About this trip
A collaboration between the All Iceland Travel Agency and Nigel Hicks, one of Britain’s leading landscape photographers, this will be a photography tour along Iceland’s wild and dramatic southern coast, led by Nigel Hicks, starting and finishing in the Reykjavik area.
Undertaken at a time of year with almost 24-hour daylight, the tour will take in some of northern Europe’s most spectacular landscapes, including geysirs, waterfalls, volcanoes, glaciers and mountains. Wildlife photography will concentrate on some of the coast’s bird colonies, particularly puffins and Arctic terns.
We will travel with our own minibus, with Nigel acting not only as guide to the photo locations, but also teaching some of his landscape and nature photography skills (find out more about Nigel’s photography at
www.nigelhicks.com), as well as offering guidance on how to get the most out of your digital camera.
The Itinerary
Day 1
Make your way to Reykjavik. We will meet you at Keflavik International Airport, and will then transfer you to the hotel in Reykjavik by minibus. We will all meet up at the hotel late afternoon, and do a little light photography around Reykjavik.
Accommodation: Hotel Plaza.
Day 2
Upon leaving Reykjavik, we will initially head northeast into the Golden Circle, to visit the world-famous water fountain at Geysir, an absolute must for photographers! We will then move on to the spectacular waterfall at Gullfoss, one of the most beautful in Iceland. Finally, we will give you a taste of the Highlands, Iceland’s wild and rugged heart, travelling across the volcanic and icecovered landscape as far as Hvitarvatn Lake. We will then return to Gullfoss for overnight accommodation.
Accommodation: Hotel Edda, Laugarvatn.
Day 3
From Gullfoss, we will travel south through farmland towards the south coast. Our main photo locations along the way will be the spectacular waterfalls of Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss, before reaching the coastal village of Vik, our overnight stop. In this area we will photograph the spectacular rocky cliffs of nearby Reynisdrangur and the stunning island of Dyrholaey, along with its colonies of puffins and Arctic terns.
Accommodation: Hotel Lundi, Vik.
Day 4
Continuing eastwards from Vik, we’ll first make for Skaftafell, an accessible area of the massive Vatnajökull icecap. Here, hiking trails will lead us to stunning views of Svartifoss Falls and the Skaftafell Glacier. We will then continue down the coast to Ingolfshöfdi, a remote island accessible at low tide by tractor trailer, under the guidance of a local farmer. Here, we’ll have stunning views along the coast and back towards Vatnajökull and Hvannadalshnukur, Iceland’s highest mountain, as well as more puffin and Arctic tern colonies to photograph. The day will finish at Jökulsarlon, a spectacular lagoon choked with icebergs breaking off Vatnajökull’s glaciers, one of Iceland’s most beautiful, and most visited, sights.
Accommodation: Hotel Hali, near Jökulsarlon.
Day 5
We will start the day with a final visit to Jökulsarlon, and will then begin the return trip towards Reykjavik, visiting a number of sights close to the road along the way, and finishing at a hotel near Keflavik.
Accommodation: Hotel Keflavik.
Day 6
Fly home from Keflavik International Airport, most flights leaving early morning.
Important notes
For general terms and conditions regarding bookings for this photographic tour please refer to the ‘About Us’ page here on All Iceland’s website, at
www.all-iceland.co.uk/About/. Information specific to this tour is as follows:
What is included in this tour:
- 1. Five nights’ hotel accommodation (bed and breakfast).
- 2. Transport for the duration of the tour in a minibus.
- 3. Photographic tuition and guidance at all times throughout the tour by Nigel Hicks.
- 4. Local transportation at Ingolfshöfdi.
What is not included in this tour:
- 1. International flights to and from Iceland, though All Iceland can arrange these for you.
- 2. Midday and evening meals and snacks.
- 3. Personal purchases.
- 4. Any entrance or excursion fees additional to the itinerary, eg the boat tour on the Jökulsarlon lagoon.
Minimum and maximum numbers:
This tour requires a minimum of three people to go ahead. The maximum number of people will be six, thus ensuring that you will receive at all times close tuition and help from Nigel Hicks.
Special notes:
1. It will not always be possible to get the tour vehicle close to each photo location, so some walking will be necessary. While we will try to keep walking distances to a minimum, we will sometimes need to walk a couple of miles from the vehicle, particularly in Skaftafell National Park. Please be sure that you are sufficiently healthy for such walking.
2. Iceland’s terrain is frequently rough and steep, and while footpaths are usually well marked and maintained you will need reasonably stout footwear, and to take good care of where you are walking.
3. While we will do all we can to ensure that everything runs safely, you must be responsible for your own safety at all times. In Iceland you will see few warning signs and barriers to protect you from steep slopes, cliffs or other dangerous areas, so please use your own judgement as to what is or is not safe.
4. We do not provide insurance for yourself or your equipment, so you are strongly advised to take out adequate insurance for both yourself and your belongings, including your camera equipment.
5. Icelandic weather is very changeable, with conditions varying from hot and sunny to cold and wet within less than an hour. Be sure to bring adequate warm and waterproof clothing. Also ensure that your camera equipment can be protected against rain.
6. Needless to say, unfortunately we cannot control the weather, though we will always try to make the best of whatever nature throws at us!
7. The reason for not including midday and evening meals in the tour price is to ensure that we are not tied to particular meal times at hotels and/or restaurants, allowing us maximum flexibility to make the most of potentially variable weather conditions.
8. This tour is being held at a time of year when Iceland has about 23 hours of daylight every day. Although this means that there will be no northern lights, you will instead get to experience the beauty of the midnight sun.
9. The itinerary is intended only as a rough guide to timings and the order in which places will be visited. Things may be changed around during the trip to fit in with weather and daylight.
About Nigel Hicks
Nigel Hicks has been a professional photographer for over 20 years, working mainly in the areas of travel, landscape, nature and architectural photography. Commissioned photo shoots for travel companies and publishers have taken him all over the world, from the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia to the high mountains of Tibet and Chile, and much inbetween. These days, one of his most important clients is National Geographic Stock, National Geographic’s picture library. He is an Associate of the British Institute for Professional Photography, one of the UK’s most prestigious professional photography bodies.
Nigel has written a number of books, including
The Photographer’s Guide to Light,
The Digital SLR Bible and
The National Parks of the Philippines, as well as providing the photography for a host of others, including many of Dorling Kindersley’s Eyewitness travel guides.
He has been running photography courses for the past seven years, mostly as weekend and one-day events in southwest England. This new Icelandic photographic tour-cum-course has sprung from an extended photo shoot that saw Nigel working across much of the island two years ago, which led him to fall in love with the country and to realise that its stunning landscapes offered the perfect photo holiday location.
To see portfolios of Nigel’s work take a tour of his website at:
Tel: 01626 770181; E-mail:
info@nigelhicks.com