Diamond Beach

Southeast Iceland


At the Jökulsá river mouth you’ll see ice boulders and bergs resting photogenically on the black-sand beach as part of their final journey out to sea. Tourists have dubbed the site 'Diamond Beach', and the name has stuck.

There are car parks on the ocean side of the Ring Road, on both sides of the bridge over the river.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Southeast Iceland attractions

1. Fjallsárlón

6.34 MILES

A sign off the Ring Road indicates Fjallsárlón – this is an easily accessible glacier lagoon, where icebergs calve from Fjallsjökull. There are Zodiac…

2. Þórbergssetur

7.9 MILES

This cleverly crafted museum (its inspired exterior looks like a shelf of books) pays tribute to the most famous son of this sparsely populated region –…

3. Kvíárjökull

11.35 MILES

Kvíárjökull glacier snakes down to the Kvíá river and is easily accessible from the Ring Road; look for the sign for Kvíármýrarkambur just west of the…

4. Svínafellsjökull

21.09 MILES

Heading east on the Ring Road from Skaftafell, a sign points the way to the glacier Svínafellsjökull. A rough, potholed dirt road leads 2km to a car park,…

5. Heinabergsjökull

23.07 MILES

Heinabergsjökull is 8km off the Ring Road on a gravel road (signposted not far east of Guesthouse Skálafell). Brilliant summertime kayaking trips operate…

6. Flatey Farm

23.59 MILES

The Flatey dairy farm (also known as Flatey á Mýrum) lies almost exactly halfway between Jökulsárlón and Höfn and is hard to miss as you drive along – the…

7. Fláajökull

27.46 MILES

Fláajökull is 8km off the Ring Road on a gravel road (signposted just east of Hólmur guesthouse) that leads to a small car park with pit toilet. A…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "iceland/jokulsarlon/attractions/diamond-beach/a/poi-sig/1594938/1325644",
      "destination": "Southeast-Iceland",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Iceland",
      "region": "Southeast-Iceland",
      "position": "superzone"
    }