Reykjavik: Glacier Lagoon & Diamond Beach South Coast Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.70 (756 reviews) 84% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/26

Duration14h

GroupUp to 65

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Glaciers, icebergs and waterfalls along Iceland's south coast in a single day

You get picked up in Reykjavik and driven to five waterfalls and two glacier sites, including a walk behind Seljalandsfoss and time on Diamond Beach among icebergs. Dinner happens in Vik village. Transport, guide, vehicle and parking are all included; you bring warm clothes and expect to be out for most of the day.

14h

Step-by-step itinerary

South Coast Glacier Lagoon Tour

Pick up in downtown Reykjavik
Visit Stjórnarfoss waterfall
See Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
Stop at Diamond Beach
Explore fishing village of Vik
Walk behind Seljalandsfoss waterfall

The Experience

The sound of ice calving off the glacier hits you before you see it — a crack and rumble that echoes across Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon as chunks the size of houses drift toward the shore. You're standing on the black sand beach watching icebergs wash up like broken glass, some of them still blue inside where the light catches them. This is the centerpiece of the day, but it's not where you start. Pickup happens in downtown Reykjavik in the morning, and from there the drive south takes you past Seljalandsfoss, where you can walk behind the waterfall itself — the mist soaks through your jacket and the roar is so loud you stop trying to talk.

The route follows the coast and stops at Stjórnarfoss, a two-stage waterfall that drops about 15 meters each time from moss-covered cliffs, tucked into a valley most people miss. Then comes the lagoon, and after that, Diamond Beach, where the icebergs that calved days or weeks ago have washed up and frozen into the black sand. You pick them up, turn them over, watch the light move through them. The village of Vik sits on the same black sand coastline with Reynisdrangar sea stacks rising out of the water — it's where the group stops for dinner, so you're eating while the light stays in the sky for hours. The whole day is about five hours of driving spread across maybe ten or eleven hours total, which sounds long until you realize you're seeing four different glacier-fed landscapes and two major waterfalls without arranging transport or timing any of it yourself.

The vehicle is air-conditioned and has WiFi, so if the weather turns — and it will turn, this is Iceland — you're not stuck in silence. The guide drives and narrates, and the group stays under 65 people, though most days it's smaller. You dress for cold and wind, bring a waterproof jacket, and accept that you'll get wet at Seljalandsfoss. The parking fees are covered, so you don't pay at each stop. By the time you're back in Reykjavik, the sun is still up and you've crossed the entire south coast in a day.

What’s included

Hotel or downtown Reykjavik pickup, a driver-guide, an air-conditioned vehicle with WiFi, and all parking fees at each stop.
You visit Seljalandsfoss and Stjórnarfoss waterfalls, Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, Diamond Beach, and the village of Vik.
Dinner in Vik is not included in the price.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by BusTravel Iceland

Is this one for you?Right for travelers based in Reykjavik without a rental car who want to see the south coast's main glaciers and waterfalls in one push. Expect to be out most of the day — that's what fits five major stops and two lagoons into a single departure.