Most people who visit Iceland drive it. We've done that too, and it's a wonderful way to see the country.
But sailing around Iceland is a different proposition entirely.
The Ring Road keeps you on the land, looking out. A circumnavigation puts you on the water, looking in — arriving at fishing towns from the direction the fishing boats do, going ashore by Zodiac on islands with no harbour, and reaching stretches of coastline the road never touches.
In late May 2022 we did exactly that, aboard the Ocean Diamond with Iceland ProCruises.
Before the ship — Reykjanes, Reykjavík and the Golden Circle
We flew overnight from Chicago and were met at the airport by our guide, along with the rest of our group.
Rather than going straight into the city, we went to The Retreat at Blue Lagoon for a property tour, including the wine cellar built into a lava tube. Then we spent a couple of hours in the lagoon itself — the warm water, the ritual, the whole thing — which is a reasonable way to deal with an overnight flight.
Afterwards we checked into Hotel Island in Reykjavík and had lunch at Hekla, the hotel's restaurant.
The rest of the day went to the city: Skólavörðustígur, the rainbow street running up toward Hallgrímskirkja; Harpa concert hall; Café Loki; the Sun Voyager; Tjörnin; and the Settlement Exhibition. We also toured the Apotek Hotel, the Radisson Blu and The EDITION — the kind of thing we do on most trips, because knowing a property firsthand is the difference between recommending it and repeating a brochure.
A good first day.
Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss and Friðheimar
Our guide picked us up in the morning and we headed to Þingvellir.
We walked all the trails, learning the history of the site as we went — ducks and fish in the water, waterfalls along the way. Having a guide through the park meant we didn't miss anything, which is harder to manage on your own than it looks.
From there to Geysir to watch the geyser and see the Geysir hotel, then a short drive up the road to Gullfoss.
Gullfoss is one of Iceland's great waterfalls, and the story of how it came to be protected is worth knowing. We were able to walk right up to the falls, and it wasn't too busy, so we had time to stand there properly rather than fight for a spot.
Lunch was at Friðheimar, where the owner greeted us and walked us through the whole operation — the tomato houses, the bees, the stables, the story of how the place came to be. Then we sat down to homemade bread and tomato soup.
It's one of those stops that works because it's completely tied to where you are.
Selfoss, Sky Lagoon and embarkation
We drove toward Selfoss, walked the river, and had lunch at Tryggvaskáli, where the chef put together something specially for the group. Icelandic ingredients prepared in ways we hadn't seen before — worth a stop if you're in the area.
Then Sky Lagoon, for the water and the ritual.
And then to the port, where we said goodbye to our guide and went aboard the Ocean Diamond.
Stykkishólmur — a glacier in a blizzard
Our first stop was Stykkishólmur, and our first excursion took us up onto Snæfellsjökull.
We went up by snowcat and hiked around the top of the glacier — in a blizzard. That limited how far we could range, since wandering off in poor visibility on a glacier means fissures you can't see.
It's the kind of day that tells you something real about expedition travel. The glacier was the plan; the blizzard decided how much of the plan we got. Nobody was disappointed.
Afterwards we walked in Snæfellsjökull National Park, and in the afternoon took a short Zodiac tour to see the park from the water. Plenty of seabirds — and our first couple of puffins.
That evening brought the port recap, a briefing on the next day, and a slideshow on the visions of Iceland.
Ísafjörður — Dynjandi and a brewery
We stopped at Ísafjörður and took a bus to Dynjandi.
Dynjandi isn't one waterfall but a series. The water comes down from the mountain plateau toward Arnarfjörður through Hæstahjallafoss, Strompgljúfrafoss, Göngumannafoss, Hrísvaðsfoss, Hundafoss and Bæjarfoss before reaching the fjord. We hiked up to the top, which is a real climb, and took a great many photographs on the way.
On the way back we stopped at Hrafnseyri, a historic estate and cultural site on the northern shore of Arnarfjörður.
And before reboarding, we stopped at Dokkan Brugghús for a few local beers.
That night there was storytelling — Icelandic folk tales, told properly.
Siglufjörður and Hrísey
We arrived at Siglufjörður and walked the town, then stopped at the Segul 67 brewery for a tour with a couple of the other guests.
In the afternoon we went to Hrísey and walked the island.
Flatey and Húsavík — puffins, then weather
In the morning we went ashore by Zodiac to Flatey, the island in Skjálfandi Bay.
This was the puffin day.
There were puffins everywhere — on the cliffs, in the tall grass, flying out over the water. The sheer number of them was the thing. We could have stayed for hours watching, and didn't particularly want to leave when it was time to.
In the afternoon we went to Húsavík and took a RIB out whale watching. The weather turned, and it got rough. We saw a couple of humpbacks, but on that trip the weather won.
That's whale watching. Some days you get the day you hoped for and some days the sea decides otherwise — which is worth saying plainly, because a lot of trip reports only describe the good days.
That night there was a barbecue on the ship.
Goðafoss, a turf farm, and the Arctic Circle
We took a bus toward Mývatn, stopping at Goðafoss and at Grenjaðarstaður, the historic turf-roofed farm.
That night we marked the Arctic Circle ceremony at 66°33' north, with local favourites — fermented shark, and Brennivín to go with it.
Seydisfjörður — up the mountain
Next was Seyðisfjörður, where we walked up the mountain and hiked along the ridge, starting at Tvísöngur.
It was a good hike. Wildflowers out, small streams running down the slope, and the fjord below.
Back down in town we walked the rainbow road, stopped at a local restaurant and wandered the shops.
Djúpivogur — Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach
From Djúpivogur we took a bus to Jökulsárlón, where we took a boat out into the glacier lagoon among the icebergs, then had time to walk Diamond Beach.
Vestmannaeyjar — Eldfell, a sea cave and an opera singer
The last day of the cruise took us to Vestmannaeyjar.
We started with the Eldfell hike and learned the history of the 1973 eruption — a volcano that opened up beside a working town and buried part of it, while the islanders fought to keep the harbour. The street signs with puffin faces on them were a nice touch.
Then we took Zodiacs out around the island and went into a sea cave, where an opera singer performed.
The acoustics in a sea cave are not something you can really prepare someone for.
The weather was clear, the birds were all out, and seabirds covered the rocks. We also saw Ellidaey — the island with the single house on it, widely circulated online as "the loneliest house in the world." It's a lodge belonging to a local puffin-hunting association, not the retreat of a reclusive billionaire or a gift to Björk, whatever the internet says.
Heading home
We docked in Reykjavík and went to the airport.
Ten days, a full lap of the country, and a set of places we'd never have reached by road.
