Puffin Cruises in Reykjavik

Along with whale watching, puffin watching in Iceland is one of the marine wildlife activities that you should not fail to include among the things to do in Reykjavik, especially if you go in summer period.

In many places on the island it is possible to see a large number of these colorful little birds, however, one of the most popular places to see thousands of them is on the Westman Islands, where most of the specimens are concentrated.

The most economical option

Reykjavik Whale Watching Tour

A combined tour and savings package for whale and puffin watching.

On board an exploration cruise in the Icelandic Sea you will have the opportunity to watch whales for two and a half hours, as well as see puffins in their natural habitat for about an hour.

From $104 at Hellotickets

This combined option is ideal to save both money and time, so it will work for you if you have little time to go all over Iceland. You will have the opportunity to go on board to learn how these small birds live in their natural habitat.

Additionally you will be able to see the behavior of humpback whales and other marine species such as dolphins and porpoises during the offshore marine wildlife viewing tour. It is one of the most complete experiences with all the comforts covered.

The first thing you should do to book such an excursion is to know what to expect. You should ask everything you need to know in order to book your excursion, from the number of people that will participate in the tour, to the minimum age of the participants in case you are going with children.

Another thing you should do before booking is to know if it is a private excursion or one that you will share with other people. In case you are taking this type of excursion as a cruise participant, you must leave all your embarkation and disembarkation information at the time of booking.

Ask everything you need to know about the cancellation policy and after you clarify all your doubts regarding each of these points, it is time to make the respective reservation. Generally when you make this type of reservation you need to pay for some additional services such as the transfer to and from the hotel or food.

Generally this puffin sighting usually lasts between one and five hours; although it all depends on the type of adventure you choose, whether it is a tour just to see puffins somewhere on the island or it is a combined experience in which you also have the opportunity to see these small birds and other wildlife typical of the region.

The duration also depends to a great extent on the means of transportation in which you travel during the experience. If it is the sighting of these species only by boat, then you may be at sea for about an hour or a little less.

In case the combined excursion you have chosen also involves some coastal or other sightseeing, then the duration of the trip may also change. In other cases this is determined by the weather conditions at the time of the experience, which you can check by checking the weather forecast for that day.

You have to know that in most of these experiences you will be able to have success in the sighting of the species, but in case the sighting gets a little complicated, the experience will last until the time stipulated at the time of the reservation is fulfilled.

Mainly you will see the puffins and their colonies, how they behave in their natural habitat, the relationship they have with the rest of the birds in their own flock and how they manage being all together.

However, the experience can change a little if it is a combined adventure in which you will not only go to see the life of these small birds, but you are also offered the whale watching tour and other marine species.

Going during the day to see the puffins guarantees you to encounter beautiful scenery that you can only appreciate from a boat, on one of the best boat tours and cruises in Iceland. Going back to the typical fauna of this country, usually these puffin cruises give you the opportunity to watch audiovisual materials that tell you a little more about the life of these interesting animals.

• Wear good shoes, comfortable for walking and especially for walking in the snow.
• Try to wear comfortable and warm clothing for each of the puffin watching expeditions, whether you do this tour during summer or winter.
• If your travel group includes people in wheelchairs or with any type of mobility problems, be sure to ask before booking an experience of this type.
• These types of experiences usually have certain restrictions for children under 2, 4, 6 and even 10 years old. If you plan to go with children, ask before booking what is the minimum age to participate.
• In the case of experiences that do not include the transfer to and from the hotel within the reservation price, I recommend asking if this service is available for an additional fee.
• If it is not possible to book the transfer from the hotel and back, then you should look for a rental car or use public transportation, which in Iceland is used as the first option to get around.
• Bring your own binoculars in case you do not have access to one during the experience. They are always necessary to see the puffins up close.

In some cases you can get an experience only for the sighting of these birds, these usually have a lower cost and are divided according to the ages of the participants, ie adults pay one price and children another, although sometimes children under seven years can participate for free.

In the case of combined experiences, the price is usually a little higher, meaning that to be on an adventure to see puffins and other species of Iceland you will have to pay from 100 euros onwards.

The price also tends to vary according to the time that each of the experiences lasts, so that those that last less time usually cost less and those that last much more than an hour can be considerably more expensive.

Puffins can be seen almost anywhere in Iceland, however, there are special places where you will be able to see them more safely because these are where the largest population of these species is found.

Most of the puffin cruises on the island depart from the old port of Reykjavik, but the destination of each of these excursions is what varies frequently. In some cases the sighting is effective on the South Coast of Reykjavík, while in other cases, the sighting is more effective in other nearby locations.

One of the places where you can find large numbers of puffins, perhaps the largest number of their colony, is in the Westman Islands, a place where in addition to the large number of these species, you can see other interesting natural attractions that make Iceland a place to want to visit.

On the list follow other places where it is possible to see a large number of these species, some of them being the Látrabjarg cliffs where it is possible to see a large number of these animals. The West Fjords are also considered a good place to see these birds, as is Vestmannaeyjar which is located towards the south of Iceland.

To most of these places you will find excursions with very similar characteristics. All of them are intended to show you the puffins at their best times and in their natural habitats.

Each of the places where it is possible to see these small animals are not only worth visiting because of the number of species you will see during your visit, but they are also interesting tourist attractions to observe because of the beauty of the landscape.

Other places to see puffins in Iceland

Puffins, as they are also known, usually appear during the summer months, making them an interesting attraction to include in your list of things to do in Reykjavik during the summer.

Here are some other places that I definitely recommend you to visit if you are in Reykjavik and want to have a different experience watching these seabirds in their daily life.

• Dyrhólaey: Located about 10 kilometers from Vik, one of the most important cities of the South Coast. Its landscape is an elixir for puffins, as it consists of black sand beaches, basalt stone walls and caves and other similar attractions.
• Borgarfjördur Eystriur: A village near the sea from where it is not only possible to see puffins, but also whales. If there is something interesting in this place are its platforms as an observatory, where you can admire the beauty of the marine species of Iceland.
• Lundey: This is a good option to include in your itinerary along the South Coast from Reykjavik, and it is a small island that is uninhabited but has a large colony of puffins to admire.

If you are a nature lover and enjoy discovering new species of animals, as well as admiring how they naturally perform, then this tour is for you. It is one of Iceland's must-sees, although this is an island where you will find a particular charm in any place you visit.

One of the reasons why I recommend this experience is because it will give you a broader view of the many species that find their home in such exotic landscapes as Iceland.

I recommend you to live this experience because it will be unforgettable both in your visit to Iceland and for the rest of your life. I also recommend you to do this tour only with an expert, so that you will know everything or almost everything about the life of the puffins, their feeding and other important details.

When we talk about the advantages and disadvantages of going on a guided puffin tour, we usually think of experiences that are family-friendly and must be guided by a local expert, although many tourists prefer to venture out to see the puffins on their own.