Within the massive Vatnajökull National Park are two well-known glacier lagoons of Fjallsarlon and Jokulsarlon. Both are located around the Southwestern Coast of Ring Road. My first stop was to visit the lesser-known Fjallsarlon which is also smaller in scale as compared to Jokulsarlon. This little brother of Jokulsarlon is not right beside the Ring Road and is often being overlooked. From the parking lots for Skaftafell, it took me almost to an hour drive to reach Fjallsarlon plus another five minutes’ walk.
Fjallsarlon Glacier Lagoon
Smaller it may be but Fjallsarlon is definitely worth a stopover for me. The quiet lagoon offers great views of Fjallsjokull and there were significantly lesser crowd here too. The lack of other tourists was a nice change. Moreover, it’s really nice to see the icebergs in such close proximity.
Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
Jokulsarlon, on the other hand, is a crowd magnet and rightfully so. It’s impossible to miss the famous Jokulsarlon while driving along the Ring Road. The parking lots were filled with cars and tour buses. There are definitely more people here than Fjallsarlon. But that’s expected, for Jokulsarlon is so stunningly beautiful that nobody would give it a miss. This huge glacier lagoon was even featured in the blockbuster such as James Bond: Die Another Day, where the car chase scene took place. It also appeared in popular movies like Batman Begins (the sword training scene) and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (location as Siberia…huh?).
The floating icebergs and chunk of ice all over the lagoon is indeed a mesmerizing sight to behold. These were calved from Breidamerkurjokull and is just a part of the ginormous Vatnajokull glacier, which still covers over 8% of Iceland. Some of the smaller icebergs, which are called the growlers will make it to the shorelines. There were so many different varieties ranging from crystal-clear to icy blue till I lost count. Every now and then, cracking sound can be heard as the icebergs drift and collide into one another. What a place to be!
There was a bunch of seals lying and relaxing on the icebergs too.
The Eggs of Djupivogur
Thereafter, I continued driving Eastwards and stopped by the sleeping village of Djupivogur. Here’s where a whole row of granite eggs can be found near the harbour area. Eggin i Gledivik or The Eggs at Merry Bay is the name for this public art. Those eggs represent the local Icelandic birds and their names are mentioned at the plaque below the eggs. It was a mere quick stop for me before moving on to Egilsstadir.
The winding road leading to Egilsstadir presented some great scenery and views. It started to turn foggy as I was navigating the turns. I knew I have to stop somewhere safe to capture the beautiful surroundings.
STAY: Guesthouse Egilsstadir
I arrived at Guesthouse Egilsstadir very late in the night and was exhausted from the after-dark drive. The kind staff at the front desk was quick to get me check-in and asked their kitchen to wait for me. I ordered and ate something light before retiring to my cosy bedroom. The bed was comfortable enough but the pillow was way too soft for my liking. The hotel is right next to a nice-looking lake which I only get to see it the next morning. My room comes with a free breakfast which was not too bad but there wasn’t much variety to choose from.
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What are your thoughts about Fjallsarlon and Jokulsarlon? Leave a comment and share it with me.
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