Our latest video is out, and in this one we make it to Breiðamerkursandur (the Diamond Beach) and the Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon. Within a few minutes of when we left the gas station/ cafe, it started to rain. I remember that the weather had multiple wind warnings, also. It was definitely a day for that waterproof and windproof gear we bought! Our plans this section included wandering around on the beach and admiring the ice, and we had a boat tour of the lagoon. Did it pan out? Keep reading….
One of the things that you see early in this video is sheep! They wander and roam, so you have to be careful of them in the road. Earlier in autumn, they return to their farms from the highlands, but always a few stragglers remain from what I understand. Right at the bridge, you see a couple that really blended into the background thanks to the rain and clouds. Lucky for us, though, we get an up close view of some cute sheep.
On a safety note, always drive with your headlights on. In the dense fog and clouds, you really can’t see oncoming traffic if their lights are off. We go through several one lane bridges in this section of the drive, and sometimes it was hard to tell if another car was approaching even with lights. In fact, it is Icelandic law that you always drive with your main lights on.
I linked the Icelandic weather station in the start of this post because Iceland doesn’t mess around when it comes to wind. If you’ll be driving, check the weather forecast frequently. We joke around at a certain point about getting into a boat in a couple of hours. Right around then, the wind grabs the car and whips it, and we see rain going upwards and sideways. My husband lets out a startled WHOA. Haha…heh…hmm…
By the time we get to Breiðamerkursandur, we were both tired of driving and riding in the weather. However, getting out of the car seemed equally torturous. We gathered our nerve and suited up in waterproof pants, jackets, and boots. We got out and looked at some smaller chunks of ice, while noticing the large, blue exciting chunks were across the water on the other side. I made my husband pick up a piece of boring clear ice so I could try to take a photo in the sideways rain.
At this point, we were cold, hungry, and in need of a restroom. I opted not to fight our way back across the bridge (see video for an “exciting” time of us sitting and waiting to cross a one lane bridge), but rather to fight our way into the glacier lagoon parking. See more video of us slowly crawling to what is actually the best parking spot ever! In this parking area, we paid 1000 ISK via the Parka app.
So this area is crowded, even on terrible weather days apparently. You can book all kinds of tours in the Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon area. We had a boat tour where they take you out, you can see and hear the icebergs, and you get to taste a glacier. I had been looking forward to this day for months! We went into the little cafe to use the restroom, have a cappuccino, and meet a really nice Canadian couple. Once we were warmed up, we decided to go explore the beach. We stepped outside, got smacked in the face with wind and rain, and retreated back to the car to panic/laugh about getting on a boat for a few more minutes as the wind rocked our vehicle from side to side.
Our tour was canceled, sadly. But I was also kind of glad because the idea of getting on a boat in that weather terrified me. We did suit up and explore the beach area though, since we did come all this way. It was so worth it. Even in this awful, horrible, wet, miserable weather…it was incredible. Giant chunks of blue, black, and white ice floated like ghost ships in the lagoon. We saw seals cavorting in the waves and on the beach. We stood outside and felt the raw force of nature hitting us while beholding a glacial lagoon. It doesn’t get much cooler than that. Unfortunately, the wind was pulling my phone out of my hands so I didn’t take many pictures.
That’s where this portion ends, as we dry off and head out towards the end of our day. We now leave the main tourist groups, tour buses, and most of the crowds behind us. Next time, we will make it to the town of Höfn, eat one of the best meals I have ever had, and spend the night in an old milk factory. See you then!