National Geographic Endurance arrived in Djupivogur to a brilliantly sunny and warm morning. Guests set off with their local guides and the expedition team in all directions. Many visited the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon to experience the largest glacier in Europe and to photograph the enchanting Diamond Beach. Other guests explored the area in jumbo sized 4x4 vehicles or completed beach walks with our naturalist team. We finished the day by taking our National Geographic Expeditions Adventurers participants out in Zodiacs for a boat driving lesson. Everyone lived.
7/16/2024
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National Geographic Endurance
Heimaey, Iceland
We began the day with a circumnavigation of Surtsey, the newest island in the Vestmannaeyjar Archipelago. This small desolate volcano captured the world’s attention in 1963 when it erupted without warning from the seafloor off the southeast coast of Iceland. From there we sailed north to Heimaey, or “home island”, where we disembarked and toured the area via coach or on foot. The more energetic folks climbed Eldfell, the volcano that nearly consumed the town and forced its evacuation during an eruption in 1973. Regardless of our choice of activities, all guests visited the Eldheimar Museum that records, preserves, and brilliantly commemorates the eruption that prompted the evacuation and destroyed nearly half of the homes in town. The devastation took one life but did have a significant and positive long-term impact. By fighting the lava flow with cooling water cannons, the townspeople halted its advance and improved the safety of the harbor.
