Soaring volcanoes, spouting geysers, peaceful fjords and spectacular waterfalls — join us on an epic expedition to the land of ice and fire.

• Pit the freezing glacial forces above against the earth’s molten heat below, and you end up with the staggering landscape of Iceland.
• Iceland has one of the world’s largest bird populations, and Puffins steel the shore. Join onshore excursions to bird cliffs to see these up close.
• Most Icelanders don’t have to choose between living in nature or in urban environments. The capital Reykjavik is encircled by natural wonders.
• Learn about Iceland’s first settlers, the myths, legends and sagas. Visitors can also try lifting ‘strength-testing’ rocks.

 

Day	Ports
1	Reykjavík
2	Stykkishólmur
3	Patreksfjörður
4	Northwest Iceland
5	Akureyri
6	Grimsey Island
7	Bakkagerði
8	Heimaey
9	Reykjavík

 

Day 1: Reykjavík

Discover Iceland’s modern capital.
Your Iceland expedition cruise starts in Reykjavík, a vibrant city full of art, culture, and history. Enjoy a walk around this compact city. Take a stroll down Laugavegur, the main shopping street, to the striking Hallgrímskirkja church. Or visit one of its many art galleries and museums.

With so much to explore, consider arriving early to join one of our Pre-Programs and explore the Golden Circle or Icelandic Highlands.

Your Iceland adventure at sea starts when you board the ship. Find your cabin, meet your Expedition Team, explore the ship, and enjoy a relaxed welcome dinner as we set sail towards our first stop, Stykkishólmur.

Day 2: Stykkishólmur

Gateway to spectacular Snæfellsnes
Time has stood still at Stykkishólmur, the small fishing town in Breiðafjörður bay. Here, the colorful houses stand in contrast to the distant mountains.

Nearby, you’ll find Snæfellsnes Peninsula National Park, with the ice-capped Snæfellsjökull volcano at the peninsula’s western tip. It’s nicknamed ‘Little Iceland’, for its wide variety of volcanic landscapes.

At the national park, visit Djúpalónssandur’s black-sand beach and the Lóndrangar basalt cliffs. Ride a snowcat to the top of the Snæfellsjökull glacier, or take a guided coastal hike with a glacial cave tour.

Day 3: Patreksfjörður

Birdwatching, waterfalls and stunning beaches
Patreksfjörður is unforgettably beautiful. Learn about the fishing traditions in Europe’s westernmost village. You can even enjoy a dip in the town’s outdoor pool, which features wonderful fjord views.

You’ll have the chance to explore the surrounding area on a hike through the fjords or visit Rauðasandur beach and see seals. You can also join a tour to Dynjandi waterfalls. These are six combined falls that, together, comprise the largest and most spectacular cascade in the Westfjords.

Birdwatchers shouldn’t miss a visit to Látrabjarg, where puffins, northern gannets, guillemots, and razorbills cling to Europe’s largest bird cliff.

Day 4: Northwest Iceland

Exploring Northwest Iceland, expedition-style
One of the best things about expedition cruising is the feeling of freedom. We plan to spend the day in Iceland’s Northwestern Region, but as conditions can vary, there’s no pre-set plan. Rest assured, your Captain and expedition team will find the best opportunities for adventure.

We may take you ashore in our small boats (RIBs) for a hike or a beach clean-up. Or maybe we’ll launch our kayaks. If we spot a pod of whales as we’re sailing, we may stop to enjoy the sight. Be ready for anything!

Don’t forget, you can also join onboard lectures, visit the Science Center, get tips from our professional photographer, or soak in a hot tub!

Day 5: Akureyri

Dramatic moonscapes and waterfalls
Gaze at snowcapped peaks as we cruise along Eyjafjörður, Iceland’s longest fjord. It’s one of the best places in Europe to spot humpback whales, white-beaked dolphins, and harbor porpoises. Look out for orcas, blue whales, and fin whales, too.

Iceland’s ‘Northern Capital’, Akureyri, sits at the base of the fjord. Here, you can enjoy the oasis of a botanical garden and visit top-notch eateries and museums.

A little further afield, witness the picturesque Goðafoss waterfall, where turquoise waters pound against black rocks. Keep an eye out for eider ducks and Harlequin ducks at Lake Mývatn, one of Iceland’s most active volcanic areas.

Day 6: Grimsey Island

Cross the Arctic Circle and see Atlantic puffins.
This remote and windswept island is home to just 60 people and is renowned for its Atlantic puffin colonies. Grímsey is steeped in folklore, including tales of the island’s first settler, Grímur.

Grímsey is probably best known for its proximity to the Arctic Circle, which actually cuts across the island—the only part of Iceland to do so. You’ll have the opportunity to step across that line, hopping over to the Arctic and back.

Hike to the Orbis et Globus sculpture, a huge concrete sphere that is repositioned each year to fit the northward movement of the Arctic Circle. By 2050, Grímsey will lie outside the Arctic.

Day 7: Bakkagerði

Local folklore and staggering natural beauty
Your Iceland cruise continues to the tiny, remote settlement of Bakkagerði. According to folklore, Bakkagerði is inhabited by a large population of local land spirits or elves, known as huldufólk, meaning ‘hidden people’. Walk around town to explore this magical place.

This popular hiking area features lush valleys and gorgeous scenery among colorful rhyolite rocks. The coastal cliffs are home to fulmars, kittiwakes, eider ducks, and puffins. We may also visit the Atlantic puffin colony on Hafnarhólmi, a true gem for nature lovers and wildlife photographers.

Day 8: Heimaey

Discover the town that defied a volcano.
Heimaey is the only inhabited island in the Westman Islands, off the Iceland’s southern coast. It has a fascinating history and still bears the scars of the powerful volcanic eruption that nearly destroyed the island.

Visit Eldheimar, a museum that features an excavated home frozen in time, and learn more about the eruption and its aftermath. You could also take a hike to find puffins at Stórhöfði, where nearly 8 million of them nest every summer. Don’t pass up the chance to climb Mount Eldfell to the volcano’s summit, where you’ll have incredible views of the town below.

Day 9: Reykjavík

Enjoy Reykjavík at your leisure
Your Iceland expedition cruise concludes back in fascinating Reykjavík. This is a great chance to see the places you missed when you arrived.

Relaxing with friends in a heittur pottur, a geothermal pool, is part of Icelandic culture. Before you leave, visit Iceland’s most famous place to do so: the Blue Lagoon. This is one of the true natural wonders of the world—experience the blend of silica, algae, and minerals in its geothermal waters.

You can also join our Post-Program and explore Iceland’s beautiful south coast, with waterfalls, black-sand beaches, geothermal springs and majestic mountains.

 

Hurtigruten Group is the leader in the travel industry towards a greener future.
Committed to taking care of our guests, wildlife, nature, and the communities we visit, we’re setting a new standard of sustainability for the travel industry.
Exploring our blue planet for more than a century has taught us the importance of being green.

We are now supporting 41 environmental, cultural and social projects in 11 different countries. These range from helping endangered orcas in the Pacific Northwest and protecting Galápagos seabirds, to securing safe spaces for vulnerable Greenlandic children and enabling community storytelling for the Itquamavit elders in Canada’s frozen north. We hope that the ripples we create today will one day turn into the waves of the future. With the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as our compass, our cruises to the planet’s most stunning corners are where explorers can truly feel at home. After all, it’s not about us, it’s about all of us.

Saying Goodbye to Plastic

We announced our war on plastics in 2018 when we were the first expedition company to ban non-essential single-use plastic throughout our entire operation. That means you won’t find items like plastic cups, plastic straws or plastic cutlery on board our ships. You also won’t see our shops selling microplastic-made fleeces but stocking natural wool clothing instead. Absent too are plastic water bottles. We provide all our guests on an expedition cruise with a complimentary high-quality reusable bottle for use at water refill stations dotted around the ship. This simple act saves at least 1,000 plastic bottles a day on some of our larger ships.

 

Inspiring Environmental Ambassadors

Witnessing the beauty of our planet is sure to leave a lasting impression on you, and you’ll talk enthusiastically about these stunning destinations with friends and family for decades to come. To make sure you can speak informatively when you return home, every one of our expedition cruises has a focus on the environment.

The Expedition Team give lectures that raise awareness of climate change, ocean plastic, and the measures we can all take to help ease these issues. It is our hope that engaging with nature on our expedition cruises will inspire you to do all you can to cherish and protect the precious world we all share.

 

Connecting With Communities

We are dedicated to supporting the local communities we visit, and to creating beneficial ripple effects that continue long after we’ve left. By trading locally and sourcing services such as food produce and excursions from local suppliers, we contribute to the livelihood and welfare of people.

We strive not only to connect with these communities, but to share genuine friendship with them while always respecting their values and customs. As guests in their home, our emphasis is on appreciating their unique culture and ensuring our interactions are positive and upbuilding for all. You can therefore enjoy authentic experiences knowing your visit is doing good, both for you and for them.

 

A Footprint We’re Proud Of

You’ll likely encounter a range of wildlife during your expedition, doing so from a safe distance. We’ll be sure to never get too close to them, out of respect for their welfare as much as yours. By not disturbing wildlife with our presence, you’ll be able to observe their natural behavior, in their natural habitat. We want to leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but pictures! In fact, in many of the areas we visit in Antarctica, we even specifically wipe out our footprints so as to prevent penguins tripping and falling into them.

 

Working Together As One

Sustainability isn’t something we can do alone. Everyone in our industry needs to work together for a greener future. We are therefore founding members of the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) and members of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). These trade member organisations work to establish sustainable tourism in polar regions, fighting mass tourism by limiting ships and shore visits, and creating guidelines that protect fragile environments and rare wildlife.

We’ve also committed ourselves to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. These guiding principles will take us steps ahead of current regulations to offer you greener and more sustainable expedition cruises on and for the planet.

 

Serving Planet-Friendly Plant-Based Food

We offer full menus of delicious plant-based dishes that will impress even those yet to be convinced by this way of eating. These meals not only have low or even zero CO2 footprints, they also promote healthier living and prove conclusively that vegan and vegetarian cuisine can still taste great. We’ve also put in place food management waste programmes on all our ships, aiming to reduce food waste by at least 30%.

 

Investing in Green Tech

Building our two new hybrid-powered expedition ships, MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen, represents the biggest investment in our almost 130 years of history. They are packed with ground-breaking green technology, such as battery packs, heat recovery systems, and a cutting-edge hull design. These innovations combined reduce carbon emissions by more than 20 %, compared to other cruise ships of the same size.

Hurtigruten stopped using heavy fuel oil more than a decade ago and campaign for its worldwide ban. To set a new standard, we are also considering a range of new, green fuel options, including biofuels made from organic waste.