Elves, Sagas and Volcanoes of Iceland

Your Icelandic cruise will begin in the capital city of Reykjavik where your expedition vessel will be waiting for you. You may wish to arrive a day or 2 early to spend some time exploring this charming and vibrant modern city which offers top restaurants, interesting museums and quirky narrow streets. Embarkation will begin in the afternoon and as you settle in to your cabin, explore your new surroundings and enjoy a relaxing welcome dinner, we will set sail for our adventure.

Welcome to West Iceland, otherwise known as “The Sagaland”, where we will find a spectacularly diverse landscape of lava and rock formations, glaciers, volcanic activity and hot and cold springs. We will spend a day exploring here including the small fishing town of Stykkishólmur in Breiðafjörður bay on the Northern Snæfellsnes peninsula. Here you can enjoy an included Stykkishólmur Discovery Walk where you can discover the area at your own pace, with walking maps and fascinating local insights from guides stationed around the town. Make sure to visit the Stykkishólmur church for fascinating architecture and spectacular views, the Icelandic Eider Centre, the Súgandisey lighthouse, and stroll through the historic centre with its beautiful, well-preserved old houses.

You can also choose to join a number of optional excursions here which are available to book including a Snæfellsnes peninsula tour which will include stops at Djúpalónssandur, Lóndrangar, and Arnarstapi, a “Caves, Craters and Coves” hiking tour, and a spectacular Snowcat tour to the top of Snæfellsjökull, the famous ice-capped volcano. These optional excursions incur an additional cost and should be requested in advance.

Today’s adventures will see us discover more of Iceland’s enchanting west coast as we reach the small and charming settlement of Patreksfjördur, Europe’s westernmost village. Here you can enjoy a guided walk to learn about Patreksfjörður’s fisheries and visit a busy fish factory to hear how fisheries have kept the village thriving for generations. You can even enjoy a dip in the town's outdoor pool, with wonderful fjord views.

The area is also close to the famous Látrabjarg cliffs. This is an excellent spot for birding with millions of birds of different species creating a hive of activity. An optional excursion is available to the cliffs where you can expect to see razorbills, puffins, northern gannets and guillemots amongst much more. Other optional excursions include a scenic drive to Arnarfjörður where you can dip your feet in a remote hot spring, hear fascinating folktales at the Icelandic Sea Monster Museum at Bíldudalursee, and discover magnificent mountains, fjords and waterfalls such as the famous Dynjandi waterfall. Hiking excursions between the fjords of Patreksfjörður and Tálknafjörður are also available.

Today will be spent at sea enjoying an exciting cruise through some of northwest Iceland’s most stunning fjord systems. Your experienced captain will determine a route for optimum scenic experiences and conditions permitting we will hope to enjoy some landings and hiking opportunities. This will also be a great time for the kayakers amongst us to enjoy an exploration along the coastline.

Moving along the northern coastline our next stop will take us to the tiny settlement of Djupavik where we will make land to discover the area’s beautiful natural scenery and visit the remains of a herring salting factory that was built by Elías Stefánsson in 1917. This picturesque settlement has only seven houses and one hotel and also offers some great hiking opportunities.

Our next stop will offer a stark contrast to the sights we have seen so far as we visit the lively and vibrant town of Akureyri, Iceland’s second most populous community. Akureyri serves as the centre of trade, culture and services for the north of Iceland, and here there are many optional excursions available including a visit to the Myvatn nature baths or to the impressive Goðafoss waterfall.

Today offers the chance to cross the Arctic Circle from North to South as we hop into our small boats to land at the green and grassy island of Grímsey. The Arctic Circle cuts across the island and we will take a walk across the landscape to step over the invisible circle line before reboarding the ship to sail towards Husavik.

Throughout our circumnavigation of Iceland we will be on a constant lookout for birdlife and marine wildlife, and our stop today is recognised as one of the best whale watching locations in the world. Húsavík’s unique ecosystem of melting snow and rivers bringing nutrients from the mineral-rich mountainsides combines with the boundless summer sun to bring masses of plankton, the main source of food for baleen whales, and we can expect to enjoy some up-close encounters here as we intend to use our small boats for a cruise through the bay.

You can also enjoy a walk around the island which is the oldest settlement in Iceland and is home to the famous landmark of Húsavíkurkirkja, a wooden church built in 1907, and the Húsavík Whale Museum. As we leave Húsavík behind we recommend spending some time on deck as we sail past the beautiful Langanes peninsula.

Today we arrive in the “the land of elves” as we visit beautiful Bakkagerdi, the main settlement in Borgarfjörður. This peaceful area is one of Iceland’s hidden gems and is home to delightful views, tranquil walks and excellent birding opportunities with large puffin colonies abounding in the scenic fjord. Here there may also be an optional excursion to the natural forest of Hallormsstaður offered.

Spectacular Heimaey is the largest of the Westman Islands and will be the last stop on our exciting Iceland expedition. Our historian experts will accompany us here as we explore this island which is known as “Iceland’s Pompeii” due to an unexpected volcanic eruption in 1973 which forced the entire population of the island to evacuate and set sail to mainland Iceland. The eruption caused substantial damage, with a large number of buildings being buried underneath the ash and lava, and many being completely destroyed. A number of buildings have since been unearthed and restored and there is now a fascinating museum, Eldheimar, which has been built around the remains of one of the homes.

Located off the south coast of Iceland, the Westman Islands are dominated by magnificent cliffs which form the natural habitats for many different seabirds, including puffins and kittiwakes, and are also a great place for whale watching. We will hope to explore by small boat through the surrounding waters in search of wildlife sightings.

Arrival into Reykjavik will sadly signal the end of our thoroughly enjoyable cruise, and after breakfast it will be time to disembark and bid a fond farewell to our expedition team. There are numerous optional post-voyage excursions available in this unique city, an early Viking settlement that today has become the modern capital of Iceland. These include an exciting Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon excursion, and please feel free to ask for more details on these.