Iceland's Northwest Fiords

Description

Iceland: Frequently Asked Questions


Synopsis: Iceland is the westernmost part of Europe and considered part of Scandanavia. It sits between Greenland and the British Isles. It is the birthplace of Erik the Red, Leif Eriksson, Bjork and the Sugarcubes if you're interested. Resting near the Arctic Circle, Iceland straddles the crown of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge...the joint between two tectonic plates, whose action provides iceland with a great deal of geothermal activity. The practical upshot of all of this steam, hot spring and geyser activity is that Icelanders harness this energy for heating and electrical production. Our trip takes place in the NW Fiords...the most remote coastline of this exotic locale.

Getting there: Icelandair (Icelandair.com) has daily flights from Boston, New York, Baltimore and a number of other US cities.

Language: Icelandic is germanic in origin, similar to Norwegian and Faroese. Icelandic language has changed little in 800 years, but Icelanders are excellent linguists and take English and Danish in School.

Visas: Passports are required and visas are issued upon arrival

Shots, etc: no special requirements

Money matters: there are about 69 Icelandic Kroners (ISK) to one US dollar at the time of this writing. This is a remote island country with very little agriculture, so most all food and drink is imported and breathtakingly expensive. Hotel rooms start at well over $200/night, a typical simple meal will may cost around $35 and a beer starts at about $10...just for reference. Making use of the duty free is strongly advised if alcohol is on your menu. Guest-houses, B&B's, and "summer hotels" are less expensive for overstays and camping is also a common option.

Public transport: Mostly modern buses and a good way to get around. There are also a couple of small internal airlines for quick hops and they are reasonable.

Climate: Plan for Alaska conditions....daytime highs near 60F and night-time lows to 40F when we will be there. Rain and wind are common and quality rain-gear a necessity. Remember, its summer...it barely gets dark.

Guides: In addition to myself, you'll be traveling under the guidance of Þorsteinn Sigurlaugsson (Steini), a BCU 5 star paddler and guide with 6 years leadership experience. Steini grew up in the West fiords, previously making his living as a commercial fisherman and has a lifetime of sea experience making him an invaluable resource.

Equipment: We have a fleet of NDK Explorers (some HV's) and access to a few other designs to round out a terrific fleet of glass boats.

Measurement: Metric system

Food: Primarily fish, shellfish and lamb with very little in the way of fresh fruits and vegetables. Some will be familiar like cod, salmon, herring and trout. Some of Iceland's traditional foods will be unfamiliar....ranging from creamed Ptarmigan to whale steaks to putrified shark meat. We'll be sticking to the more familiar and you're welcome to experiment on restaurant nights out. Yes, Iceland allows whaling and has again since 2003. They harvest very few.

Electricity: is 220 and uses two round pronged European plugs

Gratuities: with the exception of tipping guides, service and VAT is included in all other bills

Time: Greenwich Mean Time, five hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time

Other adventure activities: Iceland is a well-know fishing destination for Char, Salmon and Trout (email me for specifics on permits and costs), and sea run species. Horseback riding is popular, as is snowmobile tours of the glaciers, skiing behind parachutes and playing with super-jeeps offroad....think boys with unlimited budget and too much time on their hands in winter. The amount of hot springs also make local thermal pools the social centers of many towns. Hmm.

This list is subject to change with the state of the world and the state of mind of the owner.

Uncommon Adventures,
PO Box 254, Beulah, MI 49617.

Phone us toll-free 1-866-882-5525 for Credit Card payments. You will receive trip equipment list and client survey form upon registration.

Uncommon Adventures PO Box 254 Beulah, Michigan 49617 Map It Toll Free: 1-866-882-5525       Local: (231) 882-5525 e-mail: info@uncommonadv.com