Iceland - Land of Fire and Ice (Small Group) 2026

08 Jun 2026 - 15 Jun 2026 (8 days)

EUR3,995 NO SPACES AVAILABLE

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Tour Leader: Robert Williams

Tour Price (Per person): EUR3,995 (USD4,651 * GBP3,489 * AUD6,694)

Single Supplement: EUR1,180 (USD1,374 * GBP1,030 * AUD1,977)

Lying far out into the North Atlantic Ocean, the volcanic island of Iceland is the land between two continents; a land of fire and ice with its Viking heritage. While Iceland doesn’t have a long list of breeding birds, those that do occur are in many cases abundant, with globally important populations of waders, wildfowl and seabirds. In fact, its towering cliffs are among the largest seabird colonies on the planet, with five species of breeding auk, including Atlantic Puffin and Thick-billed Murre (Brünnich’s Guillemot), while the numerous lakes and wetlands are teeming with an array of divers, ducks and waders, such as Harlequin Duck, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Red‐necked Phalarope and Purple Sandpiper. Top of many people’s wish list is the world’s mightiest falcon, Gyr Falcon, and Iceland has a healthy population of this supreme predator. As a backdrop to all this there is also the country itself, with its volcanoes, lava fields, glaciers, spouting geysers, mud pools, dramatic coasts and black sand beaches making for spectacular and other-worldly scenery at every turn!

Top Birds

Atlantic Puffin; Thick-billed Murre (Brünnich’s Guillemot); Harlequin & Long-tailed Ducks; Barrow’s Goldeneyes; Red‐necked & Red Phalaropes; Purple Sandpiper; Gyr Falcon; Common Loon (Great Norther Diver); Whooper Swan; Snow Bunting; Razorbill; Black-legged Kittiwake; Glaucous & Iceland Gulls; Rock Ptarmigan; Pink-footed Goose; European Golden Plover; Red-breasted Merganser; Horned (Slavonian) Grebe and Short-eared Owl.

Top Mammals

White‐beaked Dolphin; Minke, Killer, Humpback or even Blue Whales; Arctic Fox.

Habitats Covered

tundra, coast, pelagic, lagoons, wetlands, lakes, volcanic landscapes, rivers

Expected Climate

day time temperatures average between 16 - 20ºC, while coastal wind and evenings are cooler

Max Group Size

6 with 1 Rockjumper leader

Tour Pace & Walking

UNDEMANDING: This tour is ideal for birders and wildlife enthusiasts of all experience levels. It’s suitable for most mobility levels and offers a relaxed pace, ensuring an enjoyable experience for everyone.

Suitable for all birding / wildlife interest levels. Long hours due to limited darkness (at this time of year, daylight is almost 24hrs a day)

Accommodation

Comfortable

Ease of Birding

Undemanding. Most species provide good visuals in open conditions.

Other Attractions

Lake Myvatn, Godafoss Waterfall, Gullfoss - the ‘Golden Waterfall’, Great Geysir and Strokkur Geysir, Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park, Reykjanes Peninsula

Photographic Opportunities

Reasonable. No dedicated hides.

What our clients say about us

Quinton Paul Josop
SA, Sri Lanka - Endemic Birds & Big Game (Small Group) 2026

Paul brought in his wealth of experience. He worked well with Ashoka to make sure nothing was lost in translation. One member sustained an injury on day 1, probably because he declined the extra help offered on a slightly slippery walk. Paul and Ashoka took charge of the situation immediately, made sure the rest of the group was comfortable while getting help. It was incredible that the injured person managed to complete the trip with a walker. Ashoka is a highly experienced local guide. He went out of the way to accommodate our birding and non-birding (request to try local food) requests. Both Paul and Ashoka were always calm and very pleasant, paying individual attention to every person and ensured we had a memorable experience.

Stephan Lorenz
KB, China - Southeast in Winter 2026

Overall great job at every aspect of the trip.

Dušan Brinkhuizen
JR, Jamaica - Island Endemics I 2026

I was very pleased with the birding. I saw all 29 endemics and a total of 42 life birds. The leaders are great at finding, luring in and identifying birds. I appreciated that the focus was very much on the birding. The food and accommodations were excellent and appropriate. I wonder if we should have spent our last night near the coast but am not sure how that would have affected our birding success.

Glen Valentine
MW, Indonesia - Remote West Papuan Islands Cruise II 2025

This was a great tour and exceeded all my very high expectations. Having both Glen and Dušan as leaders was like having two olympians on your high school basketball team. As usual, the vehicles were too small for me, but Glen kindly allowed me to ride in the seat with the most legroom when possible. I have subsequently found out that I am definitely an outlier as far as client size is concerned. The tour was well planned, the schedule and guides flexible enough to work around complications, and the logistics aside from a glitch picking us up at the airport well executed.

Lev Frid
EM, Guyana - Birds & Wildlife II 2025

Lev was the perfect guide- knowledgeable, professional, polite, reliable. And well-dressed for the occasion with his bird-themed T-shirts! Everything was well organized and went smooth.

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Route Map

Tour Route Map