Arctic Fox Photography Tours
What You Can Expect...
This is a summary of the trip and what clients can expect:-
Day One - we all meet in the departures lounge of Reykjavik domestic airport and fly to Isafjordur together. When we land we will be picked up in a van and taking on a tour to the Arctic Fox Centre in Sudavik where you will learn all about the species. Following this, we will go for something to eat in Isafjordur in a highly regarded Icelandic bakery and then we will sail to Hornstrandir on the afternoon to begin our photography tour.
Day Two to Day Six - We will all live on the beautiful Hornstrandir photographing Arctic Fox and - we hope - the Northern Lights. On the final day, all being well we will sail back to Isafjordur, go for Icelandic Pizza in a local restaurant and spend the final night in a local hotel (all included in the price).
Day Seven - on the morning we will enjoy breakfast in the hotel and you will then be taken to Isafjordur airport, ready for your flight back to the capital.
-
Target: Arctic Fox in its winter habitat (both white and blue fox), Northern Lights, Whales, Snow Bunting, Ptarmigan
-
Group Size: to keep disturbance to the Arctic Fox at a minimum (a figure recommended to me by the Arctic Fox Centre), group size will be kept to six clients and one guide.
-
Fitness Required: Some fitness required, the house we stay at is right in the middle of Arctic Fox territory and the walk from the boat to the house is around 10 minutes. This is the most difficult part as it's uphill and potentially in deep snow, but if you need help to carry your cases to the house we will be there to help. You will also have the option of walking around further afield while there, but you can stay near the house where a purpose built hide is currently being constructed.
-
Boat Journey: Travelling across the Atlantic Ocean in a boat in winter can be choppy. If you do suffer from sea sickness, we advise taking sea sickness tablets with you. The boat trip lasts around one hour and is very comfortable with seats both inside and outside. On the way to Hornstrandir, there is a chance we will see whales such as Humpback. Once we get near the reserve, we then have to transfer from the boat to a zodiac. We are only on this for a few minutes.
-
Clothing Required: As you can appreciate, it can be very cold on this trip as we will be spending around six hours each day working with the fox outside. We advise bringing a good goose/duck down coat, thermals, good gloves that are both warm and not too thick so they can also be used when operating the camera, a warm hat and waterproof snow boots. A head torch should also be taken as lights in the house are turned off around 10.30pm and will be useful for setting your camera up outside if the Northern Lights appear.
-
Equipment Required: DSLR, a zoom lens such as a 100-400 or a 150-600 is best when photographing Arctic Fox, a prime telephone such as a 500mm can be used but is, of course, less versatile, a wide angle lens for the Northern Lights and Arctic Fox, a tripod, a wired or wireless shutter release to capture long exposures.
-
Towel and Torch: Please bring your own towel with you to use for the shower and a torch to use when the lights go out and when photographing the Northern Lights.
-
What's Included: Pick up from Isafjordur airport in Iceland, an excursion to the Arctic Fox Research Centre and a guided tour where you will learn all about this amazing species, transfer to the harbour next morning, a boat to the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve, accommodation in a solar powered and heated house, all home cooked breakfasts, lunches and evening meals on Hornstrandir, photography tuition if required, boat back to Isafjordur harbour, a one night stay in the local hotel, pizza and one drink in a popular restaurant in Isafjordur and transfers back to Isafjordur airport.
-
What's Excluded: All transport and accommodation required to reach Isafjordur airport (though we can offer advice on this), alcohol
-
Insurance: You must have your own travel insurance.
Terms and Conditions (full terms and conditions of the trip will be sent to clients via email after booking)
-
Deposits are non-refundable once paid unless the trip does not go ahead due to an insufficient number of guests
-
If the balance is not paid by a deadline date given to the client near the time then the trip will be offered to another client
-
To protect the assets, integrity, intellectual property and development of our services, under no circumstances will a paying client attempt to copy, modify, duplicate, create derivative works from, frame, mirror, republish, download, display, transmit, reverse compile, disassemble, reverse engineer or otherwise reduce to human-perceivable form or distribute all or any portion of any workshops, tours or holidays organised by David and Louise Wildlife Photography. We hold the right to pursue any loss within 24 months of the end of your workshop.
-
The house and boat are both fully covered by public liability insurance. However, if a client decides to go for a walk on Hornstrandir and has an accident we cannot be held responsible for any injury or damage incurred
-
Every client must take out European travel insurance before travelling on this trip
-
Due to the unpredictable weather on Hornstrandir, we cannot always guarantee the boat will sail on the day planned. Therefore, if we cannot sail we will stay in a guesthouse with food for one extra night on mainland Iceland but this rarely happens for more than one day. If we have to stay on Hornstrandir due to bad weather for a day longer, you will get extra time with the foxes for free! It's always best to book flights with a few days either side of the trip to allow for this, but we are happy to discuss this further with you when the time comes.