Announcing:

NEW! Iceland 2008 !

I am excited to announce that I will be offering this amazing Iceland adventure with the guide services of photographer and Ornithologist Jóhann Óli Hilmarsson!

Jóhann literally wrote the bestselling book "Icelandic Bird Guide" - so he knows his stuff and will take us to all the great hotspots that he has come to know over his years exploring this fascinating place.

For the last one and a half decades or so Jóhann has worked entirely on birds, both as a photographer and an ornithologist, as well as guide for foreign and local birdwatchers, and also as leader for Icelandic birdwatchers abroad. Jóhann Óli has been working on conservation for years and is currently the chairman of Fuglavernd – BirdLife Iceland (=The Icelandic Society for the Protection of Birds), which is the Icelandic member of BirdLife International.

Mr. Hilmarsson's photos have been published in magazines, books, papers, exhibitions and websites all over the world. His main work is the bestselling Icelandic Bird Guide (see http://randburg.com/is/birdguide.html ). A book on Atlantic Puffins will be published soon.

E.J. Peiker will also be joining us and will share his expertise in Landscape photography as well as all things technical. E.J. has been the Senior Technical Editor for NatureScapes.net for the past 4 years and he is known for his vast technical knowledge and fantastic landscape and avian imagery.

I am extremely pleased to have so much talent on this trip and, as trips go, I have been looking forward to this one for a long time. Perhaps more than any other trip - including Africa and Antarctica!!

I can't wait to get there!

Read on for more info....

Detailed itinerary:

Day 1. - June 14th

Keflvik airport - Stykkisholmur

We arrive early in the morning at Keflavik airport. Where professional photographer Jóhann Óli Hilmarsson our local guide meets us and takes us to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula where we stay for the night.

Snaefellsnes Peninsula located in the west of Iceland is an area featuring extraordinary moorlands, meadows, marshlands, rivers and streams along with beautiful rock formations and black sand beaches. Birds such as Kittiwakes, Harlequin ducks, Meadow Pipits, Black Guillemots and the Icelandic race of Black-Tailed Godwits should be among the good oportunities we get in this spectacular area.

Our first night in Iceland will be spent in the small town of Stykkisholmur on the north part of the peninsula.

Day 2. - June 15th

Stykkisholmur- Flatey – Breidavik

In the morning we take the ferry Baldur to Flatey island. Flatey island is situated in the Breidafjordur bay. Filled with thousunds of islands, islets and skerries Breidafjordur bay will give us great photography oppurtunities. Flatey island holds stunningly rich birdlife with unusually tame birds that live closely with humans. Among these birds Common Redshanks, Red-necked Phalaropes, Arctic terns, Black Guillemots and Snow Buntings should give great photography oppurtunities. The island also holds a small breeding colony of Red Phalaropes which is the only colony in Iceland that is not kept secret.

In the afternoon we continue our way over the Breidafjordur bay to the north shore where we will drive to our hotel at Breidavik which will be our main base for the next three days.

Day 3. - June 16th

Breidavik

Early in the morning we make our way to the Latrabjarg birdcliff.

Latrabjarg cliff marking the westernmost part of Iceland and therefore the westernmost part of Europe is about 14 km long and up to 440 m high. Latrabjarg cliff is Iceland's biggest birdcliff and holds differnt sorts of seabird colonies. Among them species such as Puffin, Common Murre, Kittiwake, Northern Fulmar, Thick-billed Murre and the largest Razorbill colony in the world. Latrabjarg cliff is famous for it's photographic oportunities with among the most tame breeding Puffins and Razorbills one can find.

Day 4. - June 17th

Breidavik

Today we continue with another session at the Latrabjarg cliff and the exquisite area around. Latrabjarg cliff's position is to the south making it a great place for photography from early in the morning to late in the evening.

Day 5. - June 18th

Breidavik – Stykkisholmur

We start the day by travelling back to the ferry Baldur which will take us again over the Breidafjordur bay. At Flatey Island we should have exeptional views of Puffins on sea and Red-necked Phalaropes by our feets. We should also have singing male Snow Buntings and breeding Black Guillemots and many more great tame birds to photograph. In the evening we make our way over to the town of Stykkisholmur where we stay for the night.

Day 6. - June 19th

Stykkisholmur- Eldhestar

Today we start our journey from the west part of Iceland to the south.

On the way our local guide Jóhann Óli will takes us to the most interesting areas with the best oppurtunities available.

The afternoon and evening will be spent in the Floi Nature Reserve. The Floi Nature reserve is a reclaimed wetland. Reclaimed by Fuglavernd (The Icelandic Society for the Protection of Birds). Our local guide Jóhann Óli is probaly the best person one could take with him to the Reserve since he is one of the people who made it real and is currently the Chief Executive of Fuglavernd. In the reserve our focus will be mainly on breeding shorebirds and waders such as Black-tailed Godwits, Whimbrels, Dunlins, Red-necked Phalaropes and Red-necked Loons.

Day 7. - June 20th

Eldhestar – Freysnes

On day seven we make our way towards the east.

On the way we will see many of Iceland 's main attractions among them Seljalandsfoss waterfall, Eyjafjallajokull glacier, Myrdalsjokull glacier, Skogafoss waterfall, Dyrholaey and the town of Vik . We will drive through some of Iceland's most vegetated areas, through farmlands in valleys between high mountains with glaciers on top, through small villages, huge open areas with nothing but black sand as far as your eye can see and big fields of young lava before reaching our hotel at Freysnes. On the way we will look at some hot spots for birding which should produce among other species good opportunities for photographing breeding Great Skuas, Arctic Terns, Redwings, Common Redpolls and possibly the Winter Wren.

Day 8. - June 21st

Freysnes - Eldhestar

We will start the day early and leave our hotel at around 4am for the early morning light at Jokulsarlon (the Glaciar lagoon).

This area situated in the realm of Vatnajokull glacier, Europe's largest glacier, has been famous for both landscape photgraphy as well as bird photography for many years. The area has also been filmed alot since it became famous and big scenes in movies such as James Bond, Tomb Raider, Batman Begins and many more were shot there.

The birdlife in the area looks truly arctic with dominant species being Arctic Terns, Great Skuas and Eiders hunting and swimming among icebergs.

The evening will be spent at Cape Ingolfshofdi, an isolated headland between black sands and the Atlantic Ocean, with hundreds of thousands of nesting seabirds. The side offers a splendid photography opportunity for species such as nesting Great Skuas and Puffins. The journey out to the Cape is in a modified hay cart pulled by a tractor. 

Day 9. - June 22nd

Freysnes - Eldhestar

We make our way back to our previous base near Floi Nature Reserve where we will have another evening session. The reserve can with good evening lighting be undoubtedly one of Iceland's greatest spots for breeding waders and sorebirds.

Day 10. - June 23rd

Eldhestar - Keflavik airport

The downtown pond in Reykjavik, gives us great opportunities for some species otherwise hard to approach. Then we head to the Keflavik airport. Flights out are mid-afternoon.

RATES (Rates are net, per person, in USD, double occupancy) (max 10 participants)