The James Bond film Die Another Day showed the world what we here at Discover the World already knew; Iceland's natural landscape is truly extraordinary, none more so than Jokulsarlon, a stunning glacial lagoon often filled with dramatic turquoise icebergs.
Yet despite Bond's dramatic car chase across the frozen over lagoon, something even more dramatic is happening! The lagoon is fed by the Vatnajokull ice cap, one of the largest ice masses in the world and just a few days ago the tongue of the glacier which supplies Jokulsarlon has surged forward, filling the lagoon almost entirely with crevaces, ice sheets and gargantuan icebergs (see image). The icebergs are a regular occurrence on the lagoon, but very rarely to this extent. Indeed, the icebergs in the future may halt the operation of the sightseeing boats that cruise on the lake but never fear - Icelanders expect the unexpected, and have plans in place for glacial boat trips in an alternative lagoon. And, in July and August, we will begin sightseeing flights from the East coast town of Hofn that will take you over Jokulsarlon and the vast black sands of Skeidararsandur and up to the highest peaks of Vatnajokull; definitely an experience not to be missed!
The surge is just another example of the natural processes that continue to shape a most unique country - and Icelander's reaction to it just another example of their hardiness and preparedness in the face of an ever-changing and always exciting landscape. Click here to find out more.
There's never been a better time to explore Iceland's dramatic natural landscape.
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