National Geographic Explorer sailed into Borgarfjörður Eystri early in the morning, and fog was still covering the whole landscape. Fog is a specialty of the East Fjords of Iceland and can sometimes settle for days. But we were fortunate, and it lifted as the morning passed. We had a lot of activities planned, including hiking, mountain biking, and nature walks. We wandered the trails covered in Nootka lupine and wild native flowers. We observed many birds, like the golden plover, the whimbrel, and the black-tailed godwit. These birds landed on the trail repeatedly for us. As the morning went on, temperatures rose, and it became sunnier and sunnier!
We took advantage of some free time in the afternoon with an opportunity to visit “Puffin Hill.” The boardwalk allowed us to get quite close to the puffins, and we could see them coming and going from their burrows with their beaks full of fish for their young pufflings. We also visited the lovely hamlet of Bakkagerði and enjoyed a tasting at the local brewery.
It was an absolutely perfect day, filled with nature, wildlife, and meeting the locals.
