Husavik, Iceland, 7/21/2024, National Geographic Endurance
Aboard the
National Geographic Endurance
Iceland
The northern Icelandic city famous for whale watching was waiting for us! Some guests decided to go see waterfalls, leisure walkers explored the city, and the most fearless guests joined us for a long hike up to a nearby peak.
After our morning activities, it was time to be soaked and give our bodies a well-deserved treatment in the geo spa’s thermal waters. The steam and the view of the bay definitely made our stay in Husavik memorable!
Maria Intxaustegi is an internationally awarded maritime archaeologist, naval historian, commercial diver, professional offshore sailor, and expedition guide from the Basque Country.
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We docked early on a drizzly morning in Siglufjörður, a fishing town famous for its significant growth due to the herring boom in the 1900s. We visited the Herring Era Museum to learn about the history of the herring boom, taste pickled herring, and see a preserved herring processing factory. Icelandic singer songwriter Svavar Knutur treated us to a beautiful and intimate musical performance in the factory building. We spent the afternoon visiting a local reforestation project, Skarðsdalsskógur, to learn about reforestation efforts across Iceland. Local Forest Commission volunteers hosted us and showed us the many evergreen trees they have planted over the last 70 years. The day was not over yet! We set sail and headed north to the island of Grimsey, famous for its monument to the ever-moving Arctic Circle.
Calm and soft would be the best description of the conditions for our early wakeup, deep in Arnarfjörður, named after the first Norse settler of the region. At the head of the fjord is Dynjandisvogur, the “thundering waterfall,” one of the most spectacular of the many famous waterfalls in Iceland. The lower half is a series of cascades and drops through narrow gorges, with a well-developed trail leading to the base of the upper falls. A diaphanous veil of water seems to pour out of the sky over the many layers of basalt, which form sharp cliffs lining the fjord. With slowly clearing skies, we had opportunities to both hike the trails and kayak in the still waters below. Under brilliant afternoon weather, we transited north to Ísafjarðardjúp with time to enjoy two presentations and the many amenities of National Geographic Endurance while getting to know our fellow explorers. In the early evening, we arrived at Vigur, an island bird sanctuary with great numbers of Arctic terns, black guillemots, puffins, and common eiders. Eider down is sustainably collected here, and we enjoyed a fascinating description of the process and a tour of the island.
