Elemental Iceland – Circular Saga from Reykjavík

Sprawling Reykjavík, the nation's nerve center and government seat, is home to half the island's population. On a bay overlooked by proud Mt. Esja (pronounced eh-shyuh), with its ever-changing hues, Reykjavík presents a colorful sight, its concrete houses painted in light colors and topped by vibrant red, blue, and green roofs. In contrast to the almost treeless countryside, Reykjavík has many tall, native birches, rowans, and willows, as well as imported aspen, pines, and spruces.Reykjavík's name comes from the Icelandic words for smoke, reykur, and bay, vík. In AD 874, Norseman Ingólfur Arnarson saw Iceland rising out of the misty sea and came ashore at a bay eerily shrouded with plumes of steam from nearby hot springs. Today most of the houses in Reykjavík are heated by near-boiling water from the hot springs. Natural heating avoids air pollution; there's no smoke around. You may notice, however, that the hot water brings a slight sulfur smell to the bathroom.Prices are easily on a par with other major European cities. A practical option is to purchase a Reykjavík City Card at the Tourist Information Center or at the Reykjavík Youth Hostel. This card permits unlimited bus usage and admission to any of the city's seven pools, the Family Park and Zoo, and city museums. The cards are valid for one (ISK 3,300), two (ISK 4,400), or three days (ISK 4,900), and they pay for themselves after three or four uses a day. Even lacking the City Card, paying admission (ISK 500, or ISK 250 for seniors and people with disabilities) to one of the city art museums (Hafnarhús, Kjarvalsstaðir, or Ásmundarsafn) gets you free same-day admission to the other two.

Embark in Reykjavík

Your expedition begins in Reykjavik, a city that rewards a longer look. Stroll Laugavegur for independent shops and coffee, take in the striking Hallgrímskirkja church, or lose an afternoon in the city's galleries and museums.

If you can, we highly recommend booking our pre-voyage programme to explore the Blue Lagoon, Þingvellir National Park, and the Langjökull glacier.

From here, it’s time to board MS Fridtjof Nansen and get ready for departure.

Visit Iceland in miniature

Snæfellsnes is a peninsula of dramatic coastlines, volcanic peaks, lava fields, black sand beaches, and traditional fishing villages, all set beneath the glacier-capped Snæfellsjökull volcano. It inspired Jules Verne's book, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, and it's often called Iceland in miniature because almost every landscape the country is known for can be found here in one compact stretch of coast.

From our port in Grundarfjörður, overlooked by the iconic Kirkjufell mountain, you can join excursions around the peninsula or explore the surroundings on foot.

Vigur Island is a little more than a mile (1.6 km) in length and about 450 yards (412 m) wide. This green oasis punctuates the waters of the Ísafjarðardjúp fjord east of the town of Isafjordur. The island is home to a single farming family and has some meticulously preserved historical landmarks including Iceland’s only windmill, built in 1840 and used until 1917 for grinding imported wheat from Denmark; and a 200-year-old rowing boat, which is still in use to ferry sheep to the mainland. Summer is the best time to see large numbers of Atlantic Puffins, Arctic Terns and Black Guillemots. One of the export articles from this small island was eider down and one can see where the eider ducks nest and how the down is collected and cleaned.

Into Iceland's untamed northwest

One of the most exciting aspects of any expedition is that you never know what you'll discover. Over these two expedition days, we'll explore the Westfjords and highlands of northwest Iceland, a landscape of sheer sea cliffs, narrow fjords, and vast tundra plateaus that feel like the edge of the world. Almost inaccessible by land, this region is only truly reachable by sea.

Your Expedition Team will read conditions each day and adapt the plan: expect Zodiac cruising beneath towering bird cliffs, hikes across wild headlands, and landings at isolated fjord-side settlements where fishing communities have held on for generations. Look out for Arctic foxes on shore and seabird colonies numbering in the thousands.

The town of Húsavík sits below Húsavíkurfjall mountain on the eastern shore of Skjálfandi bay. Just above the town is lake Botnsvatn, a popular place for outings. The lake is just the right size for a nice hike around it. The lakes surroundings are rich in vegetation and bird life and trout is said to be abundant, though small. Húsavík harbour lies below the bank right in the heart of town. The harbour once boasted a large fishing fleet, bustling with the activity of fishermen. It still serves as a fishing harbour but today's activity revolves more around the successful whale watching businesses. The first organised whale watching excursions in Iceland started from here in 1995. Since then, whale watching has become a major attraction and Húsavík continues to be the leading destination for whale watching. In addition to the tours, a fascinating whale museum is located right by the harbour. Húsavík is considered to be the oldest settlement in Iceland. The Swedish explorer, Gardar Svavarsson, spent one winter there in 870 AD during which time he built himself a house from which the settlement derives its name.

Cross the Arctic Circle, watch for whales, and explore Goddafoss

Today you'll discover Húsavík, a charming fishing town and one of the best places in the world to see whales. It looks out over Skjálfandi Bay, where humpback and minke whales, white-beaked dolphins, harbour porpoises, and even the elusive blue whale are regularly spotted.

On shore, the Whale Museum brings you closer to these giants, while the Exploration Museum tells a more unexpected story: in the 1960s, NASA sent 32 Apollo astronauts to train in the lunar-like lava fields nearby, preparing them to collect rock samples on the Moon. For something more relaxing, soak in the geothermal waters at GeoSea overlooking the bay, or end the day with a beer at the local microbrewery.

Exploring the fjord-cut coastline

Iceland's east coast is cut by deep fjords, lined with tumbling waterfalls and bird-filled cliffs. Quiet villages dot the shoreline, including Bakkagerði, known as Iceland's puffin capital, where nearby platforms at Hafnarhólmi let you watch Atlantic puffins nesting in their thousands.

Beyond the birds, this is a landscape steeped in folklore and drama. We might visit Álfaborg, the legendary 'elf rock' said to house the queen of the queen of the 'hidden people' – huldufólk – and look up at the jagged Dyrfjöll peaks and colourful rhyolite mountains framing the fjord. Thanks to our Zodiacs, we can reach stretches of this coastline that are otherwise inaccessible, exploring Iceland in true expedition style.

It’s hard to imagine, as you stroll Heimaey’s idyllic streets of white wooden houses, that this island was literally torn apart by a spectacular volcanic eruption, just over 40 years ago. The fact that you can visit incredible Heimaey at all is something of a miracle – because the oozing lava of the Eldfell volcano threatened to seal the harbour off completely. Fortunately, its advance was halted by gallons of seawater, pumped onto it by the plucky islanders, who saved their fishing industry in the process. Iceland's famous for its scenery, and the huge castles of volcanic rock that rise out of the sea's waves here are some of the country's most dramatic.

Discover the town that defied a volcano

Our first stop is Heimaey, the only inhabited island in the Westman Islands, off Iceland's south coast. In 1973 an eruption nearly buried the town, and the island still carries the evidence.

Visit Eldheimar, a museum that features an excavated home frozen in time, and learn more about the eruption and its aftermath. Or why not take a hike to seek out puffins at Stórhöfði, where around eight million nest every summer. Don’t miss climbing Mount Eldfell – at the volcano’s summit you’ll have incredible views of the town below.

Sprawling Reykjavík, the nation's nerve center and government seat, is home to half the island's population. On a bay overlooked by proud Mt. Esja (pronounced eh-shyuh), with its ever-changing hues, Reykjavík presents a colorful sight, its concrete houses painted in light colors and topped by vibrant red, blue, and green roofs. In contrast to the almost treeless countryside, Reykjavík has many tall, native birches, rowans, and willows, as well as imported aspen, pines, and spruces.Reykjavík's name comes from the Icelandic words for smoke, reykur, and bay, vík. In AD 874, Norseman Ingólfur Arnarson saw Iceland rising out of the misty sea and came ashore at a bay eerily shrouded with plumes of steam from nearby hot springs. Today most of the houses in Reykjavík are heated by near-boiling water from the hot springs. Natural heating avoids air pollution; there's no smoke around. You may notice, however, that the hot water brings a slight sulfur smell to the bathroom.Prices are easily on a par with other major European cities. A practical option is to purchase a Reykjavík City Card at the Tourist Information Center or at the Reykjavík Youth Hostel. This card permits unlimited bus usage and admission to any of the city's seven pools, the Family Park and Zoo, and city museums. The cards are valid for one (ISK 3,300), two (ISK 4,400), or three days (ISK 4,900), and they pay for themselves after three or four uses a day. Even lacking the City Card, paying admission (ISK 500, or ISK 250 for seniors and people with disabilities) to one of the city art museums (Hafnarhús, Kjarvalsstaðir, or Ásmundarsafn) gets you free same-day admission to the other two.

Enjoy Reykjavík at your leisure

Your expedition ends in Reykjavik, a city that rewards a longer look. Stroll Laugavegur for independent shops and coffee, take in the striking Hallgrímskirkja church, or lose an afternoon in the city's galleries and museums. If you can, we highly recommend staying an extra night.

This marks the end of your time with us for now, but we hope it won't be the last.