For our sixth and final stop on day one of our road trip. We’ll be visiting the legendary black sands of the Iceland Diamond Beach. Located on the southern part of Iceland’s east coast. The beach is a popular location for watching passing icebergs. And the inlet actually causes many of the smaller (still very large) pieces of ice that break off to wash up on the shore. Leaving small to small car sized pieces of ice laying in the back sand. Shining like diamonds. Hence the name Diamond Beach. And being located right off the Ring Road and on the way to our first hotel. This was an amazing and quick stop! Check out the video, tips and pics below.
Iceland Diamond Beach – Tips and Info
AllTrails Link: Click Here
Type: Out and Back (This can be done in a loop like shown in the video)
Distance: 0.8 Miles / 1.2 Kilometers
Elevation Gain: 10+ Feet / 3+ Meters
Iceland Diamond Beach Tips
- Iceland’s Diamond Beach is located on the southern part of the east coast.
- From Reykjavik to Diamond Beach is 235 miles (377km) and takes roughly 5 hours (without stops) to drive.
- The Parking lot for the beach is located just right off of the Ring Road.
- And is accessible to any type of vehicle. No 4×4 needed.
- The beach and parking is open 24 hours a day.
- We did not see any bathrooms on site.
- I recommend starting by walking down from the parking lot to the beach towards your left (towards the inlet). And then walking the beach to your right.
- This will start with the smaller basketball sized pieces and lead you to the large, small car sized pieces further towards your right.
- From here, just follow the beach as long as you would like. Just pay attention to the tide and the uncommon rogue wave.
- Be on the lookout for seals on the floating ice and on the beach (see video and pics below).
- Do not touch or feed the wildlife.
Photos and Final Thoughts
The Iceland Diamond Beach is such an easy stop. If you are on the east side of the island you really should add this to your list. The parking lot is literally right off of the Ring Road and you can spend 15 – 45 minutes here and be back on the road no problem. Besides how quick and easy it is, the beach itself is beautiful. The small to giant black of ice littering the area is something that I’m very thankful to have seen. And if I ever make it back I’ll probably add it to my stop list again. Below are some photos from the visit!