Today was a day full of adventures and activities. We visited the area of the Lake Myvatn, where geothermal energy produces incredible landscapes. Bubbling mud pools, lunaresque volcanic craters, newborn lava fields, and steamy chimneys are the main attractions of this area. When it comes to birding Lake Myvatn offers great opportunities, and we were lucky enough to see the Harlequin Duck and the Barrow’s Goldeneye, among many other interesting birds and waterfowl. To end a great day, we visited Grimsey Island, where we crossed the Arctic Circle and observed one of our favorite seabirds, the Atlantic Puffin.
8/23/2024
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National Geographic Explorer
Reykjavík, Iceland
After a cracking morning out at sea with some truly impressive waves, we were called up to the lounge by Expedition Leader Leah Eaton, who briefed us on a volcanic eruption that had just started on the Reykjanes peninsula. As the briefing concluded, we could already see the volcanic plume through which we would later sail on our way around the Reykjanes peninsula. We finally reached Reykjavík in the afternoon, where we had our final lounge briefing with our guest slideshow, a presentation on our final volcano plan, and a farewell speech from Captain Peik Aalto. After an early dinner, we mounted a trio of busses that carried us out onto the Reykjanes peninsula to an abandoned airstrip. From there we could already see the spectacular eruption very clearly, but to get a better look, we made our way onto some of the old storage bunkers which lined the airstrip. This gave us a view of the eruption in all its glory, with smoke billowing into the sky from the two-kilometer-long fissure, and also a number of smaller fires. It was a truly wonderous ending to an already incredible expedition.
