Skaftafell, Múlagljúfur, Fjallsárlón and Jökulsárlón all sit on the same short stretch of Route 1 beneath Öræfajökull. In summer you can see all four in one long day without rushing — if you get the order right, eat before the canyon, and accept that the hike, not the driving, is what fills the day.
Below is a realistic plan, the drive times between each stop, and what to cut if the day gets shorter or the weather turns.
The stretch, stop by stop
All four stops are on or just off Route 1, the Ring Road, in the district of Öræfi. Driving east, from the direction of Vík, you meet them in this order. Times are approximate driving times in good summer conditions, without stops; allow more for roadworks, wind and the inevitable photo pull-ins.
| Leg | Distance | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Skaftafell → Múlagljúfur turn-off | About 40 km | About 35 min |
| Route 1 → canyon car park (gravel) | About 1.5–2 km | Drive slowly |
| Múlagljúfur → Fjallsárlón | About 6 km | About 8 min |
| Fjallsárlón → Jökulsárlón & Diamond Beach | About 10 km | About 10 min |
| Jökulsárlón → Höfn | About 80 km | About 1 hr |
Put together, the driving between Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón is under an hour. The time goes on your feet: two to four hours at Skaftafell, one and a half to four at the canyon depending on the route, and an hour or more at each lagoon.
A full-day plan, driving east
This is the order we suggest in summer. It puts the canyon in the middle of the day, when the coaches are mostly at the lagoons, and leaves Jökulsárlón for the evening, when it is quieter.
Morning: Skaftafell and Svartifoss
Start at the Skaftafell visitor centre in Vatnajökull National Park, where there are toilets and the last easy chance to use them for a while. The marked path up to Svartifoss — the waterfall framed by black basalt columns — is roughly 1.5 kilometres each way and climbs steadily. Allow around two hours there and back with time at the falls, more if you add one of the longer park trails. Svartifoss is small next to Hangandifoss, but it is one of the most distinctive waterfalls in Iceland, and seeing both makes a good contrast. We compare them in our note on Hangandifoss.
Midday: Múlagljúfur
Drive about 35 minutes east to the canyon. The turn-off is on the mountain side of Route 1, unsigned, marked by the camera gate at its entrance; set the parking coordinates (63.993021, −16.436285) in your phone before you leave Skaftafell, because signal is patchy and the turn is easy to miss. If you reach Fjallsárlón, you have gone too far.
Parking is ISK 1,000 for a car, paid in the Parka app or at parka.is (lot #7203); walkers are free. There are no facilities at the trailhead, so eat before you arrive or carry lunch. The main viewpoint is about four kilometres return, one and a half to two hours; the full rim route to Múlafoss is six to seven kilometres and two to four hours. On a one-day plan, the viewpoint route is usually the right call. The hiking guide has the details.
Afternoon: Fjallsárlón
Eight minutes east is Fjallsárlón, the quieter of the two iceberg lagoons, where the Fjallsjökull glacier comes down almost to the water. It has the nearest coffee and toilets to the canyon, and boat tours on the lagoon run in season. Allow 45 to 90 minutes. Our sister site, fjallsjokull.is, covers the lagoon and glacier in detail, including parking and practical information.
Evening: Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach
About ten minutes further on is Jökulsárlón, Iceland's best-known glacier lagoon, where ice from Breiðamerkurjökull drifts out through a short channel to the sea. Across the road, the same ice washes up on the black sand of Diamond Beach. It is busy, and still worth the stop. Before 9 in the morning or after 6 in the evening is usually quietest, which is why we leave it until last. Allow one to two hours for both sides of the road.
How long it really takes
| Stop | Time to allow | Facilities |
|---|---|---|
| Skaftafell & Svartifoss | 2–4 hrs | Visitor centre, toilets, campground |
| Múlagljúfur (viewpoint route) | 1.5–2 hrs walking, plus time at the top | None — bring food and water |
| Fjallsárlón | 45–90 min | Café, toilets |
| Jökulsárlón & Diamond Beach | 1–2 hrs | Facilities at the lagoon |
Add the driving and a proper meal and you are looking at ten to twelve hours. In June and July, with daylight lasting most of the night, that is comfortable. From late August onwards the evenings close in quickly, and by October the full plan no longer fits the daylight.
Fuel stations are few on this stretch of Route 1. Fill up in Kirkjubæjarklaustur if you are coming from the west, or in Höfn if you are coming from the east.
If you are driving west, or short of time
Driving west from Höfn. Reverse the order but keep the logic: Jökulsárlón early in the morning while it is quiet, Fjallsárlón for coffee, the canyon around midday, and Skaftafell in the afternoon. Höfn to Jökulsárlón is about an hour.
Half a day. Walk the canyon viewpoint route in the morning, then drive eight minutes to Fjallsárlón for coffee, toilets and the glacier front. You are back on Route 1 by early afternoon.
Bad weather. If wind or heavy rain makes the canyon unpleasant, swap it out rather than forcing it — the lagoons are drive-up and still worth seeing in poor weather. Turn around at the main viewpoint if the forecast is worse than you were told. Check vedur.is for the forecast and road.is for road conditions the morning you set off.
Staying nearby. Accommodation along this coast clusters around Hof, the area near the Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon, and Höfn. Staying in Öræfi lets you split the day in two and walk the canyon in the quiet of an early morning or a long summer evening.
- Order east-bound: Skaftafell → Múlagljúfur → Fjallsárlón → Jökulsárlón.
- Total driving Skaftafell to Jökulsárlón: under an hour. Total day: 10–12 hours.
- Eat and use the toilets before the canyon; there is nothing at the trailhead.
- Take the viewpoint route at the canyon to keep the day relaxed.
- Leave Jökulsárlón for the evening, when it is quieter.
The neighbours are described in more detail on The Öræfi coast, and road, parking and fees for the canyon are on Plan your visit. To know what you are looking at when you reach the rim, read the story of the canyon.