Iceland is a mythical world of breathtaking geographical features shrouded in some of the largest glaciers in Europe – around 11% of Iceland's landmass is covered by glacial mass. In stark contrast, its landscape is also dominated by mighty, awe-inspiring volcanoes, including 130 active, dormant and extinct volcanoes. Hence its iconic name, 'The Land of Fire and Ice'.

As the earth turns on its tilted axis, the North Pole faces away from the sun, resulting in several weeks of the year when the sun does not set over the Arctic Circle. This creates 24 hours of daylight, a phenomenon known as the 'Midnight Sun'. In Iceland, only Grimsey Island lies within the Arctic Circle, a 3-hour boat journey from the mainland. Our trip will be focused around this remote island and timed to coincide with this amazing spectacle, offering us hours of exquisite light to photograph.

Half of the world's population of Atlantic Puffin breed in Iceland. This is estimated at around 2 million breeding pairs. Puffins have been in steep decline across Iceland and Europe for the past few decades. However, they have been increasing on Grimsey, and it is now home to around 200,000 puffins. A mind-blowing number. There are many amazing locations to photograph the Atlantic puffin across Europe, but this remote island lying in the Arctic Circle is one of the best. The sheer number of birds, freedom and combination of the 'Midnight Sun' make it a very special location.

It's not just puffins which make Grimsey so special. It's one of the best places to photograph Northern Fulmars, Black-Legged Kittiwakes, Guillemots, Razorbills and nesting Arctic Terns, making this island a dream for wildlife photographers. However, there is so much more than seabirds; snow buntings, red-necked phalaropes & waders also breed here. Plus, a beautiful herd of native Icelandic horses can be found roaming the island's interior.

Seabirds, waders, phalaropes, native ponies & so much more, all bathed in the beautiful midnight sun (weather permitting) as it illuminates the wild and rugged island of Grimsey. We have five nights on the island, which should offer us a multitude of different weather conditions and light. Our trip is timed during the peak of the seabird season; this will also coincide with the height of summer when the sun does not set but does dip low to the horizon, offering hours of beautiful light during the midnight sun. We will have a privately booked guesthouse for our group. This means we can be flexible with meal times. allowing us to photograph where and when we need.

We will meet in Akureyri on the first day of the trip (Wild Lens Nature Tours will advise with travel arrangements). Once you land at Akureyri Airport, our taxi driver for the duration of the trip will greet you and transfer you and the bags to our hotel in Akureyri. Here is where you will meet Kevin & David, who over a light dinner will brief the group on upcoming plans and discuss hopes and aspirations for the trip. Following dinner, we will explore a beautiful fjord on a privately chartered RIB in search of humpback whales and other marine life. If previous trips are anything to go by, wow, we will be in for a very special adventure.

The following morning we will be transferred to Dalvik, where we will board the ferry to Grimsey. This is a 3-hour journey, with the potential to see a host of marine life during the crossing. Once on the island, we will walk a short distance to our guesthouse. Each guest will have their own room, or guests travelling together can share the larger room. There are shared facilities in the guesthouse; however, we will have it booked just for our group. It is clean, comfortable, and an excellent base for our workshop whether we are exploring the north or south side of the island.

The island is relatively small; however, we will be exploring on foot, so a moderate level of fitness is required. Seeing the island by foot allows us to be ready to capture the magic, which may be easily missed by vehicle, whether it's tiny phalarope chicks in the grass or waders posing beautifully in the flowers.

Following our adventure on the island, we will follow a similar route back to the mainland via the ferry, followed by another night back in the Akureyri hotel before flying back to Reykjavik and sadly saying our final farewells.