Circumnavigate Iceland : Land of Fire & Ice

Arrive in Reykjavík, Iceland’s capital and the starting point for your circumnavigation. Make your own way to the group hotel and settle in for the evening. Tonight, meet your fellow travellers and members of the expedition team over dinner at the hotel.

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After breakfast, set out to explore Iceland’s renowned Golden Circle. Visit Gullfoss, where the Hvítá River plunges through a dramatic canyon, before continuing to the geothermal Haukadalur region to see Strokkur geyser erupt. At UNESCO World Heritage-listed Þingvellir National Park, walk through a landscape shaped by the meeting of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates and visit the site of Iceland’s historic parliament, established in 930 AD. This afternoon, board Heritage Discoverer and meet the captain and expedition team. Settle into your cabin as the ship departs Reykjavík for the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Meals:  B,L,D

Arrive at Grundarfjörður on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, surrounded by mountains and overlooked by distinctive Mount Kirkjufell. Explore this small fishing community and learn about its long trading history, which stretches back to Viking times. The surrounding peninsula offers views towards glacier-capped Snæfellsjökull, an active volcano famously featured in Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Depending on the day's programme, opportunities may include exploring the area around Kirkjufell or visiting a traditional farm for an introduction to local culture, Icelandic horses and regional food traditions.

Meals:  B,L,D

From the small coastal village of Patreksfjörður, travel to Látrabjarg, Europe's largest bird cliff. Extending for 14 kilometres and rising as high as 441 metres, the cliffs support millions of breeding seabirds during summer, including Atlantic Puffins, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and Northern Fulmars. Later, continue into the Westfjords to visit Dynjandi Waterfall, where water descends around 100 metres over a series of stepped falls before reaching the fjord below.

Meals:  B,L,D

Explore privately owned Vigur Island, a small wildlife sanctuary in the Westfjords and an important nesting site for Atlantic Puffins, Black Guillemots, Arctic Terns and Common Eiders. Meet the island's farming family and learn about their long tradition of sustainable eiderdown harvesting. The island is also home to Iceland's only windmill and one of Europe's smallest post offices. Continue to Ísafjörður, a historic trading and fishing community surrounded by the mountains and fjords of one of Iceland's least populated regions. Depending on conditions and the day's programme, explore the surrounding nature with the expedition team or spend time visiting the town's museums, galleries and artisan workshops.

Meals:  B,L,D

Sail into narrow Siglufjörður, where the colourful town of Siglufjörður sits beneath the mountains of the Tröllaskagi Peninsula. Once at the centre of Iceland's herring industry, its former industrial buildings now house cafés, galleries, workshops and the Herring Era Museum. This afternoon, continue to remote Grímsey, Iceland's northernmost inhabited island. The Arctic Circle crosses the island, which is also known for its large seabird populations and basalt cliffs. Go ashore by Zodiac and explore on foot with the expedition team, with opportunities for nature and photography walks and a visit to the island's lighthouse.

Meals:  B,L,D

Explore Húsavík, overlooking the wildlife-rich waters of Skjálfandi Bay. Once associated with Iceland's whaling industry, the town is now well known for whale watching, with Humpback and Minke Whales, White-beaked Dolphins and Harbour Porpoises among the species found in these waters. There are opportunities to discover Húsavík's maritime history or travel inland to Goðafoss waterfall and Lake Mývatn. Formed by volcanic activity, the lake is surrounded by lava fields, hot springs, bubbling mud pools, sulphur vents and unusual geological formations. It is also an important habitat for a wide variety of birdlife.

Meals:  B,L,D

Enjoy a relaxed morning at sea before reaching Borgarfjörður Eystri on Iceland's east coast. Surrounded by mountains and walking trails, this small community is also known for its puffin colony and the Icelandic folklore associated with the area's 'hidden people'. Explore the countryside with the expedition team, join a local guide in the village or take on a more challenging hike for views across the surrounding landscape. There should also be time to observe and photograph Atlantic Puffins at their breeding colony.

Meals:  B,L,D

Arrive in Djúpivogur, a small community on the Búlandsnes Peninsula surrounded by fjords and overlooked by the basalt mountain Búlandstindur. Continue south to UNESCO World Heritage-listed Vatnajökull National Park, a landscape shaped by glaciers, rivers, volcanic and geothermal activity. Visit Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, where icebergs calved from Breiðamerkurjökull Glacier drift across the lagoon towards the Atlantic. Follow their journey to nearby Diamond Beach, where pieces of ice wash onto the black volcanic sand.

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Spend your final full day exploring the volcanic Westman Islands, an archipelago of 15 islands and numerous rock stacks off Iceland's south coast. Conditions permitting, cruise past UNESCO World Heritage-listed Surtsey, formed during an underwater volcanic eruption that began in 1963, before continuing to Heimaey. Here, the landscape still bears evidence of the 1973 Eldfell eruption. Explore the island's geology, local community and prolific birdlife, with the possibility of walking to the summit of Eldfell. The Westman Islands are also an important breeding area for Atlantic Puffins.

Meals:  B,L,D

Arrive back in Reykjavík early this morning. After breakfast, disembark Heritage Discoverer and transfer by coach to a central Reykjavík location or Keflavík International Airport, where your expedition concludes. Due to the possibility of weather or operational delays, onward travel should not be booked before 12 noon. Note: During our voyage, circumstances may make it necessary or desirable to deviate from the proposed itinerary. This can include poor weather and opportunities for making unplanned excursions. Your Expedition Leader will keep you fully informed. This tour offers a variety of activities and excursions. Your personal interests will determine which of these you wish to join. Please note that some activities and excursions will run at similar times, and it will not be possible to participate in both. Accordingly, refunds for excursions and missed landings are not available. Voyages are planned and scheduled pending final regulatory approval.

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