Birding in Iceland.Exotic birds on anExotic Island.The Lake Myvatn Birding Tour |
|
|
This unique area has been described as a strange meeting place of two worlds where you are able to find flora and fauna from both the temperate and arctic zones. The area is also a highly active volcanic area situated on the west edge of the meeting point of the Eurasian- and North American plates. By the end of the day you’ll have traveled by and visited, among other things, a range of pseudo-craters, volcanoes of different sizes, hot springs and new lava fields with lava pillars. |
|
|
Leave for Iceland on a Sunday evening, start birding Tuesday in Iceland. Explore for four plus days. Return on the following Monday. Or extend either end of this trip to do and see more of Iceland. For Americans we include an extra day before birding to give you a chance to explore Reykjavik and its surroundings and to make up for a brief flight that has taken away 4 or 5 hours of your night, and some sleep. |
|
|
Here is a day by day itinerary: Sunday. Day 0 Monday, Day 1 Tuesday Day 2: Along the shore ocean waves crash onto the coast. You’ll have a look at a few wetlands on the Reykjanes peninsula, which should yield the first Red-necked Phalaropes of the trip. Other migrants, such as the Ringed Plover, European Golden Plover and drumming Common Snipe, will be conspicuous, while the shoreline will hold some visiting Red Knot and Sanderling. Dunlin and Purple Sandpiper will also be around and all will, of course, be in splendid summer plumage. Other species, such as Harlequin Duck, Great Northern Diver, Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant, Black-legged Kittiwake, Arctic Tern, Razorbill, Redwing, Meadow Pipit and many more should also be seen during the day in the spectacular moonlike landscape. You’ll end your tour around Reykjanes Peninsula by going for a swim and relaxing at the Blue Lagoon. Wednesday, Day 3. Lake Myvatn is around 23 square miles in size (37km2), making it Iceland’s second largest natural lake. It has been described as a strange meeting place of two worlds where you are able to find flora and fauna from both the temperate and arctic zones. The area is also highly volcanically active, situated on the west edge of the meeting point of the Eurasian- and North American tectonic plates. During the day you will be exploring, among other things, a range of pseudo-craters, volcanoes of different sizes, hot springs and recent lava fields with lava pillars. You’ll see birds in the thousands, including species such as Great Northern Diver (Common Loon), Horned Grebe (Slavonian Grebe), Barrow’s Goldeneye, Harlequin duck, Long-tailed Duck, Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Greater Scaup and Tufted Duck. Species such as Red-necked Phalarope, Redwings, Common Snipe and Redshank will also be abundant all around you. Thursday, Day 4. After having lunch you’ll head north to the small town of Husavik, where you embark on a whale watching trip on Skjalfandi bay. It is arguably the best area in Iceland to watch whales. An astonishing number of cetacean species have been recorded there - 12 species in total. Cetaceans you may see include Minke Whales, which are the most common species in the bay, White-beaked Dolphin, Humpback Whale and Porpoise. Orca (Killer Whale) and the magnificent Blue Whale have also been seen regularly in the area in recent years. Friday, Day 5: Price for May departure is $3248 per person, double occupancy. Single accommodations is $3558 Price for June, July & August departure is $3358 per person, double occupancy. Single accommodations is $3668 Travel dates: Leave US Sunday, return to US Friday. Tour starts on Tuesday and runs from May 11th - August 3rd. Price includes round trip airfare, including fuel surcharge and US departure taxes from Boston, New York, or Minneapolis. Add $110 per person from Seattle. (ask for prices from Toronto, Halifax and Europe). The price also includes all airport transfers,and transportation, a night before the tour in a Reykjavik hotel with breakfast and all other accommodations. During the 4 days of the birding tour accommodations, all meals except dinners when in Reykjavik, all transportation and expert guiding are included. Not included meals on arrival day and during the tour, there’s no dinners while in Reykjavik |
||
|
The website www.IcelandAdventure.com lists many other tours, activities and things to do in Iceland,descriptive text and ideas. with a lot of photos and descriptions
|
||
|
Iceland Adventure, LLC Riga Station Road © Horses North, LLC |
||