South Coast, Diamond Beach And Glacier Lagoon Day Tour

Elly was fantastic and was very happy with her guidance and knowledge of Iceland.

The guides were very nice! It also covers a lot of ground in one day. I do feel like if you’re not thrilled with just seeing things from a bus this tour isn’t for you. There is quite a bit of drive bys. Unfortunately for us the weather was rainy and windy but we still got to see a lot! Thanks

I booked the evening before and viator confirmed my booking on Sunday. However come Monday, i was waiting half an hour before pickup and no one messaged me from the tour group with pickup updates. No one picked me up for the tour. Viator didnt communicate with the vendor and neither of them reached out to me. I spent hours on the phone between both parties. And I lost my last day in Iceland!! No one has refunded me yet either!!!

The tour was great but what really made the tour was the small group and the outstanding tour guide Alain.

Unfortunately, we missed our tour because the station guide gave us the wrong information. She pointed us to a bus headed for the airport instead of our tour. We were so looking forward to seeing the diamond beach. We were prepared for the long day and it was incredibly disappointing to miss this opportunity because the attendant wasn’t paying attention.

This is a loooong bus ride, with 10 of the 14 hours in a small coach bus. The Diamond Beach and Glacier lagoon were awesome and made the ride worthwhile. There’s an optional boat tour of the lagoon that was not offered thru Viator, but the driver was able to get tickets in advance while in the bus, I would definitely recommend.

The Glacier Lagoon is stunning. On the way there and back we visited a couple of stunning waterfalls. Our guide Lasma was so knowledgeable. It is a long day but you see so much of Icelands stunning countryside.

Long but fantastic tour! Wonderful scenery! Mikki was great! He made sure we had frequent restroom stops. The tour departed on time and the first pickup was smooth!

I had taken this tour three days prior, it was absolutely amazing! When I received the email confirmation, it explained for a 730 excursion. Waiting for the tour bus from 719 until 815 I called. They explained to me the excursion started at 7:30, but they stopped by to pick me up at 7 AM. I have been downstairs having breakfast and missed the bus! Truly a disappointment!! The main goal for this trip was to see the diamond Beach, that was the main part of this excursion. Thankfully, I had taken a previous excursion to win the diamond beach, but the weather was a little crappy. This day, the weather was beautiful, and I’m sure they had a wonderful time. Unfortunately, I missed out! I’m not pointing fingers, but I wish it would’ve been clearer on the email they sent to be in the lobby at seven and not 730. If you booked this trip, make sure you know what time they’re going to pick you up.

Be aware of tour start time. My ticket from Viator stated tour starts at 8:00 am and be at pickup location at 7:30 am. We arrived at 7:25 am and waited for 50 minutes with several other tour buses coming and going. I called the actual tour company to inquire about our tour only to find out that it actually started at 7:30 am and we should have been at the pickup location at 7:00 am. The bus left without us. I sent requested screenshots of the Viator ticket to the tour company so they can address it with Viator. I requested a refund from Viator explaining what happened. Viator did refund the entire amount within a couple of hours. Unfortunately, I can’t comment on the tour itself. This was our last day and we were unable to book for another day. This was NO fault of the tour company.

We had two of the most experienced and wonderful people to take care of us. Chris our guide was great, keeping us informed and making sure we were doing great! Robert , our driver took us safely for 14 hours through some of the most challenging wind storms I’ve ever been through!! Bravo!! Great tour

Overall incredible experience which was coordinated well and delivered on both the lagoon and diamond beach, providing an unforgettable experience.

The tour is amazing and we really have the great day. The tour guide is knowledgeable and I will definitely join again .

Our guide was excellent and the itinerary great. It's a long day however well worth the adventure! The only thing that would have made it perfect was a pause in the rain :) Thanks for the great care, experience, and memories!

What an amazing tour , its long but so worth it. Breathtaking views of waterfalls, glaciers and diamond beach. What an experience. Would do it again.

Karen was a wonderful driver and guide!! She has so many amazing stories about the area. Her expertise made a long trip very informative and enjoyable. Highly recommend this tour and especially this guide. The sights were great,though the beach didn't have " diamonds" today. Its very nature dependent, but seeing the glacier pieces in the bay was so beautiful! Keep an eye open you may see seals. The water falls were wonderful highlights! Especially the one lit at night. Thanks GrayLine and Karen for a wonderful day.

I have completed this tour just without the diamond beach. First of all this was literally best tour I have done in Iceland I have made the mistake in regard to the pickup point they were very accommodating and were able to pick me up with consideration that it was my last day in the trip. South coast of Iceland is incredible we got lucky with the weather was beautiful and sunny most of the time with few showers in between. Karen, our guide, was quite informative, funny and lovely. Was a small group with a bunch of solo travellers like myself, so didn’t feel excluded at all. I highly recommend south coast and gray line Iceland

A coupe of days before the tour, I was notified by the company that they weren’t going to be doing the tour and rebooked us with another company. That was unfortunate because I had a great experience on this tour with the same company last year and was sad that we got moved to another company that wasn’t as great as Grey Line. With the new company, BusTravel Iceland, everything felt rushed. We didn’t have as much time at the different attractions and we didn’t get to see the Skógafoss waterfall which was advertised with Grey Line. We instead saw a smaller waterfall which wasn’t as impressive as what was promised by Grey Line.

Our tour was originally booked with Grayline and I was a bit worried when I read recent reviews. For some reason we were changed to BusTravel Iceland and our day was amazing. Karolina was a great guide. We had a relatively rainy day but it was great. Recommend doing the glacier cruise. Bring waterproof stuff with you. Even if it’s misty you can get pretty wet. Not sure about the complaints about lunch on board - it was fine and helped us see lots. Highly recommend

We had our tour cancelled last minute without prospect of refund. We bought a ticket for two adults and a 15 month old baby with Gray Line (who accept children from 0-2 and accept for others to bring a car seat) and their subsidiary Reykjavik Sightseeing then went on to resell our ticket to Bus Tours Iceland after telling us that the tour was for Reykjavik excursions 48 hour, whom this review is about. Despite our communicating that we had a child of 15 months and that we were bringing a car seat to Reykjavik Sightseeing, this was sold to Bus Tours Iceland, who also did not bother to contact us with any specific issues. The issue was only discovered when I was emailed the confirmation ticket by Bus Tours Iceland, at which point I went to check the company website, which says that children under 2 years are not permitted. In addition to the age issue, differing policies from the selling company about which child seats are suitable meant that the car seat that had been readily accepted on prior tours and with the buying company was now unacceptable. After last minute communication, Bus Tours Iceland would neither refund my ticket or assist me any further with this predicament. Gray Line and their subsidiary were completely unreachable (multiple emails, phone calls) during the entire exchange. This meant that a whole dedicated day for touring was lost since everything was so last minute. I would rather that the tour have been cancelled rather than resold because at least we would have been able to find alternative tours (albeit at short notice). Gray Line gets a poor review for attempting to resell the ticket. This is a fairly expensive and lengthy tour, and for them to try and save a buck by reselling the tour at the cost of the customer is pretty low. I'd say "you get what you pay for here", but it's even less than that.

Unfortunately Grey line tours didn’t pick my mom, my kids and myself from the bus stop even though we had been waiting for them from 7:30 am (required time to be at the stop) until 8:15 am. Supposedly they said they were at the stop at 7:59 but that was just a lie as we specifically checked each incoming bus to make sure that it was not our bus for the trip. Moreover many of the companies would call out their passengers’ names to make sure they had everyone on board and that was definitely not the case with this company. I called them at 8:15 am and when we were (after a long wait) finally told that we were left behind, I asked if we could catch up to the bus with a taxi (as the bus couldn’t have been that far yet) but the company refused that also. We ended up losing a full day out of only a few days we had in Iceland, since the other tours had left already by the time the company confirmed that there was no option for us to get on our tour. So if you don’t want to get left behind waiting, you want to maximize your time in Iceland as well as save yourself a lot of frustration while on vacation, I would highly recommend that you avoid Grey Line tours during your visit. There are plenty of other companies which are a lot more reliable.

While the Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach were great and we had ample time there, I believe we spent an equal amount of time at rest stops and the two sightseeing stops. I think eating in the van instead of having two 45-minute meal breaks in Vík would’ve been more efficient, and perhaps just having a single one-hour Vík stop to not feel super rushed to eat and explore would’ve worked well. Our Skógafoss stop was very brief, with hardly any time to go up the trail to the top of the waterfall. There were plenty of gorgeous sights along the route, and I do wonder if breaking up the tour in that way would’ve been more interesting than rest stops. Our van broke down later, as well. I appreciated the swift problem-solving, but we got back an hour and a half later than expected despite not even going to our final waterfall stop (most of the group was too tired at that point, and it was getting dark). I requested at least a partial refund due to that. To that end, my issues with the tour weren’t related to the van issue. During our drive to the lagoon, we saw a lovely rainbow form over a glacier, but our guide refused to stop at a viewpoint despite our requests to ensure the four out of 20 or so passengers made their Glacier Lagoon boat. I thought the listing was very clear that the boat wasn’t included, so I assumed the tour wouldn’t be focused on specifically accommodating that excursion. We were asked at a rest stop if we would be interested in the boat, but I primarily wanted to spend time at Diamond Beach since that’s what was advertised, and everyone else also declined. This tour felt more like a transfer for the few people going on a Glacier Lagoon boat with some facts sprinkled in during the first half of the trip.

We had a similar experience as another reviewer with Viator and Gray Line. We confirmed our pick up location the day before and received a confirmation back of pick up location. We were advised to be at BSI at 7:30 for a 8:00 pick up. We were there and watched many other people picked up for tours by other companies. At 8:30 we tried to contact Gray line. Finally some one answered the phone and told me we were at the wrong location. We said we had confirmation. He hung up. Visitor used WhatsApp and finally responded with “sorry” and sent us an email to tell them details so we could get our refund. So we missed the full day tour and too late to book with any one else. Do not use Gray line!

We booked the South Coast tour through Viator and got a confirmation the day before and the day of the trip. All Viator confirmations were for pickup at the Foss Hotel. Never were we informed by Viator that the pickup stop was switched to another location. Viator contracts the booking to other vendors whom we were not familiar with, nor did we pay. We were at the Foss Hotel at 7:30 AM for an 8:00 pickup. Obviously they never showed. We tried to reach out to Viator for 45 minutes that morning and couldn't reach anyone. Finally we got a live person on the phone but he could not help us. We offered to take a taxi to the first stop on the tour and they said NO. Our day was ruined due to lack of communication and customer service. Shame on you Viator and now you won't refund our money. And stay away from Grey Line as well. Customer service is non existent. Customers Beware. I read similar situations on other reviews but never expected this to happen to us. We were a party of 6. Why didn't someone call us when they saw we were not at the new location. They had our cell phone number. No one in our part received a call. We demand a refund!!!

Great trip. Long, but worth every minute. Fabulous scenery. Both the driver and the tour guide were great.

The marine life was in full display! Many sightings of hump-back whales which were simply majestic. Dolphins and puffins too. The RIB captain gave us a thrill of a life time with his awesome driving skills at speed - that in itself was worth the trip! The host was super friendly and knowledgeable! It’s a must do!

THREE people had tickets to a Boat Tour for Glacier Lagoon. (This was NOT Offered to any of us.) I believe because of the pressure to get there on time for these THREE that the Bus Driver was trying to make time. She was constantly passing cars. She was passing a car,Dacia, and the Dacia went to pass as well and collided with our Bus. The Bus driver maintained her ground. We had to stop and they completed Accident Forms. It was very upsetting. I was Never asked if I was okay. I am still shaken by it! When we finally got there the "Diamonds" on "Diamond Beach" had all but disappeared...melted. Should have been there earlier. I booked this solely to see Diamond Beach and was SOOOO DISAPPOINTED. I am requesting a REFUND and???? I am still UPSET. I WAS NEVER CONTACTED TO SEE IF I WAS OKAY FROM THE ACCIDENT:-( I now have very bad feelings about Viator! Please make this right!

Experience of a lifetime! Sultan was a fabulous guide. We learned the history of many aspects of Iceland. However, the best part was the hands-on experiences in all the different areas. From being splashed by waterfalls to touching icebergs/ice crystals, it all created a fun day. To top it off, an up close visit with puffins was extraordinary. Thank you Sultan for making this tour so great.

It was comfortable ride out to the Glacier Lagoon, with an informative guide, who provided a lot of information about what we were seeing along the way. Of course, the sites themselves were amazing!

10/10 Great view decent plan. Not that tired as I thought. 100 percent recommend for those who don’t have two days or three days to south coast. To be honest, u can spend more time there at glacier lagoon.

It's a very long day, so be prepared to get up early and get back late, but the views are worth it! We were fortunate that it didn't rain that much that day. The waterfalls were amazing, and Glacier Lagoon was absolutely spectacular! Definitely worth the money! I appreciate the stops for meals and bathroom breaks. The only thing I would change is that it would be nice to have a little more time in Vik, but you'd probably have to cut out another stop to do that.

Our tour guide was phenomenal. He was so knowledgeable and shared lots of interesting information with us - both facts and anecdotes. He even took us to a hidden waterfall and an extra glacier lagoon that we were not scheduled to see, so those were fun bonuses. He also was incredibly personable and really fun to spend such a long day with. 10/10 - cannot recommend enough!

Excellent day. Everything explained well with interesting information. Well organised and kept to timetable.

Superb experience! It was a long day but well worth it! We went to so many places of interest. Nature sights were amazing! Our driver and tour guide was knowledgeable, polite, and funny, Roman really did make our day.

So be prepared for a 14-15 hour tour but there’s lots to see and a straight drive to Diamond Beach is over a 5 hour drive plus you make multiple stops. Love that it was a smaller group (18). I’ve done a similar tour with 44 and that’s really impersonal and becomes tedious to get everyone back to the bus. Our tour guide, Roman was awesome! Super knowledgeable and great communicator and brought a lot of good energy and stories to this trip. He really elevated the experience. Recommend him.

Many of the icebergs that calve from the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier are swept out to sea and then wash up on the shores of Diamond Beach. The blue ice chunks glitter against the charcoal black sand. Tempting me to get close to the shoreline for a better photo. Whoa, where did that wave come from? The waves' icy chunks hit my ankles hard, bringing extreme cold water over the tops of and into my boots. Balance was key as I attempted to get out of harms way of the next wave. My traveling buddies enjoyed the show of my near face down fall. Go before the summer when the icebergs melt

Karen was AMAZING! Long tour but she kept everyone entertained. She has great tales for the ride. She even suggested the "secret" waterfall and made extra stops becuase we were on time. She's a wealth of knowledge. She's a hero for driving that long and entertaining us the whole way. 10 out of 10.

Oh my goodness what a great tour, don’t be put off with the duration with the stops it doesn’t feel like a long day. Our driver/coach was so welcoming and knowledgable. He made the trip and loved the history and his story telling. The pinnacle of the tour was diamond beach and surrounding area. Would recommend without hesitation.

Must see while in Iceland. Long travel time but worth the trip. Eric our guide was fantastic. Beautiful scenic views.

This 14 hour tour from Reykjavik covers1. Skogafoss waterfall 2. Reynisfjara Black sand beach at Vic 3. Jokulsarlon Glacier lake 4. Diamond beach 5. Seljalandsfoss waterfall . All the tourist attractions included in the itinerary are superb - Jokulsarlon Glacier lake and the Diamond beach were our favorites and should definitely be on your itinerary if you are covering Iceland as a self drive tour. The only disappointment was that it was already dark by the time we reached Selfalandsfoss waterfall and we could not go behind the waterfall due to safety reasons. But the tour guide made up the shortfall by going out of her way to arrange a Northern Lights sighting on our way back to Reykjavik. If you are short of time, this is a good tour to see the dramatic landscapes of Iceland and cover the main sights to see in South Iceland

Don't be put off by the 15hr timescale of this trip, just ensure you have a charger for camera's/phones as there will be so much you will want to take photo's of on this journey and ensure you have clothing for all eventualities we found it was warm and sunny for some parts then windy and cold the next (especially the beach at Vik) On this tour you will get to see some of South Iceland's most beautiful landscapes as you are travelling from each stop along the tour, we had an amazingly knowledgeable guide called Karen, we were given so much information, history, facts & stories. You still stop of at some truly breath taking locations, make sure you have waterproof clothing should you get the opportunity to go behind one of the waterfalls (weather permitting) as you WILL get soaked, but I would recommend it, its is stunning and an experience!

Emilia and Andres were an excellent team. Emilia was informative and Andres drove the bus safely. The sights are absolutely incredible and worth the long day/drive. The only issue is dinner in Vik- there are only 2 restaurants and a supermarket. Other tours also stop there so the restaurants aren’t the best option. Maybe If a boxed dinner(sandwich) were added or longer at the lagoon because there are food trucks there. Otherwise the tour was wonderful.

It is a long day but well worth it. Our guide Emilia was a wealth of knowledge. She ran a tight schedule but had to! The bus was comfortable and we were thrilled with the many stops we made.

Super long day, but honestly so worth it. Hit up two awesome waterfalls. Our guide was a legend and kept the vibes high the whole time.

Long day, but we'll worth it 2 great water falls through out the day. High light for me was Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach.. Glacier was fab especially on a sunny day

Do not book with this company. They made a last minute change to my pickup location, which I accommodated. I was there 30 minutes early. However they didn’t tell the bus driver. When I saw him drive by, I called the company and they said there was nothing they could do. Then they are trying to fight me on the refund. This company is a scam and frankly I’m surprised they are still in business.

Your started late 30 minutes from scheduled time. Apart from that driver was caught by police which wasted another 45 minutes. Also, we went to see waterfall when it was dark. Overall poor experience

This day trip makes for a long day, but it was completely worth it! Such a beautiful part of the island and a must see! Our guide was phenomenal and kept it fun throughout the tour.

It was such a spectacular day trip. Our driver cum tour guide really made the trip a memorable experience. The weather was bad and later had a flat tyre. Miracle does happened, when we approached jokulsarlon glacier, suddenly snowing shower stopped. It is truly a tough job and long journey of 14.5 hrs. Only i thing, i disliked, i chosen a pick up point at BSI and waited since 7am but i was later being told at Bus hostel near BSI. I was scam in 2min taxi fare of 4250 isk.