Remote, pristine, and incredibly beautiful, Iceland captures the heart and wows the senses. This tiny island nation attracts an expansive variety of travelers. Adventure seekers craving off-road, out-there-in-nature experiences will not be disappointed. While the less adventurous often stop over for a few days when transiting to or from grand European vacations. And thousands of passengers circle Iceland aboard a summertime flotilla of cruise ships.

We joined the latter group for a quick Iceland visit. Fourteen days, out of Amsterdam, quickly up a Norwegian fjord, briefly stopping in the remote Scottish Shetland Islands, and then clockwise around Iceland. Every port was a beauty spot, and simply sailing along the towering Iceland coastal cliffs was jaw-dropping at times.

Sailing Seydisfjordur

Cruises aren’t often the ideal way to visit a destination. Too little time in ports and too much time on bus excursions. At best, a typical cruise is a travel sampler. But Iceland’s small size, and abundant fjords and ports, makes the island a good cruise destination.

Our first taste of Iceland was a bit of a miss. Booked aboard a too-large cruise ship, heavy ocean swells prevented us from going ashore by tender boat at Heimaey, a speck of an island just off the southern coast of “mainland” Iceland. Heimaey is Puffin Central and the bird population vastly outnumbers the 4,000 residents of the volcanic island.

Our ship did a close sail by tour that included the dramatic cliffs of Elephant Rock—Halldórsskora in Icelandic. It’s worth noting at this point that many English speakers are severely challenged by Icelandic words and place names. Even our Dutch ship’s captain struggled with the names. And the Dutch are no slackers when it comes to tongue twisting words.

Elephant Rock

When you say “Heimaey,” think “heroic.” That’s because in 1973 islanders battled an erupting volcano. They sprayed cold water on the creeping volcanic flow, saving their important harbor and then rebuilding around the huge, new lava fields. Of course, stuck offshore on our cruise ship, we didn’t see any of the altered town or lava fields. But birds? We saw thousands at Elephant Rock and elsewhere along the coast of Heimaey. A true David Attenborough experience.

After more scenic cruising we reached the capital city of Reykjavík. With its extensive new dock facilities, Reykjavík is an easy port to visit by cruise ship. You can walk to the center of town or take a city-supplied shuttle bus. The town is small and pleasant, but has few world class visitor attractions.

Tjörnin Park Lake Near Iceland’s Parliament

Reykjavík is the jumping off point for visits to many of Iceland’s iconic sights and activities. Cruise passengers boarded buses to waterfalls, geothermal pools, ice caves, volcanic craters, and all manner of Icelandic adventures. Note that we said “boarded buses to” which is an unfortunate reality of cruise ship touring. Iceland’s travel distances are more moderate than some locales, but consider your tolerance for bus rides when booking cruise excursions.

The port of Akureyri, at the end of the long Eyjafjörður fjord, is conveniently close to the bubbling sulphuric pools at Hverir. In a land of other-worldly landscapes, Hverir certainly fits the bill: smelly, steaming, yellow and brown pools and fumaroles dot a valley and hillside. Hverir was once mined to produce gunpowder. It’s a bit more peaceful now, save for the long lines of tourists.

What’s That Smell? Sulphuric Hverir.

Nearby, but decidedly less smelly, is another jaw-dropping Iceland sight: the massive Goðafoss Waterfall. Iceland has hundreds (thousands?) of waterfalls and you could easily create an all-waterfall Iceland travel plan. But if you have waterfall limits, keep Goðafoss on your itinerary. It is massive and spectacular. Even crowds of tour buses can’t overwhelm the expansive site.

Gorgeous Goðafoss

Cruising north of Iceland adds a bonus to your trip. Ships sail across the Arctic Circle, granting passengers meaningless, but fun status as “Blue Nose Sailors.” No elaborate ceremonies ensued on our ship—just the anticlimactic delivery of Blue Nose certificates to our cabin. But this does illustrate an Iceland visit reality. You are traveling far north here. Summertime days are forever long and temperatures are cool at best. A winter visit would be only for the hearty—or perhaps the foolhardy. But then, there are the Northern Lights…