Reykjavik Excursions · Reykjavík, BSÍ terminal
A big coach leaves the BSÍ terminal at 7:30 am, runs the south coast to Jökulsárlón and brings you back around 10 pm, with Skógafoss on the way out and Seljalandsfoss on the way home. Pick it for the time at the lagoon: 1 hour 20 minutes, the longest stop of any day trip on this site.
Reykjavik Excursions is one of the big Icelandic coach companies, and this is its classic run to Jökulsárlón. The lagoon sits about 370 km east of Reykjavík, so the day is long: 14.5 hours on the listing, which puts you back in Reykjavík around 10 pm. The coach takes up to 45 people, with Wi-Fi on board and a guide who talks you through Eyjafjallajökull, the sandur plains and Hvannadalshnjúkur, Iceland's highest peak, as they pass.
The stops are short and frequent: a comfort break in Hvolsvöllur, 25 minutes at Skógafoss, a 40-minute lunch at Freysnes near Skaftafell, then 1 hour 20 minutes at the lagoon and 15 minutes on Diamond Beach, which is the black-sand beach across the Route 1 bridge. Dinner is in Vík, and the last stop is Seljalandsfoss, where you can walk behind the falls if it's still light. In the darker months the guide watches for the northern lights on the drive back, though nothing is promised.
The boat ride is not part of the ticket. Guides often ask at the start of the day who wants one, and you pay the boat company on the spot: ISK 7,100 per adult for the amphibian boat in 2026, according to the boat operator's own site. Boats run from May to about 15 November. If you know you want to be on the water, the same day with the boat already booked costs more but saves the queue. Food is extra too, and the base price of $185 is for meeting the coach at BSÍ; hotel pickup is a separate, slightly dearer option.
Meet the coach at the BSÍ terminal 15 minutes early, or wait at your pickup point from 7:00 if you booked hotel pickup.
A 20-minute break in Hvolsvöllur, then 25 minutes at the 60-metre Skógafoss.
A lunch stop by Skaftafell, with Iceland's highest mountain in view.
Walk the shore, watch the ice drift to the sea or take the boat if you added it.
Across the bridge to the black sand, where the ice washes back ashore.
Forty-five minutes for dinner in Vík, 25 minutes at Seljalandsfoss, then back to Reykjavík.
★★★★★The tour guide was extremely professional, knowledgeable, & friendly. The driver was excellent. It is a very long day but so worth it. The waterfalls, landscape, lagoon with icebergs & Diamond Beach were spectacular.
★★★★★At the beginning of the trip, we were asked if we wanted to add on a boat ride in the lagoon - YES. Our driver/guide Benedict was awesome. The beaches and waterfalls were amazing. The glacier was simply stunning [...]
★★★★★Lots of time on the bus but that’s the only way to get to some of these destinations. Bus time didn’t get boring because Gunnar would tell fun stories + facts and the scenery outside was always beautiful.
★★★★★Jonas was an amazing tour guide. he gave great, unique facts as we drove along but didn’t talk too much as to overwhelm the tour. he went out of his way to stop for the northern lights when we saw them on the tour [...]
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1 hour 20 minutes at the lagoon and 15 minutes at Diamond Beach, according to the itinerary. That's the longest lagoon stop of the day trips we cover; the BusTravel and Gray Line days give one hour.
No. You can add it on the day and pay the boat company, ISK 7,100 per adult in 2026 for the amphibian boat. If you'd rather have it booked, the Reykjavik Excursions trip with the boat tour runs the same route with a 30-minute ride included. Our boat tour guide compares the amphibian and the zodiac.
At the BSÍ bus terminal, Vatnsmýrarvegur 10, at 7:30 am. Be there 15 minutes early. If you choose the hotel pickup option, pickup starts about 30 minutes earlier and some central hotels use the nearest bus stop.
The listing gives 14.5 hours, so roughly 10 pm, later if weather or traffic slows the coach on Route 1.
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Skógafoss, 1 hour 20 minutes at Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach in one guided day from Reykjavík, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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