Húsavík, on Iceland’s north coast, is often described as the Whale Watching Capital of Iceland, and it was no surprise that one of the optional excursions on our summer circumnavigation was a whale watching tour while the MS Maud was in port.
Unfortunately, on the day prior to our arrival the company that operates the tours informed us that sea conditions meant that the tours had to be cancelled for safety reasons. There were more than a few disappointed people on board, but outdoor tours in this part of the world are always weather dependent.
As it happens, I had booked to go on another of the optional excursions out of Húsavík – the so-called Diamond Circle tour. First up was the amazing Dettifoss waterfall before we continued to the fascinating rock formations at Hljodaklettar (‘Echo Rocks’) and the stunning Asbyrgi canyon with its sparkling clear green pool. My photos below were all taken on this coach tour.
At 45 meters high and 100 metres wide, Dettifoss is one of the largest and most powerful waterfalls in Europe. I always find that visiting waterfalls of this scale is a multi-sensory experience – the visuals being enhanced by the roaring noise of the water as it tumbles over the cliff and the refreshing feeling of the spray on one’s face depending on the wind direction. In these respects Dettifoss did not disappoint.
The next stop on our tour was to visit the strange rock formations at Hljodaklettar. These basalt columns appear in a variety of shapes, including spirals and rosettes, and some of the caves and arches have given the site its name, translated in English as Echo Rocks. There are a number of well-marked hiking paths in the area, but we were restricted by time to one of the shorter routes. A fascinating place nonetheless.
We rounded off our trip at the massive ravine and cliff at Asbyrgi. This horseshoe-shaped canyon is 3.5km in length, 1km wide and has a sheer drop of 100 metres. There a number of paths leading down from the car park where we stopped down to several viewing platforms overlooking a beautiful clear lake. The canyon cliffs certainly looked impressive from the bottom of the ravine!
Our tour didn’t give us time to wander around Húsavík, but those who did visit the town while our ship was moored there would have had the chance to visit the Whale Museum and, remarkably, an exhibition about the Eurovision Song Contest!
We sailed from Húsavík in the mid-afternoon, our next stop Bakkagerdi on Iceland’s east coast.
The China Penguin 