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South Coast and Glacier Lagoon Tour
4.4
630 Ratings
Reykjavík
Experience the breathtaking beauty of Iceland’s South Coast and Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon on this day tour from Reykjavik. Marvel at waterfalls, glaciers, volcanoes, and the sparkling ice on Diamond Beach.
Experience the breathtaking beauty of Iceland’s South Coast and Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon on this day tour from Reykjavik. Marvel at waterfalls, glaciers, volcanoes, and the sparkling ice on Diamond Beach.
Duration:
14 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Volcano Eyjafjallajokull - Iceland’s most notorious volcano is undoubtedly Eyjafjallajökull, which last erupted in 2010 and caused flight disruptions in Europe for weeks.
- Seljalandsfoss - On your way back from visiting the glacier lagoon, you’ll stop at one of the more unique waterfalls in Iceland, Seljalandsfoss. What makes this waterfall so…
- Volcano Eyjafjallajokull - Iceland’s most notorious volcano is undoubtedly Eyjafjallajökull, which last erupted in 2010 and caused flight disruptions in Europe for weeks.
- Seljalandsfoss - On your way back from visiting the glacier lagoon, you’ll stop at one of the more unique waterfalls in Iceland, Seljalandsfoss. What makes this waterfall so special is the footpath behind the waterfall which, when the weather permits, allows for a whole new perspective.
- Skogafoss - Before reaching Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, you will stop at Skogafoss, a stunning waterfall that allows you access to great views from both below and above, by way of a staircase.
- Vik - Restroom and dinner break (at own cost)
- Glacier Lagoon - Vatnajokull glacier is massive, covering 14,000 sq km and it is Breidamerkurjokull, one of the many sections of this great glacier, that creates the magical Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. From there is an easy walk down to the Diamond Beach where you can see icebergs that have washed up on the black sand beach, glittering in the sun like jewels.
- Diamond Beach Jokulsarlon - During the scheduled stop for Jökulsárlón, we recommend that you check out the Diamond Beach that is only a few minutes’ walk away, to see stunning icebergs scattered on the black sand beach.
- Vatnajokull National Park - You will have unforgettable views of Skaftafell wilderness area in Vatnajokull National Park.
- Skeiðarársandur - Drive through the starkly beautiful black sand expanse of Skeidararsandur.
- Vik - Here it is possible to buy lunch, shop for souvenirs, or take a short walk in the village or down to the beach.
What's Included
- On-board WiFi
- Hotel and cruise port pickup/drop-off (on request, with selected option)
- Expert tour guide
- Air-conditioned transportation
- On-board WiFi
- Hotel and cruise port pickup/drop-off (on request, with selected option)
- Expert tour guide
- Air-conditioned transportation
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
- Boat tours on the glacier lagoon
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
- Boat tours on the glacier lagoon
Additional Information
The South Coast and Glacier Lagoon Exploration presents a day of experiencing the thrilling variety of Iceland’s landscape. It provides breathtaking views of Vatnajokull glacier, Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls as well as the glittering ice fragments on Diamond Beach at Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon.
En route to the glacier lagoon, you traverse…
The South Coast and Glacier Lagoon Exploration presents a day of experiencing the thrilling variety of Iceland’s landscape. It provides breathtaking views of Vatnajokull glacier, Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls as well as the glittering ice fragments on Diamond Beach at Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon.
En route to the glacier lagoon, you traverse through the South Coast region of Iceland, an area punctuated by spectacular waterfalls, stark black sands, gigantic glaciers and volcanoes mingling with pastoral scenes. You will enjoy unmissable views of the Skaftafell wilderness within the Vatnajokull National Park and journey through the dramatic black sand stretch of Skeidararsandur. On nearing the lagoon, you’ll also sight Iceland’s largest active volcano, Oraefajokull.
- Please note: Boat tours on the glacier lagoon are not included in the tour price.
- Warm and waterproof clothing is recommended
- Drop-off after tour may not be directly in front of your hotel, depending on route and traffic limitations.
- Stops will be made during the tour where you can purchase meals and use restroom facilities
- Tour is approximately 14 hours long, but with regular stops along the way
Location
Reykjavik Terminal
Skógarhlíð
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.4
(630 Ratings)
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Teres_b
Sep 24, 2025
A wonderful day - Karen was a wonderful driver and guide!! She has so many amazing stories about the area. Her expertise made a long trip very informative and enjoyable. Highly recommend this tour and especially this guide.
The sights were great,though the beach didn't have " diamonds" today. Its very nature dependent, but seeing the glacier pieces in the bay was so beautiful! Keep an eye open you may see seals. The water falls were wonderful highlights! Especially the one lit at night.
Thanks GrayLine and Karen for a wonderful day.
Review provided by Viator
Shahad
Sep 10, 2025
Amazing! - I have completed this tour just without the diamond beach.
First of all this was literally best tour I have done in Iceland
I have made the mistake in regard to the pickup point they were very accommodating and were able to pick me up with consideration that it was my last day in the trip.
South coast of Iceland is incredible we got lucky with the weather was beautiful and sunny most of the time with few showers in between.
Karen, our guide, was quite informative, funny and lovely.
Was a small group with a bunch of solo travellers like myself, so didn’t feel excluded at all.
I highly recommend south coast and gray line Iceland
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephen_d
Sep 5, 2025
Thank goodness for BusTravel Iceland - Our tour was originally booked with Grayline and I was a bit worried when I read recent reviews. For some reason we were changed to BusTravel Iceland and our day was amazing. Karolina was a great guide. We had a relatively rainy day but it was great. Recommend doing the glacier cruise. Bring waterproof stuff with you. Even if it’s misty you can get pretty wet. Not sure about the complaints about lunch on board - it was fine and helped us see lots. Highly recommend
Review provided by Viator
Jennifer_h
Aug 23, 2025
South Coast Worth Every Penny - Great trip. Long, but worth every minute. Fabulous scenery. Both the driver and the tour guide were great.
Review provided by Viator
Agathe_e
Sep 8, 2025
A coupe of days before... - A coupe of days before the tour, I was notified by the company that they weren’t going to be doing the tour and rebooked us with another company. That was unfortunate because I had a great experience on this tour with the same company last year and was sad that we got moved to another company that wasn’t as great as Grey Line. With the new company, BusTravel Iceland, everything felt rushed. We didn’t have as much time at the different attractions and we didn’t get to see the Skógafoss waterfall which was advertised with Grey Line. We instead saw a smaller waterfall which wasn’t as impressive as what was promised by Grey Line.
Review provided by Viator
Elizabeth_c
Aug 26, 2025
Wouldn’t recommend - While the Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach were great and we had ample time there, I believe we spent an equal amount of time at rest stops and the two sightseeing stops. I think eating in the van instead of having two 45-minute meal breaks in Vík would’ve been more efficient, and perhaps just having a single one-hour Vík stop to not feel super rushed to eat and explore would’ve worked well. Our Skógafoss stop was very brief, with hardly any time to go up the trail to the top of the waterfall. There were plenty of gorgeous sights along the route, and I do wonder if breaking up the tour in that way would’ve been more interesting than rest stops. Our van broke down later, as well. I appreciated the swift problem-solving, but we got back an hour and a half later than expected despite not even going to our final waterfall stop (most of the group was too tired at that point, and it was getting dark). I requested at least a partial refund due to that. To that end, my issues with the tour weren’t related to the van issue. During our drive to the lagoon, we saw a lovely rainbow form over a glacier, but our guide refused to stop at a viewpoint despite our requests to ensure the four out of 20 or so passengers made their Glacier Lagoon boat. I thought the listing was very clear that the boat wasn’t included, so I assumed the tour wouldn’t be focused on specifically accommodating that excursion. We were asked at a rest stop if we would be interested in the boat, but I primarily wanted to spend time at Diamond Beach since that’s what was advertised, and everyone else also declined. This tour felt more like a transfer for the few people going on a Glacier Lagoon boat with some facts sprinkled in during the first half of the trip.
Review provided by Viator
Michaellp3379li
Sep 2, 2025
Shady and unethical business practices that will leave you inconvenienced and out of pocket without a good experience - We had our tour cancelled last minute without prospect of refund. We bought a ticket for two adults and a 15 month old baby with Gray Line (who accept children from 0-2 and accept for others to bring a car seat) and their subsidiary Reykjavik Sightseeing then went on to resell our ticket to Bus Tours Iceland after telling us that the tour was for Reykjavik excursions 48 hour, whom this review is about. Despite our communicating that we had a child of 15 months and that we were bringing a car seat to Reykjavik Sightseeing, this was sold to Bus Tours Iceland, who also did not bother to contact us with any specific issues. The issue was only discovered when I was emailed the confirmation ticket by Bus Tours Iceland, at which point I went to check the company website, which says that children under 2 years are not permitted. In addition to the age issue, differing policies from the selling company about which child seats are suitable meant that the car seat that had been readily accepted on prior tours and with the buying company was now unacceptable. After last minute communication, Bus Tours Iceland would neither refund my ticket or assist me any further with this predicament. Gray Line and their subsidiary were completely unreachable (multiple emails, phone calls) during the entire exchange.
This meant that a whole dedicated day for touring was lost since everything was so last minute. I would rather that the tour have been cancelled rather than resold because at least we would have been able to find alternative tours (albeit at short notice).
Gray Line gets a poor review for attempting to resell the ticket. This is a fairly expensive and lengthy tour, and for them to try and save a buck by reselling the tour at the cost of the customer is pretty low. I'd say "you get what you pay for here", but it's even less than that.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jouliaberry
Aug 28, 2025
Do not recommend - Unfortunately Grey line tours didn’t pick my mom, my kids and myself from the bus stop even though we had been waiting for them from 7:30 am (required time to be at the stop) until 8:15 am. Supposedly they said they were at the stop at 7:59 but that was just a lie as we specifically checked each incoming bus to make sure that it was not our bus for the trip. Moreover many of the companies would call out their passengers’ names to make sure they had everyone on board and that was definitely not the case with this company. I called them at 8:15 am and when we were (after a long wait) finally told that we were left behind, I asked if we could catch up to the bus with a taxi (as the bus couldn’t have been that far yet) but the company refused that also. We ended up losing a full day out of only a few days we had in Iceland, since the other tours had left already by the time the company confirmed that there was no option for us to get on our tour. So if you don’t want to get left behind waiting, you want to maximize your time in Iceland as well as save yourself a lot of frustration while on vacation, I would highly recommend that you avoid Grey Line tours during your visit. There are plenty of other companies which are a lot more reliable.
Review provided by Viator
Sue_s
Aug 26, 2025
No show! - We had a similar experience as another reviewer with Viator and Gray Line. We confirmed our pick up location the day before and received a confirmation back of pick up location. We were advised to be at BSI at 7:30 for a 8:00 pick up. We were there and watched many other people picked up for tours by other companies. At 8:30 we tried to contact Gray line. Finally some one answered the phone and told me we were at the wrong location. We said we had confirmation. He hung up. Visitor used WhatsApp and finally responded with “sorry” and sent us an email to tell them details so we could get our refund. So we missed the full day tour and too late to book with any one else. Do not use Gray line!
Review provided by Viator
Eugene_f
Aug 25, 2025
Shame on you, you ruined our day!! - We booked the South Coast tour through Viator and got a confirmation the day before and the day of the trip. All Viator confirmations were for pickup at the Foss Hotel. Never were we informed by Viator that the pickup stop was switched to another location. Viator contracts the booking to other vendors whom we were not familiar with, nor did we pay. We were at the Foss Hotel at 7:30 AM for an 8:00 pickup. Obviously they never showed. We tried to reach out to Viator for 45 minutes that morning and couldn't reach anyone. Finally we got a live person on the phone but he could not help us. We offered to take a taxi to the first stop on the tour and they said NO. Our day was ruined due to lack of communication and customer service. Shame on you Viator and now you won't refund our money. And stay away from Grey Line as well. Customer service is non existent. Customers Beware. I read similar situations on other reviews but never expected this to happen to us. We were a party of 6. Why didn't someone call us when they saw we were not at the new location. They had our cell phone number. No one in our part received a call. We demand a refund!!!
Review provided by Viator
