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54-458: The lake can be seen from Route 1 between Höfn and Skaftafell . It appears as "a ghostly procession of luminous blue icebergs". Jökulsárlón has been a setting for four Hollywood movies: A View to a Kill , Die Another Day , Lara Croft: Tomb Raider , and Batman Begins , as well as the reality TV series The Amazing Race . In 1991, Iceland issued a postage stamp, with a face value of 26 kronur , depicting Jökulsárlón. The tongue of

108-450: A Kill marked the start of commercial boat tours on the lake. Guðbrandur Jóhannesson started the tours on Jökulsárlón. Jóhannesson, who today owns and operates the company Vatnajökull Travel , operated the tours for the first two years. In summer 1987, about 5,000 passengers sailed on the company's two small vessels. The next year, an amphibious vehicle , the LARC-V , joined the fleet. By 1995,

162-706: A clockwise direction from Reykjavík. Travelling clockwise (initially northward) from Reykjavík, the following communities and settlements are located on Route 1. During the 2016 summer solstice , the Icelandic band Sigur Rós filmed and broadcast a live Slow TV event tour of Iceland driving along the entire route. The event was broadcast live in 360-degree video with a soundtrack of constantly evolving music based around elements of their track "Óveður". [REDACTED] Wikimedia Atlas of Iceland Brei%C3%B0amerkurj%C3%B6kull Breiðamerkurjökull ( Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈpreiːðaˌmɛr̥kʏrˌjœːkʏtl̥] )

216-687: A mid ice cap lake called Esjufjallalón from an adjacent to the east nunatak named Skálabjörg. The complex nature of glacial advance or retreat has been monitored in the last several decades. A study by D. Evans, published in Geography Review in 2002, reported on monitoring of the Breiðamerkurjökull between 1903 and 1998. The Breiðamerkurjökull east lobe and central lobe retreated at a slower average rate (28 m (92 ft) per year) between 1980 and 1998 than in earlier periods when retreat rates were as high as 50 m (160 ft) per year for

270-482: A regular expressway , and can be upgraded to a 4 lane road when traffic necessitates it. Currently, the section between Kjalarnes and the Hvalfjörður tunnel is being upgraded to a [2+1 road] and should be complete by 2023. The 7.4km long Vaðlaheiðargöng tunnel near Akureyri in the north of the country shortened the route by 16km and improved winter safety, bypassing a mountain road. In more rural parts of

324-461: Is an outlet glacier of the larger glacier of Vatnajökull and a piedmont glacier in the southern part of Vatnajökull National Park , Iceland . Emerging as a tongue of the Vatnajökull, it ends in two lagoons, famous Jökulsárlón and smaller and less known Breiðárlón . Over time, it has gradually been breaking down. As the icebergs break away from the tongue of the glacier, they drift slowly to

378-480: Is popular with tourists since it covers most of the country and many sights of interest are located near to the route. It has long been a popular route with Icelandic families going on summer vacation, but in recent years the route is becoming more popular with foreign tourists who either rent a car or bring their own on the ferry to Seyðisfjörður . Traffic levels on the road vary considerably between locations: in and near Reykjavík around 20,000-50,000 vehicles use

432-439: Is small enough to drift to the sea. These icebergs are seen in two shades: milky white and bright blue, which depends on the air trapped within the ice and is an interplay of light and ice crystals. The outlet glacier that feeds the lagoon is called Breiðamerkurjökull. The glacier is responsible for the formation of a large outwash plain called Breiðamerkursandur. It has a breadth of around 25 km and serves as bird habitat in

486-634: The Skeiðará river in the southeast, was opened. Previously, vehicles intending to travel between southern settlements, e.g. Vík to Höfn, had to travel north of the country through Akureyri, making the opening a major transport improvement to the country. Many popular tourist attractions in Iceland, such as the Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls, Dyrhólaey cliffs, Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, as well as Mývatn lake, Dettifoss and Goðafoss waterfalls in

540-485: The 1970s. In addition, the Skeiðarársandur plain is subject to frequent glacial floods during or after eruptions on the nearby Grímsvötn volcano . Bridges and other stretches of road over the plains have had to be rebuilt as a result, notably during the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 , when the ring road was severed for several days in the south. These are not considered to a be a risk to everyday travellers as

594-406: The Breiðamerkurjökull glacier is a major attraction for tourists. The Jökulsárlón lake provides outstanding views of the ice cap, a vast dome of ice that rises to a height of 3,000 ft (910 m). It spills to the lagoon 12 mi (19 km) away from the jagged glacier hill to the edge of the water line. The lake developed only about 60 years ago (1948 is mentioned), when the entire area

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648-401: The Breiðamerkurjökull outlet glacier. Since 1890, Breiðamerkurjökull has been retreating, to a total of 5.6 km (3.5 mi) during the 20th century. With temperatures rising between 1920 and 1965, changes started occurring in the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier tongue. In 1933 or 1934 a proglacial lake or lagoon formed in the depression left where the retreating glacier had been. Since then,

702-474: The beach is actually Eystri-Fellsfjara. There are many activities available to guests at Jökulsárlón. There are lagoon tours provided by several different companies in boats or kayaks. In the winter there are ice cave tours that leave from the lagoon parking lot. There are hiking trails around the area that offer guests an opportunity to explore the area. In 1985, the premiere of the James Bond movie A View to

756-530: The country, mostly in the glacial plains of the south and the Eastfjords , 31 single-lane bridges exist on the Ring Road. Dating back to the original construction of the road in the 1970s, they are sometimes constructed of wood or steel. Vehicles who approach the bridge first have the right of way. These are often narrow and long, making passing difficult, especially when there is high traffic. Non-locals, unaware of

810-621: The country. Heavy summer traffic is especially a problem during the summer at the town of Selfoss , where a single two lane bridge, Ölfusárbrú, is routed through the town carries practically all of the traffic in the south of the country, a significant bottleneck. This is planned to be replaced by a new bypass road and new 4-lane bridge over the Ölfus river, with current plans seeing it complete by 2025. The ring road has complete coverage of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations , with around 30 DC fast charging sites spaced approximately 50-80km apart. They are located in almost all towns along

864-665: The country. Driving in winter one must take special precautions and pre-check driving conditions with the Icelandic Road Administration to ensure the road is passable. The speed limit is 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph) on open sections; 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph) in tunnels and 50 kilometres per hour (31 mph) through urban areas. A few speed cameras operate on roads just outside of Reykjavík and in all tunnels. In recent years, due to increased traffic and demands for higher road safety, many large improvements have been made in both capacity and safety of

918-463: The east coast. On the northern side the Jökulsá river or lagoon emanating from the Breiðamerkurjökull, has its outlet to the sea and it has formed sand gravel barriers and the glacier front has retreated by 3 km (1.9 mi) in the period from 1945, 1965 and 1998. The tongue of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier is a major attraction for tourists. Tour operators conduct snowmobiles and jeep tours to visit

972-461: The east lobe and 67 m (220 ft) per year for the central lobe. Retreat of the Breiðamerkurjökull west lobe was more uniform, averaging about 30 m (98 ft) per year, except in the period from 1945–65 when the rate of retreat averaged 62.5 m (205 ft) per year. According to another study, a scarp capped by the Breiðamerkurjökull lobe of the larger Vatnajökull glacier was formed into terraces and barriers, enclosed by lagoons, on

1026-487: The edge of Vatnajökull are about 30 m (98 ft) high, which fills the lagoon stocked with icebergs. Some icebergs appear naturally sculpted on account volcanic ash from ancient eruptions that partly covers them. The icebergs that calve from the glacier edge move towards the river mouth and get entrenched at the bottom. The movement of the icebergs fluctuates with the tide currents, as well as being affected by wind. However, they start floating as icebergs when their size

1080-546: The edge of the glacier tongue of Breiðamerkurjökull glacier was about 20 kilometres (12 mi) further north of the present location. During the Little Ice Age between 1600 and 1900 AD, with cooler temperatures prevailing in these latitudes, the glacier advanced to about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the coast at Jokulsa River. Historically the eastern part of the Fellsjökull glacier was assigned to an area now assigned to

1134-559: The first commercial boat tour, about 900,000 tourists have taken the excursion. There are park rangers working in the area all year round. During the summer months park rangers offer free educational walks for park visitors. Jökulsárlón and the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier have been part of the James Bond films A View to a Kill (1985) and Die Another Day (2002), Batman Begins (2005), Beowulf and Grendel (2005), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and Dilwale The popularity of

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1188-410: The glacier along the winding iceberg studded Jökulsárlón lagoon. The base station for visits to the area is at Jöklasel [ˈjœhklaˌsɛːl̥] , which is approached from Höfn . It is termed as Tourist Conveyor belt. While walking on the shore, the isolated big blocks of icebergs on the sand beaches can be seen. On 25 August 2024, a group of tourists were caught in the collapse of an ice wall in

1242-456: The glacier had grown by up to about 1 km (0.62 mi) from the coast at Jokulsá River, by about 1890. When the temperatures rose between 1920 and 1965, the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier tongue rapidly retreated, continually creating icebergs of varying size, thus creating a lagoon in its wake around 1934–35. The lake is over 200 m (660 ft) deep where the glacier snout originally existed. Glacial moraines became exposed on both sides of

1296-501: The lagoon. Route 1 (Iceland) Route 1 or the Ring Road ( Icelandic : Þjóðvegur 1 or Hringvegur pronounced [ˈr̥iŋkˌvɛːɣʏr̥] ) is a national road in Iceland that circles the entire country. As a major trunk route , it is considered to be the most important piece of transport infrastructure in Iceland as it connects the majority of towns together in

1350-616: The lake has been further boosted by the TV coverage provided live from Jökulsárlón on the American TV program Good Morning America in southeast Iceland, on 13 November 2006. The live broadcast is reported to have been watched by four million people. In 2014, Swedish electronic multimedia project, iamamiwhoami , filmed their music video "vista" in Jökulsárlón. In October 2014, scenes of French singer Indila 's music video "Love Story" were filmed at

1404-441: The lake, which is named Jökulsárlón, has grown larger as the glacier continues its retreat. In 1975, Jökulsárlón had an area of about 8 km (3.1 sq mi); by 1998 its area was almost 15 km (5.8 sq mi); and by 2004 it had grown to 17.5 km (6.8 sq mi). By 2010 the lake was about 200 metres (660 ft) deep where the glacier snout was previously. Glacial moraines are exposed on both sides of

1458-495: The lake. In 1975, the lake was about 8 km (3.1 sq mi) in area and now it reportedly stands at 18 km (6.9 sq mi) at the edge of the glacier tongue. In 2017 the Icelandic State bought the farm Fell which includes Jökulsárlón. Later that same year Fell and other public land surrounding Jökulsárlón got protected as a part of Vatnajökull National Park . The Jökulsárlón Landowners Association represented

1512-420: The maintenance and operation of the Ring Road. The road is generally of good quality, recent road improvement projects have improved safety considerably. However the road still has hazards, going over many higher-altitude mountain passes in all parts of the country, which can have steep gradients and sharp curves, as well as blind curves and summits and single-lane bridges, especially in the more rural east of

1566-450: The most densely populated areas of the country. Economically, it carries a large proportion of goods traffic as well as tourist traffic. The total length of the road is 1,322 kilometres (821 mi), making it the longest ring road in Europe. The road was completed in 1974, coinciding with the 1,100th anniversary of the country's settlement when the longest bridge in Iceland, crossing

1620-428: The mouth of the lagoon and eventually join the ocean. They are stated to float in the deep lagoon for 5 years, which is around 300 m (980 ft) deep and spreads over an area of 17 km (6.6 sq mi). It was near the ring road until 35 years ago before retreating rapidly and forming the Jökulsárlón lagoon. The 752 m (2,467 ft) high Breiðamerkurfjall [ˈpreiːðaˌmɛr̥kʏrˌfjatl̥] mountain

1674-555: The mouth of the lake to catch fish during the winter. Large numbers of seabirds, particularly Arctic terns , which nest nearby, gather to catch herring , trout , salmon , krill and other fish. Breiðamerkursandur (the large sand deposits in the area) is the main habitat of the Arctic skua ( Stercorarius parasiticus ). During the summer season, the gull-like skuas have their nests on the lake's shores. The skuas, fat and dark in colour with white wingtips, are said to be aggressive "pirates of

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1728-405: The mouth of the lake's shallow exit, melt down into smaller ice blocks, and roll out into the sea. In summer, icebergs melt and roll down the channel into the sea. The lake does not freeze in winter. Ice water and soil make a unique ecological phenomenon. Jökulsárlón Lake, the "glacier lake", was reported to have doubled in size in the 15-year period before 2007. The huge blocks of ice that calve from

1782-471: The natural beauty of the park for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. A coffer dam was constructed near the Glacial River Bridge that spans Jökulsárlón to build a row of protective measures of stone boulders to prevent any erosion of the foundation of the pillars of the bridge. This coffer dam enabled the Icelandic road administration to create workable access for

1836-465: The north are easily accessible from the Ring Road. The road passes through almost all areas of the country (everywhere apart from the Westfjords ), making it a popular itinerary to take for tourists and vacationing locals alike in Iceland. The Ring Road is paved for all of its length and is mostly two lanes wide: one lane going in each direction. The Icelandic Road Administration, Vegagerðin , oversees

1890-407: The number of passengers per year had multiplied and the company then operated three amphibious vehicles. In 1999, Einar Björn Einarsson, a local from the nearby town of Höfn , bought the company. In 2006, the company added a fourth amphibian. The company Jökulsárlón ehf now employs about 30 seasonal employees. For the past few years, the company has carried 60,000 to 70,000 passengers annually; since

1944-407: The owners of the land property Fell. This property was leased out for filming or any other commercial activity as required. Einar Björn Einarsson is the operator of the boat trips on Jökulsárlón. The Landowners Association leased out the site at the lagoon front to this operator to ply the boats on the lagoon. Jökulsárlón and the surrounding area are a part of Vatnajökull National park. The size of

1998-537: The park is 14,707 kmWhich is approximately 14% of Iceland, making it Europe's second largest national park in terms of area after Yugyd Va in Russia. On 5 July 2019, Vatnajökull National Park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The unique qualities of Vatnajökull National Park are primarily its great variety of landscape features, created by the combined forces of rivers, glacial ice, and volcanic and geothermal activity. The National Park aims to preserve unimpaired

2052-478: The power shovel digger to place the row of stone protective measures, which would also divert the icebergs from hitting the bridge pillars, thus avoiding damage to the structure. Given the current retreat rate of Vatnajökull, likely a deep fjord will develop where Jökulsárlón is now. This retreat is also posing a threat to the National Highway Route 1 of Iceland. The lagoon is 75 km (47 mi) to

2106-403: The ring road. In the southwestern corner of the country, near Reykjavík , between the larger towns of Mosfellsbær and Selfoss , the road is usually divided by a barrier and has three or four lanes of traffic, mostly being a 2+1 lane partly- controlled access highway , similar to a 2-lane expressway . At current traffic levels, 2+1 lane roads provide similar safety and traffic requirements to

2160-415: The road daily, rural sections serving routes between Reykjavik and Akureyri in the west and Reykjavík and Vík in the south see traffic volumes of around 2,000 to 5,000 vehicles per day. The stretches farthest away from larger towns, mostly in the sparsely inhabited east of the country see an average around 500 vehicles per day. Traffic on the ring road is also subject to considerable variation between

2214-404: The road, or for maintenance teams to clear the road of snow after major snowfalls. A few major mountain passes prone to closure in heavily trafficked parts of the ring road: Winter closures used to be more common in the past. In recent years, new tunnels such as the 7.4km long Vaðlaheiðargöng near Akureyri in the north, have reduced the need to close the road due to snow. Prior to rerouting,

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2268-414: The roads are closed well in advance of a warning of a volcanic eruption. Since its completion, the ring road has seen constant growth in traffic, and has seen an even quicker growth during the recent rise in number of tourists arriving in Iceland. Average traffic recorded along the ring road rose from a consolidated count of 57,000 vehicles per day in 2005 to over 90,000 vehicles per day in 2019. Route 1

2322-531: The route between Breiðdalsvík and Egilsstaðir (over the Breiðdalsheiði plateau) in the east was often closed in winter. Route 1 was rerouted in November 2017, now using the somewhat sinuous coastal route via Reyðarfjörður , using (now former) Routes 96 and 92 to travel between the towns. Route 1 crosses a few glacial plains, such as Skeiðarársandur , which made the original road construction difficult in

2376-812: The route, as well as rest stops and other locations. Each site has anywhere from 2-16 charging posts and they are operated by various companies including N1 , Orka Nattúrinnar and Tesla . Charging power at each site ranges from 50-250kW and are CCS Type 2 standard, with most also supporting the older CHAdeMO standard. The longest stretch between chargers is a 113km section in the northeast, from Mývatn to Skjöldólfsstadir - where there are no amenities (including gasoline). The ring road first became covered by EV charging stations in 2018, initially by Orka Nátturinnar . Additionally, there are many slower AC charging stations at hotels, tourist attractions and towns. The route goes by many names depending on its location. The following table shows road names (excluding tunnels) in

2430-408: The rules of single-lane bridges, have ended in head-on and serious collisions using these bridges. Considered a major safety issue, the Icelandic Road Administration aims to rebuild/upgrade all bridges on the ring road to modern two lane standards. Single-lane bridges were reduced from around 60 in 2010 to 32 in 2020. Within the next five years, an additional 14 bridges are to be rebuilt, mostly along

2484-399: The seas", which harass other birds as big as gannets . They also kill and eat smaller birds such as puffins . Great skuas are not afraid of human beings and also do not tolerate human beings close to their nests. These birds are reported to migrate from their wintering grounds off the coasts of Spain and Africa . Seals are seen either swimming in the lagoon or lying on icebergs. Many times,

2538-402: The southern coast. Route 1 has the highest priority for snow removal from the Icelandic Road Administration and is serviced seven days a week during the winter, with teams keeping the road open as weather allows. Conditions are monitored 24/7 and relayed to the public through their website and telephone helpline. During extreme weather it may take hours until the weather calms down to open

2592-441: The summer month. This outwash plain is constantly changing. The shoreline of the glacial lagoon used to be advancing, but is now retreating as there is a decrease in glacial rivers depositing material. However, as the glaciers melt, the land rises around 2–4 cm each year somewhat balancing out the retreating shoreline. The lake is filled with fish that drift in from the sea along with the tides. Seals gather in large numbers at

2646-401: The tides carry shoals of herring or capelan into the lagoon by the tide and the birds feast on them. The first settlers arrived in Iceland around AD 870, when the edge of the tongue of Breiðamerkurjökull glacier was about 20 km (12 mi) further north of its present location. During the Little Ice Age between 1600 and 1900, with lower temperatures prevailing in these latitudes,

2700-446: The water. The tongue of the glacier floats in the lake and is calving into the water, producing floating icebergs of varying size. There are three named ice streams, originating in the ice dome and separated partially by nunataks and these are from the south Esjufjallajökull, Mávabyggðajökull and the largest Norðlingalæðarjökull. Norðlingalæðarjökull has at its northern border a large nunatak named Vesturbjörg currently separated by

2754-416: The west of Höfn town and 60 km (37 mi) east of Skaftafell . It is accessible by the ring road, Route 1, that goes across the lake, and where parking facilities have been provided for visitors. It is also known as the "tourist conveyor belt". Isolated large blocks of icebergs can be seen on the black sand beach, sometimes called "diamond beach" because of ice chunks scattered on the sand. The name of

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2808-409: The winter and summer, with the traffic in summer often being double or more than during the winter. This is due to a lower flow of tourist and agricultural traffic, as well as the roads being less passable or even closed during the winter. Traffic can become considerably heavy on weekends during the summer, when locals flock to travel around the country for holidays, camping and summer house visits across

2862-552: Was enclosed by the Breiðamerkurjökull and Fjallsjökull [ˈfjalsˌjœːkʏtl̥] before the drifting started and formed the Breiðárlón [ˈpreiːðˌaurˌlouːn] lagoon, which is not as dramatic as the Jökulsárlón lagoon. The location has been used for many films and commercials. The glacier was used in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider as a stand-in for Siberia . The first settlers arrived in Iceland around 900 AD when

2916-478: Was less than 100 ft (30 m) of glacier, which was only 250 yd (230 m) from the Atlantic Ocean, and 2 mi (3.2 km) away from Vatnajökull. Vatnajökull was at the shore line of the ocean and dropped icebergs into the ocean. However, it started drifting inland rapidly every year, leaving deep gorges en route, which got filled with melted water and large chunks of ice. These icebergs gather at

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