The first morning of our circumnavigation of Iceland on National Geographic Explorer was calm and foggy. We gathered in the lounge for introductions to National Geographic photographer Susan Seubert, the field staff, and our Grosvenor teacher fellows. After a little free time, a thorough Zodiac briefing was followed by a photography presentation from certified photography instructor Alex.
After a delicious lunch, a musical performance by Daniel and Gunnar delighted everyone before we embarked on Zodiacs for our first wet landing on the island of Flatey. The flat nature of the island gives it its name and makes it a great place to graze sheep. Birds occupy the cliff edges, and a variety of species make nice homes/burrows/scrapes to raise their young.
After dinner, we made a pass by the Latrabjarg bird cliffs. The cliffs were formed by volcanic action and accumulation over an extensive period. Pancake layering makes it a great spot for birds to nest near ocean food sources; additionally, the area is difficult for land predators to access. Ships must stay a mile offshore to protect the birds, but we spotted them floating along and flying back to their nests.
I like to remind people that there are very few big surprises left in life, but if you are out in nature, with an open mind and a lot of time, you never know what you will find.
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This morning, we woke up to find National Geographic Explorer cruising the Westman Islands off the southeast coast of Iceland proper. These islands rise straight out of the ocean with towering, vertical cliffs that offer amazing views. With thousands of birds and interesting geology, this archipelago was fun for everyone to explore and photograph. In the afternoon, we went ashore for hiking and panoramic tours of Heimaey. This fishing community was the site of an intense volcanic rift eruption in 1973 that forced residents onto boats, not knowing if their homes would be there when they returned. After five months, residents returned to what was left of the village and began to rebuild. Guests were able to explore this dynamic place by hiking up the volcanic rim or viewing the surroundings via private coach, all affording excellent views and photographic opportunities. Our evening was spent cruising the newest island in the area, Surtsey. This island rose out of the ocean in 1963 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. As the sun slowly made its way toward the horizon, we all began to reflect on an amazing expedition around Iceland. Sharing stories with new friends was a great way to spend our last night on board.
Today we woke up to a typical Icelandic summer day: the sky was overcast with high clouds, and the air temperature was soaring around 50 °F. It turned out to be an excellent day to explore Iceland’s East Fjords. We docked in a charming little town called Djupivogur. We had several wonderful excursion options to choose from. Some adventurous guests joined a Super Jeep safari to explore two beautiful waterfalls of the East Fjords: Sneadalsfoss and Einstigsfoss. Others who longed to stretch their legs opted for a 6.5 mile hike to the dramatic and beautiful Black Sand Beach near Djupivogur, a characteristic example of Iceland’s volcanic landscape. The rest of us chose to visit Europe’s largest ice cap by volume, Vatnajökull Glacier. Vatnajökull Glacier is located in the southeast and covers approximately 10% of Iceland. It is a massive and impressive ice cap. Today’s excursion took us to the Jökulsarlon Lagoon, located in the southern part of the ice cap where the melting ice water meets with the ocean. We arrived around midday after a delicious lunch of local Icelandic delicacies. The view was simply breathtaking, and the lagoon was filled with many different shapes and sizes of icebergs. After enjoying the view a bit and taking as many photos as we could, we got into our hybrid boat/truck and ventured into the lagoon itself. What a wonderful and informative boat ride! Our next stop was Black Diamond Beach, where we got the chance to photograph pieces of glassy icebergs on a black sand beach. This is one of Iceland’s iconic photography spots. Tired but happy, we reluctantly bid farewell to this uniquely beautiful place and drove back to National Geographic Explorer . Back on board, we shared our adventures with fellow explorers. After a wonderful Icelandic dinner prepared by Chef Magnus and the galley team, we were invited to the lounge to listen to our on-board band, “Spice Boys.”
We awoke from yesterday’s short-lived-but-officially-polar-adventures at Grimsey to a grim sea of our own, blanketed in misty fog flowing along Iceland’s eastern shores on our way to the storied fjord of Seyðisfjörður. After an educational breakfast and presentations on the wonders of whales by naturalist Kelly and the gallantry of glaciers by expedition leader (and crazed ice cave spelunker) Andreas, we were greeted by the otherworldly scenery of Skálanes. This 1250-hectare, independent natural preserve with its tall cliffs of layered volcanic rock soaring above seabird colonies and diverse plant communities is a working laboratory that helps us understand what “natural” means for Iceland after a millennium of human survival reinterpreting its living landscape. Guided by reserve managers and researchers Óli Pétursson and Rannveig Þorhallsdottir, we ventured through the former pastures and eroded structures—now overtaken by arctic thyme and introduced Alaskan lupine—that supported Icelanders living on this wind-cut edge of the world since the first millennium. As we walked, Oli discussed the need to complicate our ecological thinking when confronted with the errors of land management past, and take a, “Well, we might as well figure out what’s going on,” approach instead of arguing over concepts that exist outside of the existing reality in the soil. He showed us burgeoning birch trees that will someday create a forested Iceland again, a positive for the once extirpated trees and a negative for the many birds that grew quite used to the anthropogenic fields they’ve come to enjoy since the last Viking fires went out. He showed us modern, fast-paced erosion of the pastures that the lupines are meant to fix along with 12,000-year-old glacier-ground gravel as we walked over the remains of huts that would have housed Oli’s grandparents’ generation. We arrived at Rannveig’s dig sites, where she showed us the lived-in-and-on remains of a longhouse occupied since at least 1300, maybe 900 AD. A likely gravesite from the year 1000 was just beyond, and she described how Icelanders still don’t have the full picture of their ancestor’s arrival and settlement of their land. Reykjavik gets to claim many archaeological firsts for Iceland, she mentioned, since there is a city there. People dig all the time and find what was left behind. Here in Skálanes, on the coast most-facing Europe and its seafarers, we don’t know much because we haven’t looked. Those efforts are ultimately undertaken by just Oli and Rannveig. Supported in their work by our visit and patronage, they are slowly uncovering the secrets of the past to help us divine one of the many possible futures for the inhabitants of the land of ice and fire.
