Wohoo – we have finally kicked off our first full Iceland circumnavigation trip of the season and what a first day! First thing in the morning we lowered our zodiacs and dashed ashore to the beautiful Flatey Island where time appears to be standing still. As we walked around the island we saw old tractors and colorful old houses that used to be lived in all year round but now only two farmers recide all year round and the rest is used as family timeshares during summer months. Flatey is located on Breiðarfjörður bay and is the biggest island of over 3.000 small islands and skerries. The area supports 230 species of vascular plants and around 50 breeding bird species. To name a few we saw puffins, guillemots, arctic terns, fulmars & purple sandpipers. Aside from the amazing nature outing we had a special music performance by local Icelandic musicians just for our group.
In the afternoon our onboard geologist Grace Weiner gave a lecture on the geology of Iceland and our photo team introduced the photography program and tought us some great tips on how to improve our photography.
We also had a cruise along the great Látrabjarg cliffs which are 14 km wide, 440 m at its highest and also the western most part of Iceland. These cliffs are also home to about 75% of the razor bill population of Iceland (and 40% of the worlds razor bill population). We also spotted some puffins, common guillemots and fulmars.
After dinner we were able to squeeze in a very special landing at the beautiful and towering Dynjandi waterfall which is at the bottom of the Arnarfjörður Fjord (E. Eagle’s Fjord). To get to the waterfalls we had to survive attacks from fierce Arctic Terns but it was all more than worth it. The waterfalls are a series of seven waterfalls with a 60 m curtain at the top. Not only were the waterfalls spactacular but the calm weather and golden evening light added an extra magic layer over the whole experience...
Its been a versatile first expedition day and I am looking forward to the rest of the trip!
