Iceland review - 2016, Page 102

SPECIAL PROMOTION
ADVENTURES
100 ICELAND REVIEW
Visiting Iceland can feel like arriving in un-
charted territory, a chance to encounter
untamed nature and experience unexpect-
ed adventures. But with so many spectacular
sights and destinations to choose from, it’s
difficult to know where to start when plan-
ning your trip. Not to mention that traveling
in Iceland presents unique challenges, par-
ticularly in the winter. This is where Iceland
Travel can help. With nearly 80 years of ex-
perience in the travel sector, Iceland Trav-
el takes the guesswork out of planning an
ideal Icelandic getaway, offering a variety of
intimate escorted tours (never more than 16
participants) that have each been mindfully
curated under the guidance and expertise of
local residents.
THE WEST FJORDS: WHERE AGE-OLD
TRADITION MEETS ECO-INNOVATION
Iceland Travel’s newest tour gives visitors the
chance to venture into the West Fjords, one
of the lesser-traveled corners of the coun-
try. As part of the five-day ‘Dramatic West
Fjords and Local Secrets Tour,’ you’ll have
ample opportunity to appreciate the ma-
jestic beauty of this region’s deep-cut fjords
and snow-capped mountains, as well as its
ice-crusted beaches as they are buffeted
by the North Atlantic tides. You’ll also meet
residents in several of the small but lively vil-
lages that dot the fjords, people who hold
age-old traditions and modern concerns
about sustainability and eco-friendliness in
equal esteem.
Stand on pristine, white sand beaches
and enjoy the vast silence of a nearly unin-
habited fjord. Enjoy homemade cakes and
coffee and learn about local history. Visit an
eider duck nesting site where for centuries
local farmers have sustainably harvested the
birds’ incomparably warm down while still
protecting their fragile nesting sites. Sample
fresh seafood delicacies right off the boat,
and then take part in a fisherman’s cooking
class, where you’ll learn simple but delicious
ways to prepare fresh fish that you can rep-
Iceland Travel gives you intimate access to
the country’s far reaches.
UNCHARTED TERRITORIES
licate at home. And take a step back in time
at the Ósvör Maritime Museum, where you
can examine fishermen’s huts, rowboats,
and fishing implements that date back to
the 19th century.
EAST ICELAND: WHERE THE
HIGHLANDS MEET HIGH CULTURE
If few visitors to Iceland get the chance to
meaningfully experience the West Fjords,
the same is doubly true for East Iceland,
where vibrant local culture flourishes amidst
some of the most rugged and impressive
scenery that the country has to offer. Coun-
tering the image that many people have
of Iceland—that is, barren lava fields and
treeless vistas—East Iceland offers up an
entirely different kind of wilderness, as it’s
home to the country’s thriving reindeer pop-
ulation, Iceland’s largest forest, Hallorms-
staðaskógur, and swaths of truly dazzling
fjords.