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

The limestone Sorrento Peninsula isfamous for its beautiful coastalscenery. On its southern side, highcliffs shelter such historic towns as Amalfiand Positano. From its northern edge,splendid views unfold over the Bay ofNaples, to Vesuvius and Capri. Down themiddle of the peninsula a mountainousspine rises to 1,300 metres, forming atypical limestone scenery of weatheredpeaks and deep gorges. These provide afine range of habitats where a rich andvaried flora is found, together with awealth of attendant insects and otheranimals. The peninsula also lies on amajor migration route, and at the time ofour spring visit the resident bird populationshould be swollen by large numbers ofmany passage species. This is an unusualNaturetrek destination for it differs from themajority of our other tours by being basedin a bustling, busy tourist region. However,for those looking to combine historicalsites with natural history, we feel this is anexcellent choice. The excitement of visitingCapri and the treasures of Pompeii willmake the inevitable crowds seeminsignificant and they will be left behind aswe seek to discover the region's richnatural history by means of an ancientnetwork of tracks, many well way-markedby the Club Alpino Italiano.We begin our holiday with a flight toNaples, just an hour's drive from Sorrentowhere we will be based throughout thisholiday in a comfortable hotel offeringspectacular views over the Bay of Naples.Sorrento is an attractive mix of ancientcathedral city, working town, port and busyresort. As a centre for communications it iswell placed to provide the various meansof transport that will assist us on ourexplorations. Here many will have their firstview of the distinctive local Italian Sparrow,whilst the monotonous but cheerful jinglingsong of Serins can be heard everywhere.We will begin our programme of walks onthe coast, enjoying woodlands carpetedwith Cyclamen repandum, and open cliff-top grasslands bedecked with Cistusspecies, the colourful Tree Spurge,broomrapes and orchids, of which Orchisitalicais the most common andwidespread. This is the typical habitat ofSardinian and Subalpine Warblers, TawnyPipit, Blue Rock Thrush and the ubiquitousFan-tailed Warbler. Here, as on all ourwalks, there are beautiful views along thecoast and across to the mountains. Youwill need plenty of film on this holiday! A short boat journey, during which we willlook out for Cory's and MediterraneanShearwaters, takes us to the island ofCapri. Here we will walk to the highestpoint, where Peregrine Falcons breed onthe steep cliffs and passing migrants aresometimes numerous. Amongst the latterwe should see Alpine, Pallid and CommonSwifts, Bee-eaters, Hoopoes, Wheatears,and a variety of shrikes and warblers.Once again we should find a good varietyof orchids, including the local form of theLate Spider Orchid (Ophrys fuciflora ssp. oxyrrhynchos).Vesuvius (1,277 metres high) has aninteresting flora that illustrates well thecolonisation of lava flows. The endemiclichen Stereocaulon vesuvianumandMount Etna Broom (Genista aetnensis) areparticularly noteworthy. A car park near thetop makes exploration easy, and the walkto the summit is made well worthwhile bythe fine views, the Rock Thrushes thatinhabit the crater, and the birds of preyoverhead. At the foot of the mountain liethe excavated ruins of the Roman city ofPompeii. These show the incredibledestructive power of Vesuvius, whichengulfed not only Pompeii but also thenearby town of Herculaneum. If you havepreviously seen no more than our humbleselection of Roman ruins in Britain, thenyou will be quite unprepared for the scaleand beauty of these buildings, and theskills and planning that went into them.There is no doubt that our visit to Pompeiiwill richly reward a little time off from ournatural history explorations.Monte Faito is a very different mountain. A long ridge reached by cable car, thewoods at its summit are carpeted withAnemone apennina, blue and white, whilstin the open areas we should find bothRoman and Sicilian Orchids (Dactylorhizaromanaand D. markusii), and ProvenceOrchid (Orchis provincialis). Around itsrocky outcrops a more montane floraoccurs - crucifers, violas, Doronicumandsaxifrages. The views back to Vesuvius,across the Monti Lattari massif and southover to the Bay of Salerno are magnificent.The picturesque little village of Neranoprovides the backdrop for anotherstunning walk through olive groves anddown to the coast at Ieranto. Orchids areparticularly numerous here, with Sawfly,Mirror, Bumblebee and various TongueOrchids delighting the eye, while butterflyspecies likely to be seen includeabundant Cleopatras and Swallowtails,Southern Festoon and various blues.We will finish our tour with a furtheropportunity to examine the garrigue, andthe more open mountainsides, as wefollow a path along the flanks of MonteCerrasuolo, which rises to 750 metresabove Positano and offers wide viewsaround the many bays of the southerncoast. These rocky areas are a goodhabitat for Italian Wall Lizard, CommonLizard and Moorish Gecko for, asthroughout this holiday, whilst it will be theflowers that hold our primary focus, wewill not ignore the many other attractionsof the area - the reptiles, birds,butterflies and history. Above all, theSorrento Peninsula is able to offer abroad-ranging holiday amongstmagnificent scenery, combiningfascinating historical sites with the wildlifethat lives alongside them. Italy - The SorrentoPeninsulaAn 8-day exploration of the rich Mediterranean and mountain flora, birds and butterflies of this relatively undiscovered area!Wednesday 11th April - Wednesday 18th April Cost: £1,295Book direct on 01962 733051or see page 280 for Booking InformationNAPLESVESUVIUSSORRENTOCAPRIAMALFISALERNOMEDITERRANEANSEAGULF OFSALERNOGULF OFNAPLESITALYOutline itineraryDay 1Fly Naples and drive toSorrento.Day 2/7A daily programme ofbotanical and naturalhistory walks from ourbase in Sorrento. Day 8Fly London.AccommodationA comfortable and friendly hotel inSorrento, all rooms with privatefacilities.FoodAll included in the price.GradingDay walks only. Grade B with oneoptional B+.FocusPlants, birds, butterflies andreptiles, plus a little history!LeadersPaul Harmes (botanist) and DaveNevitt (ornithologist).Single room supplement£150.ExtensionsAvailable on request, with orwithout car rental.Web quick search: ITA0383Viola eugeniaeSardinian WarblerAbove Positano