“Why Iceland – it’s so far away?” our friends asked. Quite right: it is at the top of the world, remote and dramatically, wildly magnificent. That, in a nutshell, is why we chose Iceland.

The sea is flat and milky. There are mountains and heavy fog echoing with the sound of rushing waterfalls. We glided through a fjord, crags on either side of the ship so dim, they were like a lingering retinal image.

At Skjálfandi Bay we came to rest alongside a sturdy pier. Our first landfall in north Iceland, the small town of Húsavík, appeared through the drizzle and cold as being somewhat unfinished and straggly, with buildings silhouetted in the fog. It was rather cindery and chilly and very “elsewhere” and a bit lonely, just outside the Arctic Circle.

A spectacular wooden church, the Húsavíkur Kirkja, one of the oldest in Iceland, dominates the landscape of what has been dubbed the whalewatching centre of Europe. We set off across a compacted bed of volcanic rock to explore the town, the first ship-board visitors to use the new dry landing.

A laconic uniformed officer, leant languidly against his jeep in the absence of a cabin, and represented all local officialdom. He greeted us in perfect English and seemed more than happy to tell us about his town. So friendly was he, that were it not for his jaw-wideningly boring task of watching a shipload of law-abiding visitors plod into town and back, he would probably have taken us on a guided tour. This was the start of an incredible holiday.

Puddle-dodging was the quickest way to the main road and a brisk walk into town. Here we found a large wooden warehouse, the Ka_lin Handverkhus, that loomed out of the mist, filled with every imaginable warm garment, woolly traditional knits, furry outerwear, waterproofs in all shapes and sizes, boots, hats… It was all there. There were shelves of handcrafts and souvenirs – carved, knitted, moulded and sculpted – and a selection of dramatic and beautifully conceived Icelandic postcards. A local lass told us that her husband had recently skippered a yacht from Húsavík to Cape Town and is, from all accounts, still enjoying the siren call of sun and sand.

“Cape Town is very nice place yes – good to stay for holiday?” she asked.

We have to agree, especially that his currency is going a lot further in Cape Town than ours is in Iceland!

Wooden stairways lead to the upper level of the little town. At the top is a traditional deck-café – Kofinn Gourmet Hut – fragrant with freshly-ground coffee, grilled Icelandic trout and maple waffles.

The feeling of utter isolation and quietness lessened as watery sunlight moved aside cloud, diffused and burnt off fog to reveal the picturesque harbour of brightly painted fishing craft and yachts. Colourful wooden houses fringed a bay surrounded by mountains that were snow-capped with the luminescence of frothed cream. Flights of seabirds soared on thermals above a group of young sea-kayakers.

This is what it’s all about. We headed on down to the Whale Museum, an educational centre dedicated to the promotion of whales and whale-watching, the only museum of its type in Iceland. The pro-active staff members accompany whale watching trips to collect data, photograph species and acquire knowledge of Icelandic marine wildlife and ecosystems.

It’s an interesting exhibition, housed in a disused slaughterhouse with dramatic lighting and whale skeletons suspended just above head height – the idea being to promote conservation in a country which has historically hunted cetaceans down the ages.

I am told: “We believe that our government will stop the big whale hunting this summer – it does not make sense, especially when they probably cannot sell the meat and the killing of these whales has nothing to do with science, that’s for sure.”

This bay, they say, is alive with whales, including 12 different species that have been spotted in recent years, while global interest grows.

Traditional oak fishing boats are restored and converted for whale-watching trips, with those previously used for whale-hunting. One of the most incredible sights is that of a humpback whale breaching in the copper glory of a midnight sun which, for a brief spell, hovered, then slowly sunk below the horizon, leaving a sky of lingering burnished colours and mountain peaks tipped with gold.

And so we cast off moorings, sadly as it happens, for our time in this special place was all too short. Wisps of cloud moved across glacial heights. The land washed away, receding into the distance. The ship’s wake foamed green and true, until everything disappeared into wind-whipped confluence. A waterfall hovered and fell in a drift of spume to a ledge below, black with shadow and chill. And here, glowing in a stray skein of sunlight, stood a figure by a tiny tent, orange and solitary, next to a canoe. Clearly this was one of the most remote overnight camp-sites in the world.

The isolation was complete, the silence yoked to towering peaks, glacial rivers and a land of astounding beauty.

If you go...

• Husavik is accessible by road, sea and air (airport at Akureyri).
• Whale watching season is from June to September. See www.gentlegiants.is.
• In an area of outstanding beauty, activities include: whale-watching, hiking, riding Icelandic horses, fishing, visiting Flatey Island and Lake Myvatn for bird-watching, going on the Diamond Circle tour (which includes some of the most impressive sights in Iceland), kayaking and the midnight sun which occurs during May, June and July.
• Currency: Icelandic króna.
• Credit/debit cards and travellers’ cheques are widely accepted.
• Visas: Visitors travelling on South African passports require a Schengen visa (agency service charge applies). Allow three weeks.
• For more information, visit www.visiticeland.com or www.northiceland.is.
• For editorial and advertising queries, contact Jon van den Heever at 083 301 8626.
• For advertising queries only, contact Pat Bibby at 021 488 4132.