Iceland - Ice & Fire
Saturday 6th June to Sunday 14th June 2009
AA9007
Iceland
- an environment of Ice and Fire, has a phenomenal landscape, with
dramatic waterfalls, glaciers, active volcanoes, geysers and mud pools
and a
number of rare breeding birds. This tour offers a chance to experience
some of Iceland’s breathtakingly beautiful landscapes – the Snaefelles
Peninsula,
Gullfoss, Lake Myvatn, Geyser and also its wonderful birdlife. There is
the opportunity to see such species as Great Northern & Red-throated
Divers, Slavonian Grebe, Harlequin Duck, Barrow's Goldeneye, King Eider,
White-tailed Eagle, Gyr Falcon, Merlin, Glaucous & Iceland Gulls, Great
& Arctic Skuas, Brünnich's Guillemot and Snow Bunting. The timing of the
tour coincides with spring migration and should therefore add a further
dimension to the species encountered.Day 1: Fly from London to Reykjavik and then drive to the Snaefelles Peninsula for a three-night stay. Our hotel is in an idyllic location, being close to seabird colonies and with great views of the environment.
Overnights – Snaefelles
Day 2 & 3: We will spend the next two days exploring the Snaefelles Peninsula where we will visit seabird colonies to see Brünnich’s Guillemots, Northern Fulmars, Black-legged Kittiwakes and Razorbills. Amidst dramatic coastal scenery we may also see a number of sought-after species including Great Northern & Red-throated Divers, White-tailed Eagle, Gyr Falcon, Harlequin Duck, Barrow’s Goldeneye and Purple Sandpiper. We may also be lucky and see cetaceans and perhaps, as on a previous tour, a pod of Orcas playing.
Overnights – Snaefelles
Days 4 - 6: On Day 4 we travel north-easterly beyond Akureyri to the bird rich Lake Myvatn, Iceland’s premier birding hotspot. The landscape around Myvatn is dramatic, with fantastic rock formations, creating a wonderfully atmospheric birding location. The lake is famous for it’s enormous concentration of breeding wildfowl – up to 16 species, including: Barrow’s Goldeneye, Harlequin Duck, Greater Scaup, Common Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon and Northern Pintail. Less common but regular visitors are American Wigeon & Ring-necked Duck. There are around 200 pairs of Slavonian Grebes and numerous Red-necked Phalaropes. Great Northern Divers also breed and Myvatn is probably the best area in Iceland for seeing the wonderful Gyr Falcon. Other species present include Merlin, Ptarmigan, Short-eared Owl and Snow Bunting.
Overnights - Myvatn
Day 7: Today we drive through Iceland’s
scenic interior to Thingvellir - the site of the country’s ancient
parliament.
Overnight – Thingvellir
Day 8: The awesome waterfall of Gullfoss – the most spectacular
in Iceland and Geysir - an area of hot springs and dramatic geothermal
spouts, will be the focus of our attention today. However, we will not
ignore the numerous bird species that occur in the region including
red-throated & Great Northern Divers, Merlin, Pink-footed Goose,
Goosander, Harlequin Duck, Red-necked Phalarope and Redwing.
Overnight – Reykjavik
Day 9: We catch our morning return flight to UK.