Iceland and its Islands

We also have the chance to go whale-watching and hope to see Minke, Humpback and maybe even Blue Whale as well as other species of dolphins and porpoises. We'll see Iceland's breeding waders and wildfowl at close quarters including Red-necked Phalarope, Harlequin Duck and Barrow's Goldeneye. We also will spend time enjoying the seabird colonies for which Iceland is rightly famous and expect to have magnificent views of all of Iceland's breeding auks including Puffin and Brunnich's Guillemot. Our journey takes us to some of the well known wildlife sites of Iceland such as Mývatn, Gullfoss and Geysir but we'll spend most of our time at the little visited areas, so rich in wildlife, elsewhere in the country. We'll journey through remote uplands, see magnificent ice caps and glaciers and explore the open coasts and sheltered fjords. The volcanic scenery is remarkable and underscores Iceland's youthfulness - dinosaurs were extinct long before the country started to form!

We travel in a comfortable minibus with plenty of room for our optical and photo kit and stay in a range of accommodation from country guesthouses to city hotels. This tour really does offer you an all-round Iceland experience and is likely to leave you with a longing to return.

Your Itinerary

Sunday 27 May
We arrive in Iceland in the middle of the afternoon and begin the short drive to our hotel near Hveragerði amidst the wonderful scenery of southern Iceland. The journey time to Hótel Hlíð is little more than an hour but we'll no doubt want to stop and do some birdwatching on the way. After unpacking and freshening up we'll enjoy dinner and have a briefing on the days ahead. We stay here for two nights.

Monday 28 May
No visit to Iceland would be complete without a visit to the old Viking parliament at Þingvellir and the geysers at Geysir. Both places are on our plan for today together with our first major stops for both birds and plants. We should see Great Northern Divers, Harlequin Ducks and experience the waders for which Iceland is famous -- the drumming sound of Common Snipe becoming a feature of the days ahead. History, geology, ornithology and botany all come together at Þingvellir as we take a leisurely stroll around the area. Of course the world famous geothermal area of Geysir and the nearby dramatic waterfall of Gullfoss will not be forgotten on what will be a wonderful day in Iceland.

Tuesday 29 May
After breakfast we'll visit the South Iceland coastline and marshes near Stokkseyri and Eyrarbakki. We'll see Red-throated Divers, Red-necked Phalaropes and will no doubt be visited by the Arctic terns which nest in this area. Later in the morning we take the ferry from Landeyjahöfn to the Westman Islands. The largest and only inhabited island is called Heimaey and after settling in to our hotel we'll take our first walk to some of the seabird colonies. The island has the world's largest puffin colony as well as bird cliffs full of auks and Kittiwakes. We spend the night on Heimaey at the Hótel Pórshamar.

Wednesday 30 May
We spend the morning exploring the new volcano which erupted in 1973. Its legacy of lava and ash is all around and the views to the other islands, including Surtsey which itself appeared in a submarine eruption in 1963, are nothing short of remarkable. We'll explore some other bird colonies before it will be time to return to the mainland. There'll be time to explore the area of the Eyjafjalla eruption of 2012 before we travel to Hótel Höfðabrekka near Vík with the mountains and glaciers of southern Iceland providing a glorious backdrop for the journey. We spend one night here.

Thursday 31 May
Today we travel across some truly remarkable landscapes -- the sand plains and lava deserts of south east Iceland. Birds encountered include the piratical Great Skuas which breed in the area and the botanists will have a fine time exploring the recently exposed land near the snout of a glacier. We expect to find the special Northern Green Orchid as well as many other species of arctic flora. We shall visit the incredible glacial lagoon of Jökulsárlón and watch out for the Common Eiders and Common Seals that live there. We end the day when we reach the Hótel Brunnhóll which is located near Hofn in south-east Iceland.

Friday 01 June
This morning we'll explore the bird and wildflower rich habitats near Djúpivogur before we take a boat trip to the lovely island of Papey. Named for the old Celtic monks who may have lived here the island is now famous for its splendid sea bird colony and is a very pleasant place to visit. Puffins and Common Guillemots abound whilst in the more sheltered grassy areas Redshanks and Whimbrels take over. There are seals as well and we'll look out for Northern Gannets on our return. We will then explore the shores of Berufjörður which are world renowned for their geological formations before continuing to Hótel Staðarborg in Breiðdalur.

Saturday 02 June
We start by exploring the shores of Berufjörður which are world renowned for their geological formations before we reach Egilsstaðir later in the morning. The uplands are home to breeding waders and the botanists will enjoy the chance to see Cassiope, Trailing Azalea and other upland species. We travel towards Lake Mývatn via the old mountain road and shall stop for refreshments at the turf-roofed farmhouse at Sænautasel. It will be late in the afternoon when we reach Mývatn where we'll spend the next two nights at Hótel Reykjahlíð.

Sunday 03 June
A busy day enjoying the wildlife of arguably Iceland's best known bird watching site. The lake is home to countless thousands of breeding ducks including Barrow's Goldeneye and we expect great views of this special species. Harlequin Ducks may well be 'surfing' in the nearby rivers as well. The volcanic geology here is amazing and we shall see at first hand the geothermal energy of the area. We'll also spend time looking for Gyr Falcon, Merlin and Short-eared Owl which all breed in the area. The orchids and other wildflowers which carpet the lakeside are also very special and it's usually Mountain Avens which draws the most appreciation from visitors at this time of year.

Monday 04 June
After breakfast we'll explore some other areas of the lake system before travelling the short distance to Húsavík and the chance to take a whale watching boat trip in search of Minke, Humpback and perhaps Blue Whales. There's also a good chance of encountering White-beaked Dolphins as well as enormous numbers of seabirds. Later we drive to Eyjafjörður where we'll spend the next two nights at Guesthouse Ongulsstaðir near Iceland's second city, Akureyri.

Tuesday 05 June
On the menu today is a visit to the island of Hrísey in Eyjafjörður famous for its high density of breeding Ptarmigans. We'll stroll around the island and expect to see our usual wader friends as well as Black-tailed Godwit and Snow Bunting. We often see Harbour Porpoise and Minke Whale offshore and there'll doubtless be Black Guillemot as well. Later we'll have time for a quick visit to Akureyri. The botanic gardens are highly regarded not only for the display of native Icelandic flora but also for the good views of the Icelandic race of Common Redpoll that are frequently seen here.

Wednesday 06 June
It's a travelling day across northern Iceland. We should see Pink-footed Geese on the northern extremity of their breeding range in the remote interior of Iceland. Oysterplant excites the botanists and we'll all be transfixed by the scenery as we make our way towards Snæfellsnes, arguably the most beautiful part of Iceland. We spend the next three nights here.

Thursday 07 June
Often described as Iceland in miniature the Snæfellsnes peninsula has something for everyone. We visit bird cliffs for Brunnich's Guillemots, sandy shores for waders and wildflowers, rivers for Harlequins and there's always the chance of a whale or two offshore. We'll travel right around the peninsula the end of which is dominated by the gorgeous ice cap of Snæfellsjökull. Irresistible.

Friday 08 June
Our visit to the island of Flatey in Breiðafjörður is often considered a highlight of the trip. As we sail we'll be looking out for white-tailed eagles and the thousands of seabirds we shall see on the way. The island, as its name suggests, is easy to walk around and we know we'll get great views of waders, Black Guillemots, Puffins and Snow Buntings. We'll also look out for the rare Grey Phalarope on the island.

Saturday 09 June
We head for Reykjavík via the historic settlement of Borgarnes and the magnificent scenery of Hvalfjörður or Whale Fjord with several birdwatching and botanising stops on the way. We'll have a chance to explore Iceland's capital Reykjavík in the afternoon. Overnight stay in Reykjavík.

Sunday 10 June
We have a final morning to do some last minute birding down at the harbour or a little retail therapy before heading down to the airport at Keflavik for our homeward flight.

Please note that this itinerary can be changed without notice at the sole discretion of Island Holidays or their representatives.

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