THE DIAMOND CIRCLE

Hannah McDonald
Jul 4, 2022
7 min read

Updated: Jul 8, 2022

Húsavík • Jökulsárgljúfur Bay • Ásbyrgi Canyon • Dettifoss Waterfall • Selfoss Waterfall • Mývatn Nature Baths • Grótagjá

Gentle Giants: Whale and Puffin Safari

--- Map Point B ---

Waking on the earlier (for us) side, we head to the whale capital of Iceland–Húsavík. Today is the much anticipated whale and puffin watching safari, with our puffin excitement slightly exceeding our whale excitement. The sky is a bright, beautiful blue, but do not be fooled. The number of necessary layers for the cold sea air is still debated, as we opt for more being preferable. Bundled-up, we check-in for the safari, only to get more bundled-up at the harbor; the whale watching attire is certainly noteworthy. The harbor looks over the vibrant blue water, with snow-capped mountains rising on the other side of the fjörd and boats swaying in the water; it is stunning. While taking in the view, our guide, Josephine (a marine biologist), begins handing us our added layers: (1) a puffy, insulated, and bright flotation onesie; (2) a bright orange, full-length rain coat; (3) a lifejacket that inflates when needed (hopefully not needed). With all these layers, we are toasty warm and cannot do anything beyond waddle with our arms sticking out on either side.

Our boat—Amma Helga—is a speedboat with saddle seats for each passenger, which are surprisingly comfortable. Taking a seat on one of the edges for optimal viewing (others already filled the front), we are ready for our whale and puffin adventure. Given the storms the past couple days, the swell is large, and our little boat bounces over the big waves, resembling a rollercoaster feeling. We found it fun, with our tummies doing the occasional flip, but those prone to sea sickness would not.

Skirting over the water, I see a spec of orange. I tap Joelle on the shoulder saying “puffin, puffin, puffin” as I point to the spec of orange (although I think she simultaneously did the same thing to me). So excited, she squeals and bounces up and down on her saddle seat. Little did we know, we were about to see a lot more puffins. A small—and I mean small—island begins to appear, and there are puffins flying, swimming, and diving all around us. We arrived at Puffin Island: An island strictly inhabited by puffins during their nesting season (a few other birds were around). When flying, the puffins’ orange feet looked like little flippers sticking out behind them. Their black wings, back, and head with their white tummies and eyes truly made the puffins look like little penguins. They are so cute. Some fun puffin facts Joesphine shared:

60% of the Atlantic Puffin population breeds in Iceland.
Puffins flap their wings 400 times per minute because their wings are small to make them better divers.
Puffins can hold up to 20 fish in their beaks at a time.
Puffins start mating at around five years old.
Puffins’ beaks are only orange when they are mating; otherwise, they are beige.
Puffins have one mate for life and some believe the beak coloring is used to find each other every year.
A new mate is only found if the first is lost or dies, and if the first is found, the other is left.
Puffins only come to land during mating season when their eggs need to be protected.
Most puffin predators are on land, which is why they are at sea most the year.
Each puffin couple lays one egg per year and feeds the chick for 50 days after hatching, alternating which parent feeds them.

Saying goodbye to Puffin Island, our boat speeds off to where the whales (hopefully) are swimming. As the boat slows down to float in the water, we wait for a whale to surface. Joelle and I were starting to get worried about seeing one; the safari company continuously reminded us there was no guarantee, and it felt like we had been going awhile without seeing one (patience). After several minutes, a whale reveals itself with the recognizable sound of its blow. All passengers turn their heads, and the speed boat takes off toward it. The humpback whale’s dorsal fin is seen above water as it rounds its back, and then the tale flicks above water, showing off the distinguishable bend that can identify this specific whale. Going into a dive, the whale is underwater for several minutes. Then, the telltale sound of its blow reveals the whale in the distance, and the boat takes off toward it. We play this game—a combination of hide and seek and tag—for quite awhile, watching the whale surface and dive. Joelle often spots the whale first (by hearing its blow) and points the rest of us in its direction. Josephine identifies this whale as 14 meters (compared to the boat’s 13 meters), sharing this is one of the biggest whales she has seen. In hopes of finding another whale, our boat speeds off to another section of water. The view looking back at the island is gorgeous: The water quickly turns to coast with snowcapped mountains poking through the clouds. Soon, we hear the blow of a whale, allowing us to quickly spot it in the water. This one is much smaller, according to Josephine, and does not show its tail (“lazy whale” -Josephine), highlighting the personality differences among whales.

Arriving back at the harbor, we strip off our three layers, immediately missing their warmth and wondering if we can borrow them for the rest the Iceland trip.

Húsavík

--- Map Point B ---

Do we have any Eurovision fans? If you have not seen this Will Ferrel and Rachel McAdams movie on Netflix, I highly recommend it. The characters’ hometown is Húsavík—where we are—and a quote from the movie is displayed on one of the walls in town (supposedly there is a Eurovision museum as well, although we did not see that). This is, decidedly, one of our favorite Icelandic towns (the sunny, although chilly, weather today might be helping its case), so we decide to stick around and explore.

Having purchased postcards many days ago, we still needed postage for them, which souvenir shops usually sell. Spotting one next to the whale museum, we look around (we cannot haul anything extra around for the next month so little to no purchases can be made) and then ask for postage. While paying, Joelle asks where we can mail them from, receiving a specific location in town (outside the bookstore, next to the church) as the response. Walking away, Joelle says to me: “I was more asking for a general answer because we do not have them with us.” I respond, “um…all our stuff is in the van…where did you leave them?” “Oh yeah, duh.” We always have everything with us, given the nature of our travels.

Walking back to the van for postcards and lunch, we get a whiff of…are those crepes?? We will have to circle back to that after lunch. Fueled and postcards ready, we look for the bookstore with the postbox and see a building (next to the church) with paperclip and pencil icons; that must be it (although we do not have a clue what the name on the building says). Sure enough, there is a cute postbox on the wall with the Eurovision quote. Now…time to find those crepes. We have not treated ourselves to any food from Iceland, other than grocery store snacks, so this is a real splurge. We do not need to go far, as the smell of crepes lead us to the cafe next door. We quickly order and sit on the deck outside to enjoy the view with our crepes. Our layers keep us warm and the sun is shinning, reminding us of ski days at home (plus the ocean). It is remarkably relaxing to slow down, enjoy the view, and savor the taste of fresh fruit and crepes. Fresh fruit is not easy to come by in Iceland. It was a definite luxury (food is expensive!) and totally worth it.

Jökulsárgljúfur Bay

--- Map Point C ---

We get out of the van at the outlook. It is very windy and not as cool as we expect. There really is not much else to say on that.

Jökulsárgljúfur (Vatnajökull) National Park: Ásbyrgi Canyon, Dettifoss and Selfoss Waterfalls

--- Map Points D and E ---

Jökulsárgljúfur National Park is an old national park that is now part of the larger Vatnajökull National Park. It is home to the Ásbyrgi canyon, Dettifoss waterfall, and Selfoss waterfall, with the Dettifoss waterfall being the second most powerful in Europe. We start at the visitor’s center (staffed by ~12 year olds) (map point D), where you can see the beginning of the canyon walls rising up, and ask which road we should take to the Dettifoss waterfall (862 is easy to drive and 864 is not so good thing we asked). We also learn about the Selfoss Waterfall here and think we missed that on our first day; how could we stay in Selfoss and not see the Selfoss waterfall? Turns out, that waterfall is not in Selfoss but in this national park (confusing), just above the Dettifoss waterfall

Pulling into the parking lot at the waterfalls (map point E), we are confused how there are any waterfalls. All we see is a field of boulders that look very dry. Starting down the path, we hear the waterfalls, but the landscape still has us fooled. Eventually, we see mist rising, and Joelle remarks, “maybe rain jackets would have been a good idea at the second most powerful waterfall in Europe.” Oops…we did not think we could get close enough to get wet, but the range is a little different on such a powerful waterfall. Drenched, we make it to the farthest outlook, giving the best view of the waterfall’s front. It really does look powerful. Next, we walk up the Selfoss waterfall (not in Selfoss), where several little waterfalls spill over the cliff to create a bigger waterfall. There sure is a lot of falling water in Iceland.

Mývatn Nature Baths

--- Map Point F ---

Given how cold we have been, it seems strange to want to get into a swimsuit. Yet, the Mývatn Nature Baths, with their promise of a warm and relaxing soak (along with a hot shower and fluffy towel), do just that. These nature baths sit on the Krafla volcanic system of Mývatn, with the mineral water heated by geothermal activity. The water temperature varies, depending how close you are to the platforms heating the pool; Joelle and I are right by those platforms. The pool followed by hot showers and fluffy towels leave us feeling pampered and cozy.

Grótagjá

--- Map Point G ---

Yesterday, Joelle stumbled upon Grótagjá during her run and, when recounting her adventures to me, promised to take me to see it (how unfair if her athletic habits allow her to see more than me). A small gap between boulders on the hillside allows us to crawl into the cave, immediately revealing crystal blue water. The sunlight shines through the rocks of the cave wall, reflecting on the water. It was almost magical, although I cannot fathom how a steamy Game of Thrones scene was filmed in there, given the hot water and (presumably) uncomfortable boulders.

Vogar Mývatn Campsite

--- Map Point A ---

Back at our Mývatn campsite (same campsite for two nights…wow!), we continue our “treat yourself” theme of the day by making pasta for dinner and having apples for dessert. It is the small things.

Brief Recap

Today was a day of luxury:

Blue sky
Puffins
Whales
Crepes
Nature baths
Hot showers
Fluffy towels
Pasta night
Apples
Electricity in our van (heater!)

HM

THE DIAMOND CIRCLE

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