The Glacier lagoon is one of the greatest wonders of nature you’ll see in Iceland and thus, it is one of the most popular places to visit among travellers. It is located close to the Ring Road, about 370 km east from Reykjavík. The lagoon is formed from melted glacial water coming from the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier and is getting bigger each year, as huge blocks of ice constantly break from the ever decreasing glacier into the lagoon. Although the lake is becoming more impressive as its size increases, it does takes its toll on the glacier and visibly demonstrates the effects of global warming. The lagoon and the nearby glacier tongue will look different every time you go there due to the constant change of the Icelandic landscape.

The lagoon is up to 250 meters deep which makes it the deepest lake in Iceland and the main lagoon measures about 20 square kilometres. It was covered in thick glacial ice until 1932 when the glacier started to retreat. It is at sea level so during high tides sea water flows into the lagoon, further speeding up the melting of the ice. Nowadays more than 100 meters of ice breaks away each year to reshape the lagoon and fill it with spectacular ice formations and the mixture of the sea and freshwater gives the lagoon a unique blue-green colour. The large blocks of ice that fall into the lagoon slowly melt and drift out to sea, where the waves of the Atlantic ocean crash them that the black volcanic beach of the lagoon. The black sanded beach gets covered in translucent compact ice that glistens in the sun. This is why the beach is often referred to as the Diamond Beach.

This icy landscape has caught the eye of many filmmakers and has now become a popular filming location because of its unique beauty. The James Bond films ‘Die Another Day’ and ‘A view To Kill’ both have scenes from the icy lagoon, as well as Tomb Raider. Justin Bieber filmed himself going into the lagoon as a part of the music video to his song ‘I’ll Show You’, causing some controversy in Iceland, as it is surely not suitable for bathing. However, there are a number of tour operation companies that offer boat rides on the lagoon.