m deep, the operator says, which makes it Iceland's deepest lake.

How much ice lies on the beach changes every day with the glacier, the weather, the tides and the currents. Some days it is a scatter of small pieces, other days the sand is crowded with blocks. The park's trail page says that "almost always" you can find fragments of ice there. Wikipedia notes that the ice looks milky white or bright blue depending on how much air is trapped in it, and some blocks carry dark bands of volcanic ash.

To see the same ice before it reaches the sea, get onto the lagoon: our boat tours guide covers the amphibian, the Zodiac and the kayaks.

The day from Reykjavík with 1.5 hours at Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach, waterfalls on the way, and the boat as an option in season.

★ 4.7 · 14 hours · from $213

Explore the Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach day tour → Tour details

Is Diamond Beach dangerous?

It can be, if you get close to the surf or climb onto the ice. Waves on Iceland's black beaches can run far up the sand without warning, and the blocks can roll.

Most visits are perfectly calm. The risks are specific and easy to avoid:

• Sneaker waves. Safetravel's black beach advice, written for Reynisfjara, applies here too: these waves come with no warning after a run of small ones. Stay well back from the water's edge and never turn your back on the sea.
• Stay off the ice. Never stand or climb on a block, even one that looks solid. Waves lift and turn them, and the water is cold enough to cause hypothermia in minutes. Iceland Monitor reported in 2019 on a tourist who climbed an iceberg on this beach for a photo and was cut off by the waves.
• Keep children close. A child running after a wave is the classic way things go wrong on these beaches.
• Mind your footing. The ground is uneven and can be icy in winter; light spikes help.

The good news is that the best photos are taken from a few metres back anyway, with the ice in the foreground and the surf behind. A long lens or a short walk along the beach does the rest. Drones need permission from the national park at Jökulsárlón. Our Diamond Beach safety post has this winter's details.

When is the best time to visit Diamond Beach?

Any month: there is ice on the beach all year. For photos, low sun is best, which means early or late in summer and most of the day in winter.

Ice keeps reaching the beach in every season, because the glacier keeps calving. What changes is the light and the weather. Around the winter solstice there are only about four hours of daylight (Reykjavík figures; the south gets a little more), and the sun stays low the whole time, which suits backlit ice. In late June it is light almost round the clock, so you can come at the end of the evening when the sun is low again.

Tips for the shot:

• Shoot into the light: a backlit clear block glows; the same block from the sunny side looks grey.
• Bring a cloth. Spray and drizzle land on the lens within minutes.
• Pick a block well up the beach and wait for a wave to wash around it, rather than walking down to the wet sand.
• Waterproof boots help. The sand is coarse and wet near the tide line.

In winter the beach pairs with an ice cave tour from the lagoon car park; see the winter guide.

Are there seals at Diamond Beach?

Often, around the river mouth and in the lagoon, but never guaranteed. The national park says large seal colonies can be found where the rivers flow to the sea.

The operator says seals are frequently seen resting on icebergs or swimming in the lagoon, and the Jökulsá mouth between the lagoon and the beach is a natural place to look. Wikipedia adds that seals gather in larger numbers at the mouth in winter, when fish drift in on the tides. Some days they are all over the river mouth; some days none. Give them space.

Birds are part of the scene too. The park lists Breiðamerkursandur as an important nesting ground for great skua, red-throated diver, greylag goose and barnacle goose, and Arctic terns dive at people who walk too close to their nests in summer. In winter, reindeer herds stay on the eastern side of the sands and can run across the road, so drive with care.

How long do you need at Diamond Beach, and is it free?

Half an hour is enough for a first look, an hour if you want photos. There is no ticket; the only cost is the park's parking fee of 1,110 ISK per car (2026).

Walking on the beach is free all year. The national park's regional fee covers parking in the Jökulsárlón area, collected by licence-plate cameras and paid through Parka or at the machines; tour buses pay their own. Allow at least 2 hours for the lagoon and the beach together, and half a day if you add a Zodiac on the lagoon.

On day tours the beach time is fixed. The boat-included tour lists 30 minutes on Diamond Beach after an hour at the lagoon; the 67020 tour gives 1.5 hours for the two together. Mark, in October, summed it up as "Glacier lagoon and diamond beach, both unique experiences."

Which tours stop at Diamond Beach?

Every lagoon day tour on this site stops here, and so does the shore excursion from Djúpivogur. None of them charge extra for the beach.

The difference between the tours is what happens at the lagoon, not at the beach:

The shore excursion is timed to your ship and is about two hours' drive each way, so the stop is short. Peter, who took it in June, found the glacier "absolutely beautiful to see, as is the lava beach with ice blocks".

Sources: Vatnajökull National Park (Fellsfjara, trail B2, price list, Breiðamerkursandur); Jökulsárlón ehf (icelagoon.is FAQ); Safetravel (black beach safety); Iceland Monitor (February 2019); Wikipedia; GetYourGuide listings.

From the cruise pier in Djúpivogur to Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach and back, timed to your ship's stay.

★ 4.6 · 7 hours · from $259

Explore the shore excursion from Djúpivogur → Tour details

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