The guests aboard National Geographic Orion had an awesome day today, based out of the picturesque port of Djupivogur. Some guests went to Papey Island, where they saw multiple seals, puffins, and other sea birds along the rocky shoreline.
Most of the guests went to the Vatnajokull Glacier complex, which makes up the largest ice cap in Europe. We visited the world-famous Jokulsarlon ice lagoon, where hundreds of icebergs from the nearby Breidamerkerjokull Glacier get trapped in a lake. We took an amphibious boat out on to the lake to see the huge icebergs of every size and shape. We learned that the blue ones get their blue color from the clear glacial ice absorbing the red end of the color spectrum. We saw several kinds of birds around the lagoon, including barnacle geese and arctic terns. After seeing the lagoon, we went to the nearby “diamond beach”, where clear icebergs that had escaped from the lagoon were washed up on the black sand beach.
We also took four-wheel drive vehicles 3,000 feet up the tundra-covered mountains to the Skalafellsjokull Glacier. When we got up to the glacier, we split up into three types of vehicles to ride over the glacier. Some rode on snowmobiles, while others went in four-wheel drive trucks and snow track mobiles.
On the way back to the ship, we rode by miles and miles of huge basalt cliffs poking out through the clouds. There were hundreds of waterfalls and several glaciers visible during the journey. These cliffs were once sea cliffs, but post-glacial uplift has created a narrow coastal plain in front of them where farms and the highway are today. We also saw thousands of white swans that are here for breeding season in the Lon lagoon.
During the evening, the crew of the Orion put on a fantastic show of singing, dancing, and other entertainment in the lounge. What a great end to an awesome day.
