Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
give ice its usual silvery-white appearance (icebergs may also appear blue due to light re-
fraction).
Glaciers have carved out much of the Icelandic landscape since its creation, forming the
glacial valleys and fjords that make those picture-postcard photos today. The ice advances
and retreats with the millennia, and also with the seasons, but there are worrying signs that
Iceland's major ice caps - Vatnajökull, Mýrdalsjökull in the southwest, and Langjökull and
Hofsjökull in the highlands - have been melting at an unprecedented rate since 2000. Gla-
ciologists believe the ice cap Snæfellsjökull in the west (with an average ice thickness of
only 30m), as well as some of the outlet glaciers of the larger ice caps, could disappear
completely within a few decades.
Iceland isn't truly an Arctic country - the mainland falls short of the Arctic Circle by a few
kilometres. To cross that imaginary boundary, you'll need to travel to the island of Grím-
sey, Iceland's only real piece of Arctic territory.
Wildlife
Mammals & Marine Life
Apart from birds, sheep and horses, you'll be lucky to have any casual sightings of anim-
als in Iceland. The only indigenous land mammal is the elusive Arctic fox, best spotted in
remote Hornstrandir, in the Westfjords - wildlife enthusiasts can push pause on their holi-
day and monitor these creatures while volunteering at the Arctic Fox Center
(
www.arcticfoxcenter.com
). In east Iceland, herds of reindeer can sometimes be spotted
from the road. The reindeer were introduced from Norway in the 18th century and now
roam the mountains in the east. Polar bears very occasionally drift across from Greenland
on ice floes, but armed farmers make sure they don't last long.
In contrast, Iceland has a rich marine life, particularly whales. On whale-watching tours
from Húsavík in northern Iceland (among other places), you'll have an excellent chance of
seeing cetaceans, particularly dolphins, porpoises, minke whales and humpback whales.
Sperm, fin, sei, pilot, killer and blue whales also swim in Icelandic waters and have been
seen by visitors. Seals can be seen in the Eastfjords, on the Vatnsnes Peninsula in northw-
est Iceland, in the Mýrar region on the southeast coast (including at Jökulsárlón), in
Breiðafjörður in the west, and in the Westfjords.
