Jökulsárlón

Jökulsárlón (roughly pronounced 'yo-kul-sar-lon') is a glacial lagoon where icebergs calve directly from Breiðamerkurjökull glacier and drift slowly towards the Atlantic. The ice comes in every shade from milky white to deep cobalt blue, and the whole place feels eerily quiet despite usually having a crowd of visitors along the banks. It's about 370km from Reykjavík — a long drive, but one most people combine with the rest of the Ring Road.

Just a five-minute walk from the lagoon, Diamond Beach is where the icebergs wash ashore on black volcanic sand. The contrast is genuinely striking, and the light here at golden hour is extraordinary. Boat tours run on the lagoon itself from May to October — the amphibious boat gets you right alongside the ice, which is well worth the extra hour.

Winter visits have a different character entirely: fewer tourists, lower-angled light that turns the ice amber and pink, and a real chance of seeing the northern lights reflected in the lagoon after dark. If you're visiting between November and March, a northern lights tour based out of nearby Höfn gives you a solid chance at catching the display over the glacier. Year-round, this is one of those places where the photos never quite do it justice — you need to stand there yourself.