Fire & Ice: An 8-Day Sail Around Iceland

Arrive at Keflavik International Airport and transfer to Reykjavik, Iceland's capital, about a 45-minute drive. Lying less than two degrees below the Arctic Circle, Reykjavik is the world’s northernmost capital. Its high latitude location provides 22 hours of sunlight at high summer, with the near-perpetual light creating a lively, energetic atmosphere. Explore on your own today, before boarding your expedition ship late this afternoon, with dinner served aboard.

Lying just south of the Arctic Circle, the far-flung Westfjords embrace Iceland's most northwesterly point. Exceptionally remote and peaceful, much of this corner of Iceland can only be accessed on foot or by sea. Erik the Red, father of Leif Eriksson, was among the first in a thousand-year line of settlers who survived on a peninsula here, living on herring and seabird eggs. Hike or kayak along the base of a fjord to views of a dramatic waterfall. Enter the fjord network of Isafjardardjup to discover a wealth of wildlife, including whales, seals and huge colonies of nesting seabirds. Land at Vigur Island, a birder’s paradise home thousands of species, including puffins, black guillemots, Arctic terns and eider ducks. The walkable island has only a handful of inhabitants—a farmer and his family. For years, they have collected down from resident nesting ducks’ nests and sold it for cushions and duvets. We’ll stop by the Eider Farm to learn about the traditional process of collecting and cleaning down.*

*Visit subject to nesting seabird season and not available on all dates.

Today we call at Siglufjordur, a small town on Iceland's north coast, which was the center of the country's once-thriving herring industry in the mid-20th century. Stop at the Herring Museum, which focuses on the wealth once provided by these small silver fish and how they were processed. Though the museum receives relatively few visitors in this remote location, it is the largest marine and industrial museum in Europe and has received the European Museum of the Year award. Our visit includes a salting demonstration and tasting. Though the herring are mostly gone today, the town's economy is still fishing-based. Then we join the local forestry association for a conservation-focused field tour this afternoon in their local woods, learning what it takes to maintain and develop a forest in Iceland.

Land at Husavik this morning, Iceland’s oldest settlement and the site of the first house built on the island. It’s also our gateway to the geological wonders of Iceland’s northern reaches. Depart for a full day of overland exploration, first visiting one of the largest waterfalls in Iceland, Godafoss, the "waterfall of the gods." The dramatic cataract plunge 40 feet over an ancient lava cliff shaped like a horseshoe, stretching 100 feet across. We also visit Lake Myvatn and environs, the most geothermally active area in Iceland. Lake Myvatn fills the remnant of a crater formed during a massive eruption 2,300 years ago, and the region around it is an introduction to world-class field geology. On display in the dynamic environment are various volcanic features, including pseudo-craters, lava formations, steam vents and hot springs. The lake is also one of the premier birdwatching areas in the world, with marshes providing habitat for huge numbers of migratory birds during the summer, with more than 115 species on view. Alternatively, choose an adventurous hike in Asbyrgi Canyon, filled with waterfalls and said to be formed from the hoof of the Norse god Odin’s eight-legged horse. Or stay along the coast for slower-paced activities including forest bathing, bird watching and a soak in the GeoSea bath.

Located on the little-visited northeast shore of Iceland, Bakkagerdi is a tiny hamlet of about 100 people that is known as the Puffin Capital of Iceland. Walk across boardwalks for unobtrusive views of these colorful icons of Icelandic wildlife, watching them nest in their burrows and emerge to fly and fish. In addition to this most famous and charming member of the auk family, we also see many other seabird species like kittiwakes, fulmars and common eiders that inhabit the rocky cliffs above the fjord. Once you have plenty of close-up photos, you may wish to take an invigorating hike up to a panoramic vista of Borgarfjordur Eystri, regarded as one of Iceland's most wild and beautiful fjords. Surrounded by the Dyrfjoll Mountains, which rise more than 3,700 feet from the sea, the region is renowned for its stunning hiking terrain. Or choose a backcountry mountain bike adventure to remote overlooks and magnificent vistas. Whatever you do, keep an eye out for the "hidden people" reputed to live here: according to local folklore, Bakkagerdi and environs are home to a very large population of elves.

Djupivogur, on Iceland's east coast, is our port of call, with a choice of excursions. For the first option, we drive south to the foot of the vast Vatnajokull Ice Cap and Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. Vatnajokull is Europe's largest ice mass, covering over 3,000 square miles and averaging more than 1,400 feet thick. In 2008, Vatnajokull Glacier and its magnificent surroundings were declared Iceland's largest national park, covering 13% of the country's terrain. Few places in the world exhibit the effects of such a wide range of natural phenomena, where ice and fire compete to shape a landscape honed by the combined forces of rivers, glaciers, volcanoes and geothermal activity. Guests who choose this excursion will examine the snow-covered surface of the ice cap up close before continuing to the large ice lagoon of Jokulsarlon for a boat ride among the flotilla of glittering blue icebergs that drift across the lake's surface. Fed by Vatnajokull Glacier, the lagoon began to form in the 1950s and has grown every year, as the pace of glacial melting accelerates, and the ice tongue recedes to reveal ever more water. In this regard, the glacial lagoon offers a living laboratory for observing the effects of global warming. As the chunks of ice calve into the lagoon, they slowly melt and float out to sea, where the ocean waves may drive them back onto the black volcanic sand that forms the beaches of Iceland's south coast. The second excursion option is a 4x4 vehicle journey into some of the secluded valleys and remote waterfalls in the countryside around Djupivogur, with a chance to hike to the black sand beaches near the town center.

Overnight, our ship has rounded the southern side of Iceland to reach the Westman Islands. Formed by undersea volcanoes between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago, the islands comprise one of the planet's youngest archipelagos. We cruise past the newest island, Surtsey, which was formed by volcanic action from 1963 to 1967. The world witnessed its creation on film, and Surtsey was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site from its birth, providing the world with a pristine natural laboratory in which to observe how plant and animal life colonize new land. We call at Heimaey, the largest and only populated island in the Westmans. Half the town on the island was destroyed by lava flows from Eldfell Volcano in 1973, which nearly closed off its harbor. An emergency operation to cool the advancing lava with sea water held it at bay. We visit the volcano crater, where the earth is still hot, and survey impressive views of the broad area once engulfed by lava.

Our circumnavigation of Iceland is complete today as we return to Reykjavik to disembark. After breakfast, a transfer to Keflavik Airport is included to meet homeward flights.