Mud bubbles around us and sulphurous steam gasses across the vast expanse of barren landscape. The rocks are dark and jagged and the hillsides are streaked with mineral colours: silver, copper and greenish gold. I don’t believe I would be at all surprised if suited spacemen beamed down, or monsters materialised. Instead, a bus deposits a flock of camera-snapping visitors, as around us the earth seethes and continues its work of slowly cracking up.
We are exploring the lava fields of Námaskard in northeast Iceland, having arrived on board the Viking Jupiter. And from fjords to waterfalls, glaciers to astonishing rock formations, it all seems enormously mythic. The only land mass on the mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland sits at a spot where two of the earth’s tectonic plates are pulling apart, causing spurts of steam, volcanoes and masses of geothermal power.
On the serious side, this brings inexpensive energy, so that in some parts of the country, even the roads and pavements have underfloor heating, and data centres are springing up. From a visitor’s perspective, it also means you get to dunk yourself in hot springs, which range from the elemental, if slightly rough and ready baths at Lake Mývatn, to the newer and ultra-luxurious Sky Lagoon in Reykjavík. It also gives rise to plenty of delicacies, such as geyser bread, which is baked in the hot earth.
Iceland is a land of contrasts. Across the valley from Námaskard are green hills and lush fields: different tectonic plates making for different ecological fates. We stop at Goðafoss where, it is said, statues of the ancient gods, Thor and Freya, were flung into the thundering waterfall more than a thousand years ago when the decision was made to adopt Christianity as the country’s official religion. Judging from the turbulent waters, the old Norse deities haven’t calmed down yet.
Like Ireland, Iceland is famous for its horses. Despite their small size they are always called horses, and have evolved to have a unique gait, the tolt – which I discover riding Eldie over another lava field, this time at the edge of Reykjavík. The riding style is different – you keep your stirrups long and lean back – and as we emerge from a clump of towering rock to head across the flat plain, Eldie starts to swing her rump and extend from a trot into a tolt. It feels as if we are skimming the earth, and as if she and I could go on forever. Icelandic horses are the most pure bred in the world, and the chance to ride one is the experience of a lifetime, for me at least.
Iceland balances its excitements with powerful quietness. Waking up to views of the towering fjords at tiny Ísafjörður, ravens and kittiwakes soar above, as whale plumes can be spotted further out to sea. Off-ship, I skip the organised excursion and explore on foot to find charming craft collectives and a host of small local shops. I meet Frida, who has parked her camper van to sell her traditional hand knits, and jewellery made with lava and Icelandic gold. “Ireland?” she says. “I love Sligo.”
While it’s a long way from Sligo to what is, geologically speaking at least, the oldest part of Iceland, we have also put in the nautical miles from our own port of origin: Bergen in Norway. One of the often unsung joys of cruising is the chance it brings to explore places you may not have thought of, and Bergen is brilliant. Once a key city in the Hanseatic League of ocean traders, Bergen has the only surviving Hanseatic Kontor in the world – think of an enclave within the city that once had its own accommodation, offices, and rules. The Hanseatic League, as I learn in the evening on-board talk, started in the 1200s, and once dominated trading across the Baltic and North seas.
Goðafoss, ‘waterfall of the gods’, in Iceland. Photograph: Gemma Tipton
Gemma Tipton on her Icelandic horse, Eldie
Today, you can wander timber-lined lanes and alleyways leading to small squares and, should you be so minded, buy Nordic sweaters, and all manner of moose and reindeer related trinkets. Down on the harbour, you can also eat moose burgers and reindeer sausages, but it’s not obligatory.
On advice from Zoi, who makes a marvellous martini in Viking’s on-board Explorers Lounge, I have got up (relatively) early to skip the queues at the little funicular, which brings me up to Mount Fløyen where a short hike leads to a peaceful lake and trees full of birdsong. I read online that CNN dubbed Bergen one of the world’s “top 10 most underrated cities”, which I find hilarious, but the nice Americans I get chatting to from Colorado don’t seem to get the joke.
From Bergen we dot up the fjords to Olden, where Emma, our local guide, plays snatches of Edvard Grieg over the coach’s sound system. One of Norway’s most famous musical sons, Greig’s Morning Mood seems to perfectly soundtrack the beautiful valleys with their hanging glaciers, winding streams and misted forests. Tales of trolls and mountain witches, Emma says, were mainly made up to stop the local children from running off and getting lost. Still, she warns, you can’t be too careful.
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Olden is also home to the Loen Skylift, one of the steepest cable cars in the world. The twin gondolas are named Huginn and Muninn, after the favourite ravens of Odin, Norse king of the gods. A collective gasp rises up from our car as we fly up the mountain side, emerging to the scent of cinnamon buns at what must be one of the world’s most picturesque coffee stops.
A house in Ísafjörður, northwest Iceland. Photograph: Gemma Tipton
Contrasting colours at the Námaskard lava fields of northeast Iceland. Photograph: Gemma Tipton
The lava fields of Námaskard in northeast Iceland. Photograph: Gemma Tipton
The Námaskard lava fields, where hot steam rises from the ground. Photograph: Gemma Tipton
You could spend whole days bird watching. Puffins are a highlight, and they flock to the Faroe Islands, where a special excursion brings visitors out in ribs to the Vestmanna cliffs. Stopping at the island capital, Tórshavn, I explore the wooden parliament buildings with their grass roofs, and go to watch football practice at the sport’s stadium, where I confuse the locals by asking after their former national team coach, Irishman Brian Kerr. Walking further on, I find fields of small ponies, a hidden waterfall and meadows carpeted with wild flowers.
It all works up an appetite, which is good as it’s paella special day in the World Café, and I have also become somewhat addicted to the sushi. You could snack from morning to night, via elevenses at Mamsen’s (the Norwegian cafe) to afternoon tea in the Winter Garden, all the way to a nightcap in Torshavn, the late-night bar. But wise travellers know you can’t do everything, so I help myself to a book from the on-board library and find a lounger by the pool for yet another amazing sunset. There are some trips where it makes sense to travel overland, but with their plunging coastlines and wonderful aquatic wildlife, Norway, the Faroes and Iceland are made even more unforgettable by sea.
The view from Loen Skylift cablecar in Norway. Photograph: Gemma Tipton
The Loen Skylift in Norway is one of the steepest cable cars in the world. Photograph: Gemma Tipton
Grass-roofed wooden parliament buildings in Tórshavn, capital of the Faroe Islands. Photograph: Gemma Tipton
Getting there
Gemma Tipton was a guest of Viking.
Iceland’s Majestic Landscapes is a 12-night cruise in a Veranda Stateroom, from Norway to Iceland, via the Faroe Islands with Viking. Departing Bergen and stopping at Flåm, Ålesund, Geiranger, Tórshavn, Seydisfjördur, Akureyri, Ísafjörður and Reykjavík, price includes guided tours, all on-board meals, wine, wifi, spa access and gratuities. Optional tours and upgrades available. From £5,840 per person sharing, including return flights from a UK airport for an August 19th, 2026, departure.
Life on board
Viking Ocean Cruise ships sleep up to 930 guests in 465 staterooms. You get a choice of restaurants, including fine dining, plus an excellent daily buffet. Dress code is casual, there are no formal nights, and each evening includes a talk on aspects of history, geology and geography, as well as music later on. Music ranges from classical piano to show tunes. Up top, the Explorer’s Dome, a mini planetarium, has short nightly shows. The spa includes a small pool, sauna and cold plunge, and excellent Nordic-inspired massage and facial treatments. Viking prides itself, and justly so, on its on-board library, curated by Heywood Hill, there are nature books, biographies and histories as well as thrillers and plenty of potboilers to keep you going.
Travel tips
Viking offers one free excursion per port, plus additional paid-for options. A little research before you go can yield results, as knowing when to join an excursion and when to go solo can make all the difference. Try local tourist websites, as well as Viator and portguide.org for options. Note that Viking doesn’t take responsibility for late returns on any independently booked excursions.