Alumni Event Opportunity: Icelandic Field Studies
2026 Alumni Trip
The information on this page is a brief overview of what’s included in our full brochure. For complete details—including daily itineraries, trip leaders, and answers to frequently asked questions—please view the full brochure.
Trip Overview
Spend 9 days exploring the South and East Coasts of Iceland. Experience majestic glaciers, stunning beaches, unique geology, and otherworldly landscapes. Follow in the footsteps of the Epic Advantage Icelandic Field Studies Program (IFS), a multidisciplinary student-faculty research experience that has been collecting data in Iceland since 2014. Meet the 2026 IFS students at the Skalanes Nature and Heritage Reserve. There is an optional 3-day extension to the trip that will take us to the North Coast with a chance for a whale watch tour and exploration of Lake Mývatn, a birding hotspot.
Trip Cost
We estimate the following trip costs (we will know more when we begin booking):
- Sharing a double room for 8 days (Saturday – Sunday): $5000
- Having your own room for 8 days (Saturday – Sunday): $6500
- Sharing a double room for 12 days (Saturday – Wednesday): $6500
- Having your own room for 12 days (Saturday – Wednesday): $7500
This estimate does not include air travel, but does include most meals, hotel reservations, entrance tickets, and in-country car travel.
Trip Highlights
We will visit: Þingvellier, the site of the oldest democracy and the boundary of two tectonic plates; the island of Heimaey, the site of a recent volcanic eruption; Sólheimajökull glacier; a black sand beach with impressive columnar basalt; the picturesque town of Seyðisfjörður; and our student research post with great puffin viewing – Skálanes Nature and Heritage Reserve. The trip extension adds on visits to Lake Mývatn; Akureyri, the largest population center outside Reykjavík; and Húsavík, center for whale watching in Iceland.
We will experience: The Midnight Sun, a cool subArctic summer, interactions with locals, and Icelandic food and culture.
We will see: Many birds including: Puffin-Arctic tern-Oystercatcher-Arctic Skua-Eider ducks-Godwit-Whimbrel-Cormorant-Harlequin duck-Golden Plover-Rock Ptarmigan AND MORE, seals and possibly whales. If we’re lucky we will spot reindeer! Bring your binoculars!
The Itinerary:
|
Name and Location of Lodging |
Dates |
Set-up |
|
Center Hotels Skjaldbreið, Reykjavik |
Friday July 10 – Monday July 13 |
Single and Double rooms, breakfast included |
|
Puffin Hotel, Vík |
Monday July 13 – Wednesday July 15 |
Single and Double rooms, breakfast included |
|
Guesthouse Hvammur, Höfn |
Wednesday July 15 – Thursday July 16 |
Single and Double rooms, shared bathrooms, breakfast included?? |
|
Hótel Aldan, Seyðisfjörður |
Thursday July 16 – Sunday July 19 |
Single and Double rooms, breakfast included |
|
Hotel Akureyri, Akureyri |
Sunday July 19 – Wednesday July 22 |
Single and Double rooms, breakfast included |