Iceland Circumnavigation Cruise

Day 1 - Reykjavik, Iceland

Arrive: Thu 25 July 2024 / Depart: Thu 25 July 2024 at 17:00

Warmed by the Gulf Stream as well as by highly active thermal hot springs and volcanoes, Iceland is somewhat misnamed. While it is a stark and barren country with three huge areas of glaciers, one theory is that early Norsemen sought to mislead other potential settlers by giving a pleasant name to fierce, inhospitable Greenland, and a forbidding name to the imminently habitable Iceland. Irish monks and hermits established themselves here in the 8th century, but left a century later when the pagan Norsemen arrived. Europe's first Parliament of General Assembly, the Althing, was established in the year 930 and still functions as the legislative body, although it was suspended by the Danes at the end of the 18th century and not reconvened until 1843. Reykjavik was the site picked by the island's first permanent resident, Ingolfur Arnarson in 874, and is home to more than half of the island's total population. The world's northernmost capital, Reykjavik is proud of its virtual lack of air pollution. Both electrical power and home heating are derived from the geothermal activity on the island. The city's large swimming pools are always warm, and in the countryside exotic fruits such as grapes and bananas are cultivated in greenhouses made cozy with the help of underground hot springs.

Day 2 - Grundafjordur

Arrive: Fri 26 July 2024 at 07:00 / Depart: Fri 26 July 2024 at 17:00

The charming small fishing village of Grundarfjörður is located in the middle of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and thus provides easy access to Stykkishólmur, Snæfellsbær and the Snæfellsnes National Park. Its best-known landmark is undoubtedly the peak of Mt. Kirkjufell. Translated as ‘church mountain,’ Kirkjufell is the most easily recognizable peak, and one of the most photographed mountains in Iceland. During summer months a Viking Village is built in the center of town where Viking re-enactments occur quite regularly. During the Á góðri stund town festival in July, the town’s 900 residents decorate their houses in red, blue, yellow, and green, transforming the town into a spinning kaleidoscope of color. The town first began trade in 1786, and around 1800, French merchants came to Iceland and settled in Grundarfjörður, where they constructed a church and a hospital. The town has prospered through the fishing industry for a long time. The surrounding sea is rich with birdlife & marine life throughout the year.

Day 3 - Patreksfjordur,Iceland

Arrive: Sat 27 July 2024 at 07:00 / Depart: Sat 27 July 2024 at 13:00

Day 3 - Dynjandi, Iceland

Arrive: Sat 27 July 2024 at 16:00 / Depart: Sat 27 July 2024 at 19:00

Day 4 - Saudarkrokur

Arrive: Sun 28 July 2024 at 10:00 / Depart: Sun 28 July 2024 at 17:00

Day 5 - Siglufjordur

Arrive: Mon 29 July 2024 at 07:00 / Depart: Mon 29 July 2024 at 17:00

Siglufjörður is the northernmost town on the Icelandic mainland, a small fishing village of some 1,200 people. Founded in 1918, it was in the past the capital of the North Atlantic herring fishing industry. The Síldarminjasafnið Herring Era Museum, one of Iceland's largest seafaring and industrial museums, houses three different areas where one can learn about both the traditional and the modern herring industry. A collection of many historic fishing vessels and artifacts is proudly displayed by the people of Siglufjörður, detailing how herring was salted, processed and collected. The small harbor with its colorful fishing boats and the red-roofed steeple of the Lutheran church dominate the village-scape. The natural beauty of the area includes high mountains that rim the fjord, freshwater lakes, the Hólsá river, black sand beaches, and a wealth of birdlife all around. This northernmost region of Iceland is renowned for some of the largest and most dramatic waterfalls in the country.

Day 6 - Grimsey Island

Arrive: Tue 30 July 2024 at 07:00 / Depart: Tue 30 July 2024 at 12:30

Day 6 - Husavik

Arrive: Tue 30 July 2024 at 14:30

Day 7 - Husavik

Depart: Wed 31 July 2024 at 17:00

Day 8 - Borgarfjordur, Iceland

Day 9 - Eskifjordur

Arrive: Fri 02 August 2024 at 07:00 / Depart: Fri 02 August 2024 at 16:00

In the deeply serrated Eastern Fjords of Iceland’s east coast, the fishing village of Eskifjordur is scattered along the shore under a looming peak. Founded as a trading post in 1789, it thrives today on the fishing industry. The townsfolk proudly claim the striated peak of Hólmatindur as their personal landmark., although the town takes its name from the other peak Mt. Eskja. The Maritime Museum, housed in a building dating from 1816, traces the history of the town and its linkage to the sea, as does the moving statue to lost mariners on the main road. Helgustadaman was once renowned for the crystalline spar mineral mined there, and a couple in the town have spent a lifetime collecting and cutting beautiful minerals and crystals from all over Iceland. Their display of over a thousand specimens is in their home but open to visitors. The town’s church also has displays of art.

Day 10 - Papey Island, Iceland

Day 11 - Heimaey

Arrive: Sun 04 August 2024 at 07:00 / Depart: Sun 04 August 2024 at 19:00

Day 12 - Reykjavik, Iceland

Arrive: Mon 05 August 2024 at 07:00 / Depart: Mon 05 August 2024

Warmed by the Gulf Stream as well as by highly active thermal hot springs and volcanoes, Iceland is somewhat misnamed. While it is a stark and barren country with three huge areas of glaciers, one theory is that early Norsemen sought to mislead other potential settlers by giving a pleasant name to fierce, inhospitable Greenland, and a forbidding name to the imminently habitable Iceland. Irish monks and hermits established themselves here in the 8th century, but left a century later when the pagan Norsemen arrived. Europe's first Parliament of General Assembly, the Althing, was established in the year 930 and still functions as the legislative body, although it was suspended by the Danes at the end of the 18th century and not reconvened until 1843. Reykjavik was the site picked by the island's first permanent resident, Ingolfur Arnarson in 874, and is home to more than half of the island's total population. The world's northernmost capital, Reykjavik is proud of its virtual lack of air pollution. Both electrical power and home heating are derived from the geothermal activity on the island. The city's large swimming pools are always warm, and in the countryside exotic fruits such as grapes and bananas are cultivated in greenhouses made cozy with the help of underground hot springs.