A Different View from Outside the Blue Lagoon | Iceland

While sitting in the hot geothermal waters of the Blue Lagoon may seem too touristy for some, I encourage  you to walk outside the facility before you leave and take in the Icelandic landscape. What you’ll discover while the brisk Icelandic wind billows around you is a tranquil setting perfect for reflective, meditative moments and of course, photos.

Most visitors to the Blue Lagoon make their way from the car park straight into the entrance and then follow that same route back outside.  But as you can see in the picture above, there is an area to the left of the entrance that many visitors miss in their rush to get inside the building.

This is what you might miss if you don’t opt to take a few steps off the path following others inside. You can’t go in these waters, but that part is irrelevant.  The landscape is filled with lava rock and moss with the milky blue water filling the majority of the view.  The best part is that the view seems to constantly change.  You can see in the picture above that the sky is dark, while in the pictures below you can see that the clouds break for sun, which results in different pictures depending on the lighting.

Construction work was underway nearby, but not in an area where you might walk.  There is a clearly defined path you can follow along with a footbridge.  Since few people venture out to this area, you should be careful walking out here on your own, especially with camera equipment, small children, or those with mobility issues.

While the water does appear blue when you look at it in its entirety…

You can see that up close the water is clear, if not somewhat cloudy due to the silica, algae, and minerals.  It’s the sun hitting the water that makes the water appear blue.

Upon closer inspection, you can see the thick, rugged lava rock and the silica in the water. Surprisingly, on each of my visits where I’ve wandered out to this area, I’ve only run into one or two other people.  I took dozens of pictures on my first walk outside in 2013 and that’s when I lost my camera somewhere on the coach back to the airport.  There’s nothing worse than that and I would’ve been happy to just get the SD card back and have whomever ended up with the camera keep the camera itself.  No worries! I’m not one to dwell on the past.

On the walkway back to the car park, the entire walk is lined by lava rock and moss.  Did you know that nothing else can grow as heartily on lava rock like moss?

While you may leave the Blue Lagoon with fond memories of soaking in the hot geothermal water with a drink in hand, you can broaden your experience for no extra charge by walking around and taking in the view.  You’ll leave with pictures and memories that most people only dream about.

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