Ultimate Iceland Photo Expedition

Arrive at Keflavik International Airport where you are met on arrival and transferred to our hotel in Reykjavik, about a 45-minute drive. If you arrive early, you may store your bags at our conveniently located hotel while you explore this compact, walkable city on your own. This evening, join our Expedition Leader for a welcome dinner at a local restaurant, with an orientation to all the photography adventures that lie ahead in this geological wonderland.

Fly this morning to Egilsstadir, the largest town on the little-visited east side of Iceland where we spend the next three nights. Our first destination is one of the most photogenic of the East Fjords, the slender finger of Mjoifjordur, which means "narrow fjord." Carved out by successive ice ages and protected from the elements along the outer coast, the water is often calm as glass, making for beautiful reflection photography. We occasionally spot whales in the fjord as well. This is one of the most remote destinations in Iceland, accessed by a road that is open for only about four months a year, when it is snow-free. The steep, winding gravel road that descends to the sea extends to the end of the 11-mile fjord. Mjoifjordur’s setting at the head of the fjord is stunning, surrounded by an amphitheater of waterfalls. A highlight is Klifbrekkufossar, a seven-step cascade that terraces down through a rugged chasm carpeted with green vegetation. A trail hugs the side of the waterfall, allowing access to varied angles and closer views.

Please note: The Eclipse Specialty departure in August 2026 will stay one more night in Reykjavik to view the eclipse. Travelers will fly to Egilsstadir on Day 3, visiting Mjoifjordur upon arrival and forgoing Lagarflojt Valley, Borgarfjordur Eystri and the marine safari due to migratory bird patterns.

Travel inland today for an in-depth exploration of scenic Lagarflojt Valley. We stop for photos of Lagarflojt Lake, where local lore holds that a sea monster inhabits its waters. We are surrounded by an evocative wild, rural landscape, offering opportunities to photograph Icelandic horses, rarely seen waterfalls, and impressive canyons.

On a scenic drive through a massive valley and over a mountain pass, continue to Borgarfjordur Eystri. a fjord that is reputedly home to one of numerous “elfin communities” that thrive in Icelandic mythology. The fjord takes its name from the Icelandic elf-queen, Alfaborg, who is said to live nearby. But it is the fjord’s puffin residents that capture our attention for the bulk of the day: Here we find one of Iceland’s largest Atlantic puffin colonies, and we spend a full afternoon among them on a puffin photography intensive. A boardwalk weaving through the colony allows easy access, and since the puffins are accustomed to human presence, we are able to get exceptionally close shots. Then, gain another angle on puffins as we head to sea on a private RIB safari, exploring the coastline from a rigid inflatable boat. Capture shots of puffins in their cliffside dens, plus many other seabirds, seals and dolphins. Return to Egilsstadir for a second night.

Today we head into a remote and little-traveled region of Iceland that’s huge on scenic drama and very low on other visitors. Traveling in Nat Hab's customized 4x4 mini bus, we are able to get deep into the interior of the East Highlands, a desolate landscape of austere beauty. Lying in the rain shadow of Vatnajokull, this region’s rugged, dry terrain is evocative of being on another planet, in stark contrast to the vibrant green expanse of the southwest highlands. Photography subjects include imposing peaks, glaciers, canyons, and braided rivers spreading like veins across broad gravel plains.

Our first destination is Hafrahvammagljufur Canyon, a deep gorge with 650-foot walls that stretches almost 5 miles from the Vatnajokull ice cap toward the sprawling Jokuldalur Valley. We stop to get photos from various vantage points along the rim. Powerful rivers originate in this region, and we view the upper reaches of Lagarfljot as well as Jokulsa a Bru, the longest river in East Iceland, which has a vast and dynamic effect on a broad swath of the landscape including the coastline, being reshaped by the river’s massive volume of silt. Eroding one of the wildest and deepest canyons in the country, the river deposits about 120 tons of silt in the delta area per hour, fed by Bruarjokull, the largest glacier tongue of the Vatnajokull ice cap.

Departing Egilsstadir, we pass through the glacial valley of Lagarfljot, then cross a mountain pass to drop into the peaceful Breiddalur Valley, with stops along the way to photograph burbling creeks, lakes and striking mountains. Continuing south, traverse classic U-shaped glacial valleys to reach the coastline of the little-visited East Fjords, which has some of the oldest rock in Iceland, with layer upon layer of basalt from ancient eruptions slowly carved away by 2.5 million years of successive ice ages. The ocean is always close as the road winds along the fjord-riven coast, unveiling rocky coves and picturesque fishing villages. Soon, we reach the Stokksnes Peninsula on the southeast corner of Iceland, where we have a chance to shoot the iconic profile of Vestrahorn. We also photograph the jagged range of Eystrahorn, a lesser-known set of peaks surveying a wild black sand beach. We spend the next three nights at a hotel near Jokulsarlon with a stunning setting on a vast coastal plain backdropped by rugged mountains.

Get a stunning aerial perspective on some of Iceland's most dramatic scenery from a 2-hour private fixed-wing plane flight over the Skaftafell region of Vatnajokull National Park. Known for its rugged landscapes, stark mountains and vast braided rivers, Skaftafell contains about half of the Vatnajokull Glacier, Europe’s largest ice cap. No roads penetrate the park’s wild recesses, but our extended low-altitude flight reveals aerial shots of Landmannalauger—a truly spectacular sight—amid an artistic landscape of intriguing patterns, contrasts and colors. Photograph the plain of Skeidararsandur (the largest glacial outwash plain on the planet), an expanse of black sand and ash sliced by braided glacial rivers that resemble an intricate network of veins. Other highlights include striking shots Maelifell with braided riverbeds wrapping around the lonely green mountain, the Laki volcano crater row, a 15-mile-long fissure in the highlands that erupted in 1783, creating a chain of 130 craters, and the jagged expanse of Skeidararjokull Glacier. This glacier drains off Vatnajokull, Iceland’s largest ice cap.

We also spend time on the ground, walking around the scenic outflow of Svinasfell Glacier, a large outlet glacier of the Vatnajokull ice field. Its surface is especially jagged, with many sharp ridges that lend drama to images, as well as its varied coloration—deep blue ice, white snow and veins of black ash left over from volcanic eruptions in centuries past. The ash patterns create remarkable abstract designs in the ice, a phenomenon not readily found anywhere else in the world.

After dinner, head to Diamond Beach, where icebergs wash up on shore to create a sparkling contrast with the volcanic black sand. The late evening light offers excellent photography conditions, with the sun’s sinking rays gleaming on the scattered icebergs, littered on the beach like chunks of glass. Seals also frequent the beach, and humpback whales are sometimes visible offshore.

On a private Zodiac cruise at Fjallsarlon Glacier Lagoon, we have extended time to photograph the glittering icebergs floating atop the meltwater lake. The lagoon is fed by the massive Vatnajokull Glacier, the largest in Europe. The ice cap covers more than 3,100 square miles—8% of Iceland—and the glacial tongues that flow from it calve the huge chunks of blue ice that litter the surface of the lagoons, drifting like a flotilla of whimsically shaped ships. We spend the remainder of the day exploring this exceptionally scenic region, stopping for striking shots of black sand beaches and rugged mountains as we follow the coast and hike hidden trails among terminal moraines, the end point of glaciers fed by the ice cap. Our exact itinerary is guided by weather and light, as we chase the best of both.

Continuing our encounters with the fascinating geological features on Iceland’s south coast, we investigate the dynamic relationship between fire and ice, examining the largest glacial outwash plane in the world. Katla UNESCO Global Geopark contains roughly 9% of Iceland’s total landmass, encompassing massive glaciers and active volcanoes that have shaped the land for millennia, including the powerful eruptions of Eyjafjallajokull in 2010 and Grimsvotn in 2011. The geopark also holds glacial rivers, lakes, meadows of purple lupine, black sand beaches, vast lava fields and caverns. Lomagnupur Mountain is an impressive subject, with steep cliffs and a flat top that we may find reflected in nearby ponds.

Other subjects include the Dyrholaey Peninsula, with its picturesque lighthouse on the most southerly point of mainland Iceland, and Reynisdrangar Rocks. Legend holds that this trio of columnar basalt sea stacks was formed after two trolls were out fishing in a three-masted ship. When the trolls did not return to their cave before sunrise, they and their vessel turned into needles of stone, since trolls cannot tolerate daylight. The South Coast is also known for some of Iceland’s most spectacular waterfalls, and today holds an opportunity to photograph three of the largest and most famous: Kvernyufoss, Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss. Continue to our hotel outside Hella in southwest Iceland where we spend the next three nights.

Return to the remote Highlands of central Iceland with a full day of exploring the rugged interior. Moving inland from the lush coast, witness a rapid change in vegetation as we enter the mountains. Here in the southern sector of Fjallabak Nature Reserve, we find a stunning landscape to entrance photographers. Rugged peaks in an array of shapes, forms and colors flank the 4x4 track we follow, the rock palette tinted by rhyolite and obsidian. A vivid blanket of green alpine moss and lichen adds a bright accent, while black sand expanses lend contrast, filling the gaps between jagged ridges, volcanic summits and dramatic canyons and valleys. At times, the setting is evocative of a moonscape, stark and breathtaking. The region is laced with braided riverbeds, which we cross multiple times. A view of Myrdalsjokull Glacier—one of Iceland’s largest, which conceals Katla, one of its most active volcanoes—is a highlight, as is the volcanic Maelifell. While Fjallabak is a popular hiking destination, we’re still mostly alone here, rarely encountering other people or vehicles.

Return today to the Highlands, this time to photograph the Landmannalaugur region via an excursion by 4x4 van. Located on the edge of the Laugahraun lava field formed by an eruption in the late 15th century, the area is renowned for its unique geology, including vibrant, multicolored rhyolite mountains, obsidian caves and geothermal hot springs. The scale of the landscape is astounding, with stark ranges rising high above glacier-carved river valleys, volcanic craters and fields of lava covered in lime-green moss. Sigoldugljufur Canyon, also known as the Valley of Tears, is a highlight. Like a scene from a fantasy, the winding canyon is fed by spring-sourced streams that pour off its vertical walls in crystalline waterfalls, filling the turquoise river below. Previously very difficult to access, a new road constructed in 2021 now allows most 4x4 vehicles to reach this impossibly picturesque spot. We stop at various vantage points to photograph the canyon and waterfalls, as well as at other vistas of the colorful mountains and steaming geothermal features. The landscape has an aura of magic about it, and Icelandic folklore holds that the valley is home to fairies and elves. Nearby Haifoss is Iceland’s third-tallest waterfall and one of its most spectacular, pouring in a thundering column off a vertical basalt cliff.

More of Iceland’s most greatest waterfalls await this morning as we make our way back to Reykjavik. Bruarfoss is one of the most beautiful, where dozens of cascading streams from the Bruara River fall in a semi-circular pattern, converging again in the rushing blue river below. Our next stop is Strokkur, Iceland’s most active geyser, erupting about every 10 minutes. Then, photograph powerful Gulfoss—"Golden Falls"—one of Iceland's most dramatic cataracts. It was formed during the last ice age when glacial runoff carved out a deep canyon, creating a series of drops over which the Hvita River plunges. Our final stop, Thingvellir National Park, offers an on-the-ground perspective on Iceland’s geological origins. Here on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the epicenter of where the Icelandic landscape is forming, we can actually photograph fissures where Earth’s crust is separating. Thingvellir is also the site of Iceland’s political founding, when Norse settlers formed the world’s first parliament in 930. On this site, 30 ruling chiefs met to discuss law and order on the island and to create a government. Reykjavik is just a short drive away, and we return for a final night, including our farewell dinner.

Depart Reykjavik this morning for the 45-minute transfer to Keflavik Airport to meet departing flights.