The Iceland Adventure: Day Three, Sólheimajökull and Jökulsárlón Lagoon

Welcome to the third day of the Iceland Adventure! This day was filled with stunning glaciers, lagoons and icebergs…

Sólheimajökull Glacier

This day was spent on the South West coast of the island and began with a hike up Sólheimajökull, a rapidly melting glacier set on an out-wash plain. It is part of the Mýrdalsjökull glacier and is classed a a ‘glacier tongue’. This is where small parts of ice break off from the main glacier and fall into a lake below.

We walked for a total of four hours, sounding like a marathon now but the exquisite views were more than worth the long hike. We did the trip with a great activity company which can be found at the Adrenalin website. Our guides were very informative and provided us with equipment such as crampons to make the hike easier, they made a tough walk surprisingly enjoyable! It is not recommended you do the hike here without professional guidance for safety reasons so bear this in mind if you are thinking of visiting.

This photo above was the view from the highest point of the hike, incredible views of the snow covered plains for as far as the eye could see. The vast expanse looks untouched, a truly unique environment.

Jökulsárlón Lagoon

This jagged glacier lake is located on the edge of the Vatnajökull National Park, the lagoon has been created to due an increasing climate in the area. The contrast between the black rocks beneath you and the gleaming snow is another incredible sight and photo opportunity in Iceland.

The black sand that can be seen in these photos of the edge of the lagoon is this colour due to the high concentration of basalt lava, meaning many of the coastal and sandy areas in Iceland have this dramatic colour covering them.