Wildlife holidays in Iceland
Tell me about Iceland …
Slightly smaller than England, slightly larger than Scotland, Iceland holds a population of just 250,000 people. When you consider that over half of these live in the south-west corner of the country, you get some idea of the population density.
Nearly all of Iceland lies south of the Arctic Circle – just!
Our Iceland specialist recommends...
"For a spring tour then our 9-day holiday ‘Iceland’ is perfect, enjoy the dramatic, volcanic scenery as we search for breeding birds. Our ‘Iceland – Killer Whales & Northern Lights’ tour is a 5-day winter break to west Iceland to see these cetaceans and the Aurora Borealis."
Paul Stanbury
Operations Manager
Whats special about the wildlife?
Iceland lies at an avian crossroads – the meeting place of Palearctic and Nearctic faunal regions.
Here we find the most westerly breeding grounds of both Wigeon and Pied Wagtail, and the most easterly breeding populations of Great Northern Diver, Harlequin Duck and Barrows Goldeneye.
The variety of the islands bird life may not be great, but many species are very much tamer here than elsewhere in Europe and the sheer quality of Icelands northern specialities has long attracted visiting ornithologists.
Mammals too, though few, include a wide variety of cetaceans – though not all are easy to see – together with the occasional Arctic Fox.
Naturetrek tours to Iceland
Naturetreks wildlife holidays to Iceland search for birds, whales and other mammals among the dramatic scenery in this wild and beautiful land. Theres also a chance to see the Northern Lights.
What might I see?
- Waterfowl such as Harlequin Duck, Long-tailed Duck, Red-breasted Merganser & Barrows Goldeneye
- Other special Arctic birds such as Gyr Falcon & Red-necked Phalarope
- Cetaceans including Minke Whales & dolphins
- Geothermal landforms such as the hot springs at Gullfoss, & a chance to stand astride the mid-Atlantic ridge
WHAT YOU'VE BEEN SAYING ABOUT OUR Iceland HOLIDAYS
This is a wonderful country and a wildlife tour is an excellent way of seeing it.
This has been my third holiday with Naturetrek and once again I have been completely satisfied with every aspect of the trip. I have no hesitation in recommending Naturetrek to friends and colleagues and certainly hope it won't be too long before I am booking my next trip.
A fascinating country, an excellent guide, very good food and accommodation.