Description
Our nine night circumnavigation of Iceland offers a unique opportunity to see nature in the raw and witness the huge icecaps and glaciers, active volcanoes, gurgling mud pools, steaming hot springs and lava fields of the ‘Land of Fire and Ice’. If this were not enough, the immense scale of the landscape is dominated by towering snow-capped mountains and thundering waterfalls. Europe’s least populated country offers the visitor an unparalleled experience of elemental forces at work and we will take advantage of weather conditions and possible whale sightings to achieve the maximum with our time.
Early summer is the optimum time for this expedition, the skies and rocks will be filled with the sights and sounds of puffins, guillemots and gannets, the wildflowers will be prevalent and the seas will hopefully be rich with whales and marine life. We have timed our voyage for June when the long summer days are ideal for exploring and the spectacular midnight sun in Iceland can be experienced. In addition to the wildlife, the island also provides a unique historical, cultural and geological experience. Under the surface, Iceland simmers with the sparks that are the tell-tale signs of its youthfulness as Europe’s most recent geological addition, only 16-20 million years old. Iceland is continuously being created; some of its newest land is a mere 40 years old.
Travelling by small ship is the ideal way to get up close to nature and explore areas inaccessible to larger vessels and a journey such as this can only be undertaken by a special vessel with the self-sufficient qualities of the 95-passenger MS Serenissima. With her expert team and fleet of Zodiacs we will be able to land on remote beaches and cruise close to shorelines and cliffs crowded with birdlife. Our circumnavigation of Iceland will take us to some of its most dramatic areas and, whilst we sail its waters, we will look out for humpback whales, orcas, white-beaked dolphins and observe the colonies of seabirds.