A young arctic fox peers over the landscape near Moorudalur in Iceland as seen recently by Richard and Sophia Skolnik of White Rock, who joined a small group from Natural Habitat Adventures for an 11-day ‘circumnavigation’ of Iceland. The trip took them from Reykjavik to Akureyri over land, from there to the Westfjords by plane, and then another plane back to Reykjavik. Arctic foxes are the only mammal native to Iceland. Photo by Richard Skolnik

A whale dives beneath the waters of the Westfjords region, raising its fluke. Whale-watching is one of Iceland’s great natural spectacles. Photo by  Richard Skolnik

A group of reindeer in the eastern highlands. Reindeer are not native to Iceland but were introduced there in the 18th century. About 6,000 to 7,000 reindeer now roam the east. Photo by  Richard Skolnik

A puffin returns from ‘fishing’ with its beak full of small fish that are commonly called ‘sand eels’. Iceland hosts the world’s largest puffin colonies, Photo by  Richard Skolnik