Discover the World is a UK based tour company that has specialised in Iceland trips for many years.

Their 2009 brochure is now available and we're really pleased to once again handle the Iceland Countryside Tours programme for them. These are general purpose trips and will appeal to anyone who likes wild places and wildlife. Have a look at the Countryside Tours page on their website for much more information.

It’s been noticeably lighter in the mornings these past few days though with temperatures below freezing and strong winds it still feels as if spring is quite some way away.

All this hasn’t stopped the hardy band of travellers who join us on our winter tours to see Iceland’s wildlife and wild places. The picture shows sunrise at the geysers -- very dramatic.

... to all those of you who have taken the trouble to write to us and tell us how much you enjoyed yourselves on our trips this summer. It really is gratifying to learn we are doing things to your satisfaction and that you are getting so much from your trip. This excerpt is typical:

“Just a short note to thank you for everything you did to make my visit to Iceland so memorable for all the right reasons. Like the rest of the group I saw most of the birds and mammals on my ‘hit list’ plus a lot more. The transport, accommodation and food throughout was very good and your knowledge and enthusiasm was infectious, even I started to find geology interesting. I’m not sure that you can take the credit for the weather but even that was excellent.”

We do our very best to make sure that our trips run smoothly and that our clients get as much as possible from their trips to Iceland. We’re pleased you agree.

If you plan on visiting Iceland this summer then you may find our information sheet helpful. You can download it here

Don't forget your waterproofs!

We've had quite a few enquiries about the 'great auk' trip we run for the UK based Travelling Naturalist.

As far as we can tell this tour is unique — a blend of modern Iceland and its wildlife, particularly seabird colonies, and learning about an extinct bird, the original penguin. On one day we sail around Eldey Island in SW Iceland where the last two great auks were killed in 1844.

Full details are on the Travelling Naturalist's website.

Eldey and the great auks pictured above were drawn by talented bird artist Mike Langman. Mike has recently completed a mural in Devon depicting the sad tale of the species' extinction which is also exhibited on his site.

Reminder
If you plan to visit Iceland this summer then you may find our visitor information sheet helpful. You can download it from here

We've been very busy these last few weeks running educational visits for students from the UK. Mercifully, the weather has been kind to us -- cold but bright -- and we were able to carry out a comprehensive programme of field work.

UK schools are really fortunate as they can use Discover the World to arrange their fieldwork in Iceland for them. Have a look at their website to see just what's on offer.

One of the questions that we're frequently asked is, 'What should I bring to Iceland?'
Our information sheet for vistors is available for download here