After leaving the Westfjords, we were now heading towards Southern Iceland. Our morning started with beautiful orca sightings! Presentations followed, given by Serguei about Iceland’s geology, followed by Kerstin on her experience working on an eider duck farm.
We arrived at Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands) around noon. The islands are known for the latest eruption of the Eldfell Volcano in 1973 and for their annual festival, Þjóðhátíð (The National Festival) which attracts thousands of people every year. Two excursions were offered to explore the island, either by a panoramic bus tour or by hiking up the volcano to see the beautiful view over the island.
The evening consisted of the captain’s farewell dinner, as it was the last day of the voyage. After dinner, we sailed past Surtsey Island for a ship’s cruise before heading back to Reykjavik. We were greeted by many gannets, great black-backed gulls, skuas, kittiwakes, and more orcas! They were all feeding at the same time, and this spectacle made for a great ending to a fantastic trip to Iceland!
