Iceland lies at an avian crossroads! Themeeting place of Palearctic and Nearcticfaunal regions. Here we find the mostwesterly breeding grounds of both Wigeonand Pied Wagtail, and the most easterlybreeding populations of Great NorthernDiver, Harlequin Duck and Barrow'sGoldeneye. The variety of the island'sbirdlife may not be great, but many speciesare very much tamer here than elsewhere inEurope, and the sheer quality of Iceland'snorthern specialities has long attractedvisiting ornithologists. Mammals too, thoughfew, include a wide variety of seal species- though not all are easy to see -together with the occasional Arctic Fox. Slightly smaller than England, slightlylarger than Scotland, Iceland holds apopulation of just 250,000 people. Whenyou consider that over half of these live inthe south-west corner of the country, youget some idea of the population density.Nearly all of Iceland lies south of the ArcticCircle - just! However, it is still far enoughnorth for us to benefit from as muchdaylight as we could wish for during thetime of our visit.We begin our holiday with a flight fromLondon to Keflavik, Iceland's internationalairport. From here we transfer to the capitalof Reykjavík to connect with the shortinternal flight to Akureyri in the north of theisland. Our drive east from Akureyri will notonly introduce us to Iceland's spectacularscenery and landscapes, but should alsoyield our first northern birds, includingPtarmigan, Redwing and Golden Plover. Wewill be based for the first three nights of thetour in the beautifully positioned NarfastadirGuesthouse, located in a wide valley full ofbreeding waders and within easy reach ofthe Lake Mývatn, Iceland's foremostbirdwatching site. During our stay, we willdevote at least one day to the explorationand appreciation of the birds of this greatlake, looking especially for Barrow'sGoldeneye and Harlequin Duck. Otherwaterfowl we usually see here includeWigeon, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Scaup,Pochard, Common Scoter, Long-tailedDuck, Red-breasted Merganser andWhooper Swan. We can also expect to seemany Ptarmigan near the roads, and havea good chance of seeing the splendid GyrFalcon. Additionally, we will be able toappreciate the spectacular geothermalactivity around the lake; in particular,awesome high-pressure steam vents andboiling mud! On another day we will drive north andeast to the sea at Husavík. Here, bothIceland and Glaucous Gulls are generallypresent, and we will see the catches ofCod being laid out to dry on traditionaldrying racks. From here we will take awhale-watching trip. Minke Whales arenearly always seen, and frequently one ormore species of dolphin. On our last dayin this area we will travel west to Blönduósthrough beautiful valleys where we will bekeeping an eye open for Gyr Falcon.From the north-eastern corner of Iceland wenow drive west to the dramatic landscapesof the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. From ourbase in the attractive town of Stykkishólmurwe will head to the western-most point ofthe peninsula to view one of Iceland's largerseabird colonies, home to Kittiwakes,Fulmar and no less than five species of auk,including the much sought-after northernspeciality, the Brünnich's Guillemot. This isalso a good area to look for the elusiveArctic Fox. En route we will pass the hugeshield volcano, Snaefellsjokull, the doorwayinto the planet's interior chosen by JulesVerne for his book 'Journey to the Centre ofthe Earth'. If time permits, there may also bethe opportunity to take a boat out fromStykkishólmur in search ofseabirds, cetaceans and themagnificent White-tailed Eagle.We next turn south for our final two nightsat TPingvellir, the dramatic site of Iceland'sancient parliament. Our hotel is located onthe shores of Iceland's largest lake, LakeTPingvallavatn, home to the beautifulHarlequin Duck, plus Barrow's Goldeneye,Red-throated and Great Northern Divers,Whooper Swan and the wonderfullyconfiding Red-necked Phalarope.TPingvellir is also of interest to thegeologist, for it sits astride the Mid-AtlanticRidge, the great cleft in the Earth's crustthat separates the Eurasian tectonic platefrom the North American plate. Thejunction is marked by two series ofconspicuous parallel fault lines and sheerbasalt cliffs, separated by a wide sunkenvalley a kilometre or two in width.During our time at TPingvellir we will visitthe very best of these volcanic andgeothermal landforms. These will includeGeysir, home to the original 'geyser' (nowsadly dormant) and other more activegeothermal spoutings and hot springs andGullfoss (the Golden Falls), a spectaculardouble cascade of meltwater popularlyconsidered the most beautiful waterfall inIceland. Birds and other wildlife will play animportant part even on our moregeological excursions. Black-tailed Godwit,Whimbrel, Snipe and other waders allbreed around TPingvellir as do SlavonianGrebe, Greylag Goose, Redwing and SnowBunting, whilst down on the coast past themighty waterfall of Selfoss, we hope to findboth Common and Grey Seals.From TPingvellir we complete our journeyback to Reykjavík and then on to theinternational airport at Keflavik to catch ourreturn flight home. 81Outline itineraryDay 1Fly Akureyri, viaKeflavik. TransferNarfastadir. Day 2/3Excursions from Mývatn.Day 4Blönduós.Day 5/6Stykkishólmur.Day 7/8Tpingvellir and Geysir.Day 9Fly London.Accommodation Comfortable hotels throughout,each with private facilities.FoodAll included in the price, except forevening meals. Allow £30 per dayfor these.GradingA traditional birdwatching tour,including plenty of gentle walkingexcursions. Grade A/B.FocusBirds, whales and geothermalactivity.LeaderMalcolm Stott.Single room supplement£295.ExtensionsArranged on request, with orwithout car rental. Web quick search: ISL01Book direct on 01962 733051or see page 280 for Booking InformationIcelandA 9-day holiday amongst dramatic scenery in search of the breeding birds (plus whales and other mammals) of this wild and beautiful land.Tuesday 22nd May - Wednesday 30th May Cost: £1,795(This tour can be combined with our new 'West Greenland - Bowheads, Icefjords &Glaciers' cruise. Call 01962 733051 for further information)´´BLÖNDUÓS´ISAFJÖRDURKEFLAVIKTPINGVELLIRREYKJAVIKBLANDAHVITATHJORSÀSKJALFANDAFLIOTLAGARFLIOTJÖKULSÀSEYDHISFJÖRDURHUSAVIKAKUREYRIHUNAVELLIRMYVATNDETTIFOSSICELANDVATNA JÖKULL(ICE)STYKKISHÓLMURSNAEFELLSNESPENINSULAHarlequin DuckGullfoss

At the junction of two continents, on theoutermost fringe of habitation, Icelandwas born millions of years ago fromthe depths of the ocean. This spectacularisland sits astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge,that great cleft in the Earth's crust that runsnorth to south through the Atlantic Basinand which is slowly, centimetre bycentimetre, widening the Atlantic Ocean andpulling the Americas and Europe/Africaapart. This irrepressible force of nature hascreated an island blessed with some of themost spectacular landscapes on Earth, aplace where geology and geography textbooks come to life and where the explosiveprocesses of land formation can bewatched in action. While Iceland's vast interior covers morethan 50,000 square kilometres and isdominated by volcanoes, glaciers andendless stony deserts, its coastal regionsare, by contrast, vibrant, colourful andproductive, and none more so than atOræfasveit in the south-east. Oræfasveit isone of the most beautiful and multifacetedregions in the whole of Iceland, isolated andsqueezed between the Atlantic's poundingsurf and the enormity of the Vatnajökullicecap. Although popular in the summer,few travellers venture here in September toenjoy the spectacular scenery in all itsautumnal glory.Iceland is also one of the main staging-posts along the Atlantic 'flyway' for birdsbreeding further north, providing anopportunity to refuel on their long migrationsouth. The plaintive cries from flocks ofGolden Plover drift over russet-colouredmoorlands, while Gyr Falcons patroloverhead and small parties of geese brieflyreunite, joining Whooper Swans to graze theautumn grasses before continuing south.Along the coastline Purple Sandpiper,Sanderling, Dunlin and Knot eagerly feedand are joined from time to time bychattering flocks of Snow Buntings. Theunambiguous sound of Great NorthernDivers enhances the otherworldlyatmosphere at TPingvallavatn, and Barrow'sGoldeneye are often encountered on theRiver Sog. We begin our holiday with a 3-hour flightfrom Heathrow to the international airport atKeflavik. From here we will drive, byminibus, through ancient lava fields to ourfirst hotel close to the most celebrated of allIceland's landscapes, TPingvellir. This is avery special place. Not only is TPingvelliraniconic place in Iceland's history (the settingfor the world's first parliament), but it sitsastride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge itself and isone of the few places where you can walkfrom Europe to America in just a few steps! At the end of September theheathland is also awash with the subtlerusset-brown, yellow and fiery-red hues ofautumn. Gullfoss, one of Iceland's mostspectacular waterfalls, thunders nearby,while no visit to the region is completewithout time-watching the geothermalfeatures and boiling mud pools at Geysir. Next we head east along the south coast toSkaftafell, passing an inspirationallandscape of golden grasslands, softcushions of green and grey Rhacomitrummosses, weird black lava formations andlofty rhyolite mountains en route. It is nosurprise that the area surrounding Skaftafellwas declared a national park in 1967 and,covering nearly 5,000 square kilometres,Skaftafell National Park is the largest singleprotected area in Europe. Our hotel for thenext two nights lies in the shadow ofIceland's highest mountain with views of itsdramatic snow-bound 2,200-metre peaks.One of the most majestic natural spectaclesin Iceland is the ice-lagoon at Jokulsarlonon the edge of the BreidamerkurjokullGlacier. The lagoon is filled with icebergs ofevery conceivable shape and size whichhave calved off the glacier and thenbecome trapped. Jokulsarlon is renownedfor its unique interplay of light and ice and,since there is no better way to appreciatethis spectacle than from the water, our tourincludes a boat ride on this amazinglagoon.All too soon we must retrace our journeyback to Keflavik, through a landscape ofcountless waterfalls that plunge fromtowering cliffs into the valleys below. For ourfinal two nights we will be staying at theaptly named 'Northern Lights Inn'. We mustkeep our fingers crossed for clear skies sowe can make use of the hotel's newobservatory and watch for the etherealflickerings of the Aurora Borealis. Finally, onour last full day, we will explore the capitalbefore - weather permitting - taking awhale-watching cruise out of Reykjavik. Thiswill offer an opportunity to enjoy some ofthe amazing marine mammals that inhabitIceland's rich coastal waters, as well as aninteresting variety of seabirds. Sightingsusually include Minke Whale and White-beaked Dolphin, and perhaps even Orca orHumpback Whale for the fortunate few - afitting finale to our time in Iceland before wereturn to Keflavik Airport for our flight home.Iceland in Autumn - Glaciers,Icebergs & Waterfalls A 7-day holiday to southern Iceland focusing on the island's spectacular landscapes, migrating birds and the Northern Lights. Sunday 16th September - Saturday 22nd September Cost: £1,595Outline itineraryDay 1Fly Keflavik and transferTpingvellir.Day 2Tpingvellir.Day 3/4Skaftafell National Park.Day 5/6Keflavik.Day 7Fly London.AccommodationComfortable hotels throughout, allrooms with private facilities.FoodAll included in the price except forevening meals. Allow £30 per dayfor these.GradingGrade A. Easy walks, althoughsometimes on rough terrain.FocusScenery, autumnal colours andwildlife.LeaderMalcolm Stott.Single room supplement£295.Web quick search: ISL0382Call now or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk for your free Trip Itinerary´KEFLAVIKREYKJAVIKBLANDAHVITATHJORSÀLAGARFLIOTJÖKULSÀSKAFTAFELLJOKULSARLONICELANDVATNAJÖKULL(ICE)BLUE LAGOONSNAEFELLSNESPENINSULATPINGVELLIRNorthern LightsWhite-beaked DolphinIce-lagoon, Jokulsarlon