Booking choice: The day trip with the boat tour, from $328 per person. Check dates Tour details
One company runs the boats on Jökulsárlón: Jökulsárlón ehf, from the café and ticket office by the main car park. It sells two rides. The amphibian is a yellow boat on wheels that drives down the shore into the water. The zodiac is a small, fast inflatable that runs far up the lagoon.
Most day trips from Reykjavík do not include either. That catches people out, and on a stop of an hour or so it matters. Prices and times below come from the operator, icelagoon.is, for the 2026 season.
The quick answer
Take the amphibian unless you are staying nearby. It lasts 30 to 40 minutes, takes all ages and costs ISK 7,100 per adult, about $58. The zodiac costs ISK 16,600, about $136, runs 1 hour 15 minutes with a 30-minute check-in, and needs a minimum height of 130 cm, so it doesn't fit into a day trip's hour at the lagoon. Amphibians run May to about 15 November, zodiacs May to October. The only day trip here with the boat already booked is the $328 tour with a 30-minute boat ride.
What boat tours are there on Jökulsárlón?
Two: the amphibian boat, 30 to 40 minutes among the icebergs near the shore, and the zodiac, 1 hour 15 minutes deeper into the lagoon toward the glacier.
Both leave from the same ticket office and both are run by Jökulsárlón ehf, which has worked on the lagoon for more than 35 years. Side by side:
| Amphibian boat | Zodiac | |
|---|---|---|
| Time on the water | 30 to 40 minutes | About 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Adult (13+) | ISK 7,100 (about $58) | ISK 16,600 (about $136) |
| Child | 6 to 12: ISK 3,500; under 6 free | 10 to 12: ISK 8,300 |
| Limits | All ages | At least 130 cm tall (children from 10) |
| Season | May to about 15 November | May to October |
| Check in | 20 minutes before | 30 minutes before |
| You wear | A life jacket over your own clothes | A flotation suit and a life jacket |
| Goes to | The icebergs near the south shore | Up the lagoon, almost to the glacier front |
Dollar figures use the mid-market rate of about 122 krónur to the dollar in mid-October 2026 (CurrencyBeacon). Your card will charge a little more.
The boat already booked: 30 minutes among the icebergs inside a guided day from Reykjavík.
Check dates for the day trip with the boat tourAmphibian or zodiac: which is better?
The amphibian for most people and every day trip. The zodiac if you are staying nearby, want to get close to the glacier and are happy to pay more than double.
The amphibian is the classic ride. It rolls down the gravel, floats off, and spends half an hour among the big icebergs at the southern end. A guide talks about the lagoon on the way, and someone usually fishes out a chunk of ancient ice for everyone to taste. The operator runs four of them, so the queue moves.
The zodiac is a different trip. Small groups in flotation suits, a fast run across the water, and a stop near the glacier front, which you only see from a distance on the amphibian. The operator's own words: it "goes almost all the way up to the glacier (as close as safe)". It is also colder, wetter and far more expensive. If you have a night in the area, it is the better ride. If you have an hour, it isn't an option.
Is the boat ride included on Jökulsárlón tours?
Usually not. Of the day trips from Reykjavík on this site, only one includes it; on the rest you buy it at the lagoon or from the guide on the bus.
- The day trip with boat tour ($328): an approximately 30-minute boat tour is included.
- The 2-day glacier tour: included only if you pick the boat option at checkout, from $689 against $639 without.
- The Glacier Lagoon day trip, the small-group tour, the BusTravel day tour and the Gray Line tour: the boat is optional and paid on top.
On the cheaper trips the guide often sells boat tickets on the way. Anja, in September 2026: "At the beginning of the trip, we were asked if we wanted to add on a boat ride in the lagoon - YES." A Gray Line guest found the same: the boat "was not offered thru Viator, but the driver was able to get tickets in advance while in the bus". Say yes early. A sold-out boat in July is a long way to come for a view from the bank.
The one day trip with the boat already in the price: about 30 minutes among the icebergs, then Diamond Beach.
Explore the day trip with the boat tour Tour detailsHow much is the Jökulsárlón boat tour in 2026?
ISK 7,100 per adult for the amphibian and ISK 16,600 for the zodiac, booked direct. That is about $58 and $136.
Children aged 6 to 12 pay ISK 3,500 on the amphibian, about $29, and under-6s ride free. On the zodiac, children aged 10 to 12 pay ISK 8,300. Groups of 12 or more get the amphibian for ISK 6,800 each.
Is the boat-included day trip a good deal? It costs $143 more than the Glacier Lagoon day trip with the same operator, timetable and 1 hour 20 minutes at the lagoon. The amphibian ticket alone is about $58. You pay roughly $85 for the certainty of a seat. In July and August, with boats full, we think that is worth it. In May or October, buy the ticket yourself. Every price on this site is in the price guide.
When do the boats run, and at what times?
Amphibians from May to about 15 November, zodiacs from May to October. From June to September the first boat leaves around 9 am and the last about an hour before 7 pm.
- May: tours from 10 am to 5 pm.
- June to September: 9 am to 7 pm. In July and August there are about 40 amphibian trips a day.
- October to 15 November: 10 am to 5 pm. Zodiacs stop at the end of October.
- Mid-November to April: no boats at all. See Jökulsárlón in winter for what runs instead.
The last amphibian leaves about an hour before closing. Day trips arrive in the early afternoon, well inside those hours. Exact opening and closing dates move a little each year; the boat season post tracks them.
Sit among the icebergs for 30 minutes without queueing for a ticket: the boat is booked for you.
Check dates for the day trip with the boat tourCan you fit a boat ride into a day trip from Reykjavík?
The amphibian, yes. Day trips give you 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes at the lagoon, and the ride plus check-in takes about an hour.
Do the sums. Check in 20 minutes before, ride for 30 to 40 minutes, walk back up the bank. That leaves little for the shore on a 1-hour stop, and a bit more on Reykjavik Excursions' 1 hour 20 minutes. The zodiac's 30-minute check-in and 75 minutes on the water don't fit at all.
Our tips: buy the ticket before you arrive, head straight for the ticket office when the bus stops, and keep Diamond Beach for the stop after. On the BusTravel trip you get a separate 30 minutes on the beach. On a 2-day tour you have 1 hour 30 minutes at the lagoon, which is more relaxed. One guest on that trip, in 2023: "Definitely do the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon boat tour- it is a highlight."
Do the boats run in wind and rain?
In rain, yes. In strong wind the operator can cancel, and it says plainly that weather affects availability.
Rain is normal on the south coast, and the boats go out in it. Wind is another matter: a strong gust over open water with floating ice is a real risk, and the zodiacs feel it first. One guest on a lagoon day trip wrote: "Great tour except we did not get to ride the boat because of windy conditions. Just consider this is a possibility when booking."
If the boat is cancelled, ask the ticket office for a refund on a direct ticket, or your tour operator on a boat-included trip. Guide to Iceland, which resells the zodiac, promises a full refund for weather cancellations on its listing. Dress as if you will be on the water either way: what to wear has the list.
What about boats and floating at Fjallsárlón?
Fjallsárlón is a different, smaller lagoon about 10 km west, with its own boat tours and an ice floating tour. It is not a Jökulsárlón boat ride.
Fjallsárlón sits below the Fjallsjökull glacier, off the same Route 1. A separate company runs a 75-minute iceberg boat tour there for ISK 11,300 from April to November, and ice floating all year (fjallsarlon.is). Parking at Fjallsárlón is free.
The Fjallsárlón ice floating tour puts you in a flotation suit, in the water, between pieces of ice, with a hot drink at the Frost restaurant afterwards. It is for ages 15 to 75, in groups of 8 at most. Day trips from Reykjavík don't stop there, so you need a car or a night nearby.
Not a boat: float on your back between the icebergs of Fjallsárlón in a flotation suit, then a hot drink at Frost.
Explore the Fjallsárlón ice floating tour Tour detailsFrequently asked questions
Do I need to book the Jökulsárlón boat tour in advance?
In July and August, yes: the operator recommends buying online, and the zodiac has few seats. In May and October you can usually buy at the ticket office, but on a day trip, buy before you arrive to save time.
Can you see seals from the boat?
Often. Seals live in the lagoon and haul out on the floes, and the amphibian guide points them out. Sightings are likely, never promised.
Is the amphibian boat suitable for children?
Yes, it takes all ages. Children under 6 ride free and ages 6 to 12 pay ISK 3,500. The zodiac needs children to be at least 10 and 130 cm tall.
Do the boats run in winter?
No. The amphibians stop around 15 November and the zodiacs at the end of October; both start again in May. Winter is ice cave season instead.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Glacier Lagoon Day Trip with Boat Tour
- About 30-minute boat tour among the icebergs
- Coach from the BSÍ terminal or central hotels, 7:30 am
- Guide in English
Glacier Lagoon & Diamond Beach Day Trip
- Coach from the BSÍ terminal or central hotels, 7:30 am
- Guide in English, Wi-Fi on board
- 1 h 20 min at Jökulsárlón, 15 min at Diamond Beach
2-Day South Coast, Glacier Hike & Jökulsárlón
90 minutes at the lagoon, a glacier hike and a night on the coast
