Another day with more choices to make! One group chose an all-day tour of the area and another visited the Mývatn area.
Those of us exploring Mývatn encountered geological features such as the enormous volcanic cone at Hverfjall, with its steep smooth sloping sides and impressive diameter. It really doesn’t take much to imagine this suddenly erupting again. We also visited Havarond with its bubbling muds and Dimmuborgir on the east side of Mývatn Lake, a badlands of lava pillars, some of which reach 65 feet in height. We were then also taken to Goðafoss, a very spectacular waterfall with a 12m drop and a width of 30m where water pours down.
Following our explorations, we boarded coaches to HúsavÍk to meet National Geographic Orion, which had repositioned during the day. Many of us then explored the town’s whale museum which had a huge range of intact whale skeletons ranging from a harbour porpoise to a huge blue whale.
During the recap, we learned that the dive team had been exploring Strýtan, the only place in the world with hydrothermal vents at a depth reachable by divers. All other hydrothermal vents are more than 1,000m down on the ocean floor.
After dinner, some of us went ashore on Grimsey Island and walked to the demarcated edge of the Arctic Circle. We also had the chance to visit cliffs packed with breeding puffins and a small lake with lots of Arctic terns.
