Apr 26, 2021
Halfway between Norway and Greenland lies an enchanted isle, where sparkling glaciers and powerful waterfalls sculpt a landscape laid down by falling ash and molten lava. Where warm Gulf Stream waters feed millions of seabirds and whales migrate in their thousands.
Discover a unique culture peopled by Viking descendants, their Gaelic slaves and interloping pirates, who created the world’s longest continuous legislature. Delight in art and stage performances influenced by ancient Icelandic Sagas, and film locations that promote both the quirky and Nordic-noir.
Enjoy a small ship cruising experience on board Scenic Eclipse, your 6-star ultra-luxury Discovery Yacht. Its up to 20-member Discovery Team keen to guide you to Iceland’s most memorable experiences, whether it’s stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking up mirror-smooth fjords to colourful fishing villages, spending hours on Vigur or Grimsey islands photographing puffin parents returning with beaks neatly-lined with sand eels, or coming face-to-face with cheeky Arctic foxes.
Enjoy the privilege of traversing one of the youngest geological landscapes on Earth as you hike across lava fields, walk barefoot along tranquil black sand beaches, admire grotesque lava formations or explore deep into lava tubes. Your Discovery Team geologists will share their enthusiasm for the actively spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the powerful conveyor belt of volcanic activity that has raised Iceland above sea level.
Listen to the roar of Deildartunguhver, Europe’s most powerful hot springs, as its scalding waters are piped to houses in Borgarnes and Akranes up to 65 km away; or watch Strokkur, the country’s most famous geyser, shoot vast jets of boiling water 40 metres in the sky and you’ll understand why Jules Verne chose the glacier-capped Snæfellsjökull stratovolcano as the entry point to the Earth’s core in his classic novel, Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
Visit Húsavík, the first place in Iceland to be settled by a Norse man. Swedish Viking Garðar Svavarsson stayed there for one winter around 870 A.D. and left behind a member of his party and two slaves who established the first farm. Today Húsavík is known as the ‘whale watching capital of Iceland’. Soak and relax in geothermal sea baths with stunning views of Skjálfandi Bay and the lighthouse nearby.
Every day brings new discoveries. With Scenic Freechoice, you choose the activity, whether it’s going for a walking tour of fishing villages, enjoying a performance in the Blue Church of Seyðisfjörður, or joining a local sea captain to explore the archipelago of Heimaey to find seabird colonies alive with puffins, guillemots and terns. Listen to the amazing tale of how local villagers pumped cool seawater onto lava streams advancing from nearby Eldfell volcano and thus saved their seaport. Our exclusive Scenic Enrich events offer unique and private shows that highlight Icelandic culture and folklore.
Best of all is to feel the spray, listen to the song, and photograph the beauty and wonder of Iceland’s many waterfalls. From thundering Dynjandi (‘the one that keeps hitting’), a series of cascades that tumble 100 metres in the Westfjords; Dettifoss in Vatnajökull National Park, reputed to be Europe’s second most powerful waterfall and Gullfoss, the ‘Golden Waterfall’, one of Iceland’s most beloved.
Whether you choose to circumnavigate the island on our Iceland Discovery Voyage, or visit on our Exploring the High Arctic, Arctic Adventure & Iceland, Land of Fire and Ice or on A Viking Voyage: The Arctic to America you’ll be enchanted forever.
