Island Adventure Tour from Reykjavik Harbor
A bright crisp day on our Island Adventure Tour, departing from Reykjavik Old Harbour on our beloved superyacht, Amelia Rose. We took our lovely customers all around the fascinating islands that shelter the gorgeous city of Reykjavik from the great Atlantic Ocean and the great waves it can bring in.
The yachts are moored at the Old Harbour right in the centre of Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland. The day was bright and the seas were calm and our dramatically beautiful country was looking at it’s best. Iceland always looks stunning, even during storms, but we really make the most of these sunny days in December, as the daylight hours are so few! However, we don’t mind so much as in winter we get to see the mind-blowing natural phenomenon of the aurora borealis, the Northern Lights. If you want to see them then have a look at our Northern Lights cruises that we offer here.
With the cityscape of Reykjavik shoreline on one side and the great mountain of Esja to the other, every photo our lovely customers took had an impressive backdrop.
The first island we passed was Akurey, often overlooked as it’s much smaller than the other more popular islands of Engey and Videy. We often visit it in the summer to look for the puffins and other sea birds who nest there, safe on its craggy shoreline. Sometimes we see seals over here too, their gorgeous big puppy-eyed heads above the water level as they come up to breath and look around.
In the water around the islands of the bay we frequently see mesmerising animals like harbour porpoises, and the most common place that we see them is just inside Akurey! It must be a great fishing ground for these dynamic creatures, and we have seen them hunting and playing there countless times.
The bay is also frequented by larger cetaceans such as the white-beaked dolphins, or even whales. We see Minke whales amongst the islands regularly and on several occasions we’ve had humpbacks come all the way into the harbour, right up to where we keep our boats! If whales are what you are looking for then please consider our specific whale watching tours, we head right out into the open water to a feeding ground that we know they frequent! We have a very high success rate thanks to the skill of our crew, and the natural richness of the waters here in Iceland.
Carrying on on our island adventure tour, we went to the island of Engey, the second largest island in the bay. Despite the size of it, it isn’t inhabited now, however, as far back as the early 13th century there were farming and fishing communities on it. A lighthouse, which is beautiful in its own right, is the only building on it now and it makes for a beautiful focal point for photos.
The next island we came to was Lundey – or Puffin Island. It is very well known because, as its name suggests, it is home in the summer months to a huge colony of Atlantic Puffins, we have 60% of the world’s population here in Iceland and despite not being our national bird – that’s the gyrfalcon – it holds a special place in all of our hearts with its jolly colours and clumsy antics! Despite it being known for the puffins it is a haven for all sorts of sea birds.
The last island we pass on our Island adventure Tour is Videy. An hour after dark, during set dates in winter, the Imagine Peace Tower is lit from here, shining its beacon into the skies above us. But during the day, from the yacht, you can see pieces of art around the island, designed by Richard Serra.
After all of this the island adventure tour takes us home, along the coastline of our beloved Reykjavik City itself. Along it you’ll see the famous Hofdi House where the meeting between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbatsjov happened, effectively bringing an end to the Cold War, the Sun Voyager sculpture, and the cultural centre Harpa.
We made it back safely after a beautiful day enjoying the best weather Iceland could possibly have given us!
