As we sailed south of Bergen toward Hanrdangerfjord, the forth-largest fjord in the world, we took in the beautiful landscape of glacial carved Norway. We spend our first morning anchored in Osa fjord at Handanger Basecamp. Exploring the area from land and sea, we took nature walks and kayaked along the mountainside. Scenic bike riding on the mountains road ended with a tour and tasting of one of the regions only cider farms and while others climbed through torchlight tunnels. Our first day ended sailing out of the Osa fjord enjoying a beautiful rainbow off the ship stern.
7/11/2023
Read
National Geographic Explorer
Vestmannaeyjar, or Westman Islands
We started the day with beautiful weather and a gorgeous sail into Heimaey. An adventurous group from National Geographic Explorer hiked up the volcano that threatened the city in 1973, and others took a panoramic tour of the area. The grand finale for everyone was a visit to the Volcano Museum, which is built around a house that was partially destroyed in the eruption. In the distance, we could see steam and gases from a new volcanic eruption. After leaving Heimaey, we sailed around several of the Westman Islands, where the only ‘residents’ are seabirds nesting on the cliffs. Gannets, northern fulmars, puffins, black guillemots, and red-necked phalaropes were prolific. We found a large group of gannets diving into the water to catch fish. Several minke whales were spotted briefly before we headed off for our visit to Surtsey, which we circumnavigated. After the guest slideshow and the Captain’s Farewell, our ship sailed by National Geographic Resolution as we passed the newly erupting Litli-Hrutur.
