Iceland Ultimate Midsummer Landscape Workshop | Wild Photography Holidays - Photography & Adventure Travel

Iceland Ultimate Midsummer Landscape Workshop

Highlights include…

• Luminous icebergs floating in a turquoise lagoon
• Game of Thrones locations
• Stokksnes and Vestrahorn
• Skaftafell and Vatnajökull’s glacial landscapes
• Sea washed ice on black volcanic sand
• Sunrises and sunsets in dramatic locations
• Hours of ambient light
• Vík, black sands, sea-stacks & basalt columns
• Peak time for birds in Iceland
• Lake Mývatn and Dimmuborgir
• Colourful geothermal areas and volcanic landscapes
• Waterfalls Dettifoss, Selfoss, Aldeyjarfoss, Goðafoss & Gullfoss
• Hvítserkur on Vatnsnes Peninsula
• Sea Stack & Seals
• Kerlingarfjöll and the Highlands
• Iceland’s Golden Circle

Introduction

During the month of July it is light all day with the sun disappearing only briefly. There are several hours of ambient light with endless sunrises and sunsets, a superb time to be in Iceland! For those who might be interested this tour takes in many of the locations that were used to film the latest Game of Thrones. Our locations are well chosen and photographically rewarding and they take us to five totally contrasting geographical areas of Iceland. Down in the southeast we will be central to some iconic locations such as Iceland’s huge Vatnajökull ice cap, Skaftafell National Park, Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and the black beaches festooned with sparkling sea washed ice sculptures. In the northeast we are based in one of Iceland’s premier photographic locations, Mývatn where we will encounter three of Icelands ‘big’ waterfalls, desolate craters, bubbling mud pools and geothermal phenomena. This unique area is a microcosm of all the natural wonders that Iceland has to offer. It is also a fabulous location for bird enthusiasts.
Our next base is in remote coastal north Iceland on the Vatnsnes Peninsula home to seals and the majestic Hvítserkur Sea Stack – the Troll of North-West Iceland. From Hvítserkur we drive south on the Kjölur road through Icelands Central Highlands. We will visit two unique geothermal areas en route: Hveravellir and the geothermal area around Kerlingarfjöll where glacier and geothermal phenomena meet. Our last locations in Iceland’s South-west comprise Iceland’s famed ‘Golden Circle’. Our guides know the landscapes intimately, so you can expect to return from this workshop with an understanding of image processing techniques, a portfolio of remarkable, creative images and a bunch of great memories!

Geographic Areas in a Nutshell

This extraordinary summer workshop focuses on five main regions…

Southeast and South Iceland: photograp against a backdrop of mountains, glaciers, icebergs and black sand beaches.
Mývatn: a remarkable area in North-East Iceland renowned for its dramatic geothermal and volcanic landscape, fabulous waterfalls and amazing birdlife.
Vatnsnes: remote northerly coastal peninsula with seals.
Kerlingarfjöll: geothermal ‘Ogress Mountains’ in the Highlands.
Golden Circle: Gullfoss, Geysir and Þingvellir in South West Iceland.

Brief Itinerary

For full details please download the trip description PDF

Day 1: Arrive Reykjavík

Arrive at Keflavík, Reykjavík’s international airport. A Flybus transfer to our city centre hotel is included. If you arrive on an early flight you will have time to wander around the small but vibrantly buzzing city centre. We meet at 19:00 for introductions and a trip briefing before going out into town for dinner.
Hotel Reykjavík (D,B)

Day 2–4: Southeast Iceland

This morning we drive to southeast Iceland. En route we will photograph several locations on Iceland’s south coast including waterfalls, basalt columns and sea stacks at Vik plus the gorgeous Lupin Fields that are famous on this drive. Our comfortable base is very well situated for many stunning locations. To get the best light for our subjects we have a flexible itinerary often revisiting worthwhile locations. These will include,
Stokksnes and Vestrahorn: the jagged rocks and ridges of Vestrahorn make a fine backdrop to a black sand beach.
Jökulsárlón: ethereal icebergs of all shapes and sizes float serenely in the turquoise waters of this world famous lagoon. There is a massive Arctic Tern colony here.
Breiðamerkursandur: a black sand beach with sparkling ice formations, a totally unique experience.
Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon: a remote less visited location combining lush green vegetation, silvery winding streams and black sands with a big sculptured glacier that catches the light in a surreal fashion.
Hotel (B,L,D)

Day 5–8: Lake Mývatn, North Iceland

Today we make our way through an increasingly scenic and remote landscape skirting the vast interior Highlands to our comfortable accommodation located right by Lake Mývatn. Our journey will be punctuated by photography stops for we will travel through some very wild and attractive scenery. Over the next days we will make the most of the long hours of daylight by exploring the best of what this area has to offer both in terms of birdlife and the unique landscape. The area is starkly beautiful, an otherworldly landscape of spluttering mud pots, weird lava formations, steaming fumaroles, volcanic craters, serene pools, huge flat topped mountains, spring flowers and birds. For those of you requiring a little rest and relaxation there is the option of visiting the deliciously warm geothermal lagoon of Mývatn’s nature baths.

Cottages Lake Mývatn (B,L,D)

Day 9: Goðafoss, Akureyri and Hvítserkur

Today we head even further north to the remote Vatnsnes coastal peninsula where seals rest on the black sand. The famous sea stack of Hvítserkur gives us a fabulous evening photographic location. En route North we will visit the beautiful waterfall of Goðafoss before spending a little time in Iceland’s northerly capital Akureyri
Hotel (B,L,D)

Days 10: Hveravellir & Kerlingarfjöll Geothermal Areas

Heading south we cross Iceland’s main ring road. Now we will find ourselves truly in the wilds travelling along the famous Kjölur highland route towards Kerlingarfjöll. En route we will explore and photograph the interesting geothermal ‘hot’ area of Hveravellir, a steamy and green oasis midst the vastness of Iceland’s interior Highlands. Here we will find interestingly shaped smoking fumaroles and sky blue, boiling water. Our next location is the dramatic ‘orange’ geothermal area around Kerlingarfjöll where ice and fire meet. The massif Kerlingarfjöll, ‘Ogress Mountains’ will give us a truly stunning photographic experience of dramatic bubbling mud pools, fumaroles, hissing fissures, waterfalls, snow and a landscape that is truly Tolkien. Leaving Kerlingarfjöll we head south towards the Golden Circle and our well placed Hotel.

Hotel (B,L,D)

Day 11: Golden Circle and Reykjavík

Today we will explore thoroughly the National Park of Þingvellir, The magnificent Geysir, Iceland’s Golden Waterfall Gullfoss and the startling turquoise waters of Brúar Falls. Late afternoon we head to Reykjavík and check into our city hotel before heading out together for a celebratory end of tour dinner.
Hotel Reykjavík (B,L,D)

Day 12: Homeward Flights

Breakfast and transfer to the airport for homeward flights.
(B)

What’s Included

• 11 nights accommodation
• Flybus airport transfers
• All Meals
• All transport
• Photographic tutors/tuition

What’s not Included

• International flights
• Alcohol/soft drinks
• Travel Insurance

Complete Itinerary and Full Details

This page is only a brief summary. A complete itinerary and more details can be found in our trip description PDF
It is important that you read this full day-to-day description and further information for this holiday before making your booking.