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Birdlife, Whales & The Magic of Myvatn

Birdlife, Whales & The Magic of Myvatn

The bird cliffs either side of the Snaefellsness Peninsula, Lake Myvatn’s breeding ducks including the American Barrow’s Goldeneye make this itinerary a particular joy for the amateur ornithologist. Whale spot along the way and take in Namaskaro’s steam vents, the Arctic Char Laden Laxa River and Dimm Uborgir’s extraordinary lava formations.

DAY 1: UK – REYKJAVIK

Scheduled  flight to Reykjavik. Transfer on arrival to and overnight at Hotel Leifur Eiriksson or Hotel Metropolitan for 2 nights.

DAY 2: REYKJAVIK

A day to savour south Iceland’s attractions: Geysir geothermal area with its hot springs, fumaroles stained yellow with sulphur and Thhykkuhverir, the viscous hot springs; Gullfoss, whose waters flow down a 3 step staircase before plunging in two stages down a crevice at right angles to the flow of the river and Pingvellir, home to Althing which  is almost a shrine to Icelanders.

DAY 3: REYKJAVIK-BORGABYGGD

Courtesy transfer to collect your hire car, drive out of Reykjavik via the Whale Bay tunnel to Borgarnes (the newly opened Settlement Centre is good place to catch up on your Sagas) and then to Hraunfossar with numerous rivulets that run out from a 900 metre stretch of lava field and the virtually adjacent Barnafossar, the children’s waterfall. Overnight at Hotel Hraunsnef for 2 nights.

DAY 4: SNAEFELLSNES

A take your pick day! Bird watch on Breidafjordur (May 15-September 15); take the car round to the vertiginous bird cliffs at Arnarstapi (the hike between  there and Hellnar is beautiful) or snowmobile on Snaefellsjokull glacier.

DAY 5: REYKHOLT-MYVATN

Drive through the Northwest via Gauksmyri for an introduction to the Icelandic horse and then along through the Nordurardalur and Oxnadalur passes before stopping at Godafoss en route to the jewel in Iceland’s crown: Lake Myvatn with its shoreline surreally fringed with cones, craters and tortuously shaped volcanic detritus all circumscribing its vast placid sheet of water dotted with islets in the manner of water lilies. Ornithologists will need to keep an eye out for the prolific birdlife here including a number of rare breeds of duck. Overnight at Hotel Reykjahlid for 3 nights.

DAY 6: MYVATN

Time to explore the extraordinary scenery and wildlife in the area: the wooded headland at Hofoi with its lava pillars; contorted black towers of Dimmuborgir; the pastel coloured Namafjall ridge with its steamy surroundings and smouldering, sulphurous Krafla.

DAY 7: WHALE WATCHING

Husavik is a colourful fishing village where you can sample the freshest fish on the planet at one of the harbour side restaurants. Traditional wooden, carvel built  trawlers adapted for  whale spotting  head out in the Skalfandi  bay and your guide keeps you alert for minke, fin, humpback, sei and other  species as well as dolphins and porpoise.

DAY 8: MYVATN-UK 

Drive to Akureyri, return hire car, domestic flight to Reykjavik, transfer to Keflavik and return scheduled flight to UK.