Itinerary

JUNE 30 - ARRIVAL TO ICELAND
June 30 is the latest you should arrive in Iceland. The international airport is in Keflavik and flights from the USA arrive in the early morning. You will need to arrange for a ground transfer (many easy options...bus, taxi, private transport) from Keflavik to Reykjavik (about 45 minute drive). You will need to book a hotel room in Reykjavik for the night of June 30.

You will arrive at your hotel at mid-morning and early check-in may not be available. This means that you may have to hang out in the hotel lobby until mid-afternoon or store your luggage at the hotel and explore Reykjavik. I usually book two nights (June 29th and 30th) so that I can check in upon arrival at the hotel in the mid-morning.

JULY 1 - REYKJAVIK to LANGANES PENINSULA
Our tour starts in Reykjavik in the morning, and we'll be flying from the Domestic Airport in Reykjavik to the town of Akureyri. We will pick up our van and make our way to the Langanes Peninsula in the northeast. We'll make regular stops along the way where we may have our first encounter with some of Iceland's common moorland birds, such as Whimbrel, Golden Plover, Redshank and Snipe. The aim is to arrive at Langanes Peninsula in the late afternoon and venture out to a Northern Gannet colony in the evening. The Gannets are breeding on a rock stack slightly offshore, but they soar by the cliffs where we can safely photograph them. We will then spend the next two nights at a nearby guesthouse located on a working sheep farm.

JULY 2 - LANGANES PENINSULA
In order to accommodate for possible foggy conditions on the northeast coastline we will spend two nights at a guesthouse in the Langanes peninsula. This will give us additional photo opportunities with the gannets. We will also explore the rest of the peninsula on the search for other birds, such as; arctic tern, black-tailed godwit, common eider, European oystercatcher, whooping swan and much more.

JULY 3 - LANGANES PENINSULA to AKUREYRI
We may return to the Gannets in the morning, depending on our success the previous evening. Then we'll eventually start traveling back west, going through an area with a few pairs of Red-throated Loons breeding on small ponds. The vast open tundra of Melrakkasletta also holds an impressive number of birds, with big numbers of Eider Ducks present. This area is very remote and has a High-Arctic feeling to it.

We may also pass through the Lake Myvatn region. It is a heaven for breeding waterfowl and although this is not the prime time for ducks, as they have started molting, there are a number of other species present at Myvatn and its outflowing Laxa River. Some of the ducks might have ducklings and although Horned Grebes have lost their tuft feathers, they should have chicks. Lake Myvatn and its surroundings never disappoint bird photographers at any time of the year. We will also likely stop at a couple of areas along the way to enjoy and photograph the spectacular landscapes of Iceland, including waterfalls and a geothermal area. At the end of the day we'll be at a hotel in Akureyri.

JULY 4 - FERRY to GRIMSEY ISLAND
We'll board the ferry to Grimsey Island in the morning and do the three-hour crossing. This is a good opportunity to be on watch for whales and seabirds and we'll have sightings of Fulmars, Black-legged Kittiwakes and Arctic Terns from the ferry, just to name a few. When we arrive to the island we'll settle into our accommodation. I have booked a guesthouse for our group. The guesthouse is ideally located outside the main village and there are Puffins nesting just steps from the front door. There are indeed Puffins nesting all around the small island and it is by far the best place in Iceland for Puffin photography. Although the island is small, it is too large to walk from one end to another with camera gear so we'll have a vehicle with us so that we can freely move around and choose shooting locations according to the light and weather conditions.

JULY 4-9 - GRIMSEY ISLAND
Six full days of bird photography on Grimsey will give us repeated opportunities for capturing Puffins in flight and hanging around the colonies. At this time of year, they will be starting to feed their chicks (pufflings) and nesting birds can be seen with beaks full of catch. Apart from the Puffins this is a prime location for Razorbills, another very handsome representative of the Auk family. And while the cliffs are packed with seabirds there are also several other Arctic birds breeding on the island. Arctic Terns nest just outside the guesthouse and so do a few pairs of Ringed Plover and Golden Plover. Red-necked Phalaropes can be seen regularly and Red Phalaropes have also been spotted in the last two years. Snow Buntings are common breeders on the island and Purple Sandpipers can also be photographed along the shoreline. At this time of year, the sun does not set but it does skip along the horizon providing many hours of golden light when the conditions are right. This unique island provides some of the finest bird photography opportunities in Iceland.

JULY 9 - FERRY TO DALVIK
The ferry does not leave Grimsey until the late afternoon, so we'll have a morning and afternoon photography session before boarding the ferry. We will spend the night at a hotel in Akureyri.

JULY 10 - RETURN to REYKJAVIK
You will have a morning flight from Akureyri to the Domestic Airport in Reykjavik. From there, you can make your way to the international airport in Keflavik for flights departing Iceland...or you may continue to explore Iceland on your own.