Diamond Beach

The first time you walk onto Diamond Beach you'll probably crouch down next to the nearest lump of ice and stare at it. Everyone does. It's clear as glass, it's sitting on sand as black as coal, and the Atlantic is pounding away behind it. It looks fake. It isn't.

Diamond Beach is the local nickname for the shore at Breiðamerkursandur in South Iceland, directly across the Ring Road from Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. Icebergs break off Breiðamerkurjökull, float out of the lagoon through a short channel, get tossed around by the sea and washed back up on the beach, polished smooth by the waves. Some pieces are the size of a football. Some are the size of a car.

Tours that visit Diamond Beach

Glacier Lagoon & Diamond Beach Tour From Djúpivogur Port

7 hours · From Djúpivogur

From 29.990 ISK

Private South Coast & Diamond Beach Day Tour from Reykjavík

14 hours · From Reykjavík

0(0)

From 168.000 ISK

South Coast, Glacier Lagoon & Diamond Beach Tour

14 hours · From Höfn í Hornafirði

4.8(55)

From 149.520 ISK

South Coast, Glacier Lagoon & Diamond Beach Tour

14 hours · From Höfn í Hornafirði

4.8(55)

From 149.520 ISK

Private Glacier Lagoon, Diamond Beach & South Coast

15 hours · From Iceland

4.9(233)

From 300.000 ISK

Jökulsárlón & Diamond Beach – A Tailored Private South Coast Experience for Families

12 hours · From Iceland

5(63)

From 230.000 ISK

What to see at Diamond Beach

It changes every day. Tides, wind and whatever the glacier has dropped into the lagoon lately decide how much ice there is. Some mornings the beach is scattered with hundreds of pieces; on others you'll have to walk a bit to find good ones. There's a stretch on both sides of the lagoon mouth, so if one side is thin, cross over and try the other.

The best ice is the clearest. Old glacier ice with the air squeezed out of it looks like glass and catches the light beautifully when the sun is low behind it. The white, bubbly pieces are younger ice or have been sitting in the air a while.

Is Diamond Beach safe?

Mostly, if you respect the sea. This is an open Atlantic beach, and sneaker waves are a real thing on Iceland's south coast: one wave runs far further up the sand than the ones before it. Here there's an extra twist. The ice rolls. A block that looks settled can be lifted and flipped by a wave, and you don't want to be sitting on it or standing between it and the water when that happens. Don't climb on the ice, keep your back to the car park and not to the sea, and keep children close.

Pro tip: bring a pair of waterproof boots or accept wet feet, and shoot at low sun. A low angle through clear ice is what makes the photos. Put the camera low, almost on the sand, and wait for a wave to wash around the ice. A slow shutter speed turns the water into white streaks around the block.

How to get to Diamond Beach from Reykjavík

Diamond Beach is about 370–380 km from Reykjavík, around five hours' drive along the Ring Road, right next to Jökulsárlón. There are parking areas on both sides of the road, inside Vatnajökull National Park, and parking is paid. Budget 30–45 minutes for the beach itself, more if you're photographing. It's usually combined with the lagoon in one stop.

Best time to visit Diamond Beach

Any season works, because the ice keeps coming year-round. Summer gives you long evenings and soft light late at night. Winter gives you short days, a sun that never gets high (good for the ice) and a chance of northern lights on dark, clear nights. Winter driving on the south coast needs care, so check road.is and safetravel.is before you go.

Because it's a five-hour drive each way, most people come on a long day tour from Reykjavík or as part of a multi-day south coast trip. The tours below include Diamond Beach, most together with Jökulsárlón.