SUMMARY: In July 2020 during COVID I had to leave the USA and could not get back to my home in Thailand. Iceland was an option and on an 18-day trip around the island I drove 3,370 km and saw eight mammal species, the highlights being Arctic Fox at Modrudalur and White-beaked Dolphin.
Paul Carter: paulcarter@pacapix.com
Posted: 2021 July 27. Format revised 2025 Feb 2.
Contents
a) Mammal List
b) Trip Details
A. Mammal List
- Arctic Fox (Vulpes lagopus) @ Heydalur and Modrudalur.
- Harbour Seal (Phocoena sinus) @ Ytri Tunga, Illugastadir and Jokulsarlon.
- Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) @ Ytri Tunga and Illugastadir.
- Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) @ Hrafnavellir.
- Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) @ Olafsvik, Hauganes and Husavik.
- Common Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) @ Reykjavik and Olafsvik.
- White-beaked Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) @ Reykjavik, Olafsvik, Hauganes, Husavik and Borgafjordur.
- Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) @ Hauganes and Husavik.
B. Trip Details
By July 2020 and with ongoing covid and travel restrictions I had stayed in the USA for 5 months and according to immigration I had to move on if I could; I had already been given two one-month extensions on my ESTA stay. Iceland at the time was easy to visit for EU citizens, requiring only a PCR test on arrival, so I flew there from Los Angeles. My 18-day stay (27 July – 13 August) included 4 nights in Reykjavik. Once I had the results of my PCR test I booked a 2WD car from Hertz; and drove clockwise around the island; covering 3,370 km. I car-camped where possible, mostly in camp-grounds, or booked rooms on the day. I did four whale-watching trips; at Reykjavik, Olafsvik, Hauganes and Husavik (marked W1 to W4 on the route map below). My mammal highlight was the Arctic Fox at Modrudalur; a farm and campground with a regularly used den and habituated animals.
The map below shows the key mammal sites that I visited.
