Iceland:
Landscapes, Puffins, and Legends
Beneath the Solar Eclipse
August 2 – 14, 2026
Leader: Genevieve Wall, Senior Naturalist
You are invited to join Nature Forward on the trip of a lifetime to Iceland in August of 2026
This trip will include some of the most breathtaking sights of Iceland – from powerful geysers shooting plumes of steam and water into the air, to colonies of gregarious puffins, to the hauntingly beautiful ice of a glacier cave, and so much more. Nature Forward Senior Naturalist Genevieve Wall will accompany you, and work with knowledgeable and passionate local guides.
Our timing is no accident: on August 12, 2026, you’ll will be on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula – smack dab in the path of totality for a total solar eclipse. There is nothing quite like watching the sun dim before your very eyes, and experiencing the eerie stillness of totality.
On this trip, you will marvel at the stunning natural history of Iceland’s scenery, encounter wildlife (did you know the Arctic Fox is the only indigenous land mammal to Iceland?), enjoy the tart tang of abundant late summer bilberries and crowberries, and observe birds such as Arctic Terns, Kittiwakes, Fulmars, Razorbills, and – of course! – Atlantic Puffins. Your travels will take you to the basalt columns and black sand beaches of Reynisfjara, to the chunks of glacier that wash up onto Diamond Beach, and to Þingvellir National Park – a UNESCO world heritage site with a placid lake that belies a geological drama unfolding underneath as the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates spread apart.
While this experience will focus on natural history, we’ve designed a balanced trip that includes cultural heritage experiences (such as the Skógar Turfhouse museum, where we can glimpse what life was like for Icelanders in the nineteenth century), culinary experiences, and a replenishing trip to an Icelandic sauna heated by geothermal vents under Lake Laugarvatn.
Our trip is organized by Classic Escapes, a US-based company with a top-tier reputation for quality trips that Nature Forward has partnered with several times before.
Prepare for an extraordinary journey through Iceland, a land where dramatic landscapes meet rich cultural heritage, and nature’s wonders await at every turn.
Dear Friends!
As alien as Iceland’s unearthly landscapes may appear, they are a result of geologic forces that are profoundly earthly. Built, razed, and built again by volcanic eruption, splitting and spreading as the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates diverge, its surface carved and scraped by massive glaciers…it’s no wonder Iceland ranks highly on so many people’s bucket lists!
I traveled to Iceland in August of 2022 as a newlywed with my husband, and from the first day fell in love with the country. August is a beautiful time to visit Iceland; the days are still long, the temperatures mild, but the nights are growing longer and darker. On that trip, we were able to witness the shimmering beauty of aurora borealis twice – green and translucent, like thin hazy clouds dancing unmistakably in the dark.
When I close my eyes, I can still feel the waterfall spray on my cheeks, smell the juice from ripe stone bramble fruits, and taste the sweet icy-blue glaciermelt water on my tongue. Even in ordinary times, Iceland is an extraordinary destination.
I am thrilled to share this extra extraordinary experience with Nature Forward members, as we witness the earthly beauties of “the land of fire and ice” as well as the celestial phenomenon of a total eclipse!
Takk fyrir (thank you),
and I hope you can join us!
Genevieve Wall
Nature Forward
Senior Naturalist
