Classic Puffin Watching Cruise from Downtown Reykjavík
Description
This tour offers a memorable way to experience Iceland's wildlife, just minutes from downtown Reykjavík. Depending on the tides and conditions on the islands our captains will take you to either Engey, Akurey or Lundey, which are well known for their plentiful birdlife. In addition to puffins you have the opportunity to view other birds such as eider ducks, arctic terns, guillemots and cormorants. You may also see seals, adding to the excitement of the tour. Our crew will share interesting facts about puffins against the scenic backdrop of rocky shores, and if the weather is good, we might turn off the engines so you can enjoy the natural sounds! If no puffins make an appearance on the tour, we will offer you to try again another day, free of charge!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet us at the Old Harbour in Reykjavík and board one of our smaller boats that will take you to the charming puffins!
We stop by one of three puffin islands (Engey, Akurey or Lundey) outside Reykjavík to watch the thousands of puffins that travel to Iceland each summer to breed. As the islands are nature reserves we cannot step foot on land, but rather try to sail as close as possible. Borrow binoculars or bring your own. We recommend a good zoom camera for good quality pictures.
Along the cruise you will have the chance to see Reykjavík from a unique angle, among it the beautiful Harpa Concert Hall, the towering Hallgrímskirkja Church and perhaps the Sun Voyager sculpture!
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- As the birds are small in size, we recommend bringing a tripod and a good zoom lens for 'close up' photography and/or binoculars (also available to lend on board)
- The deck on the boat can be slippery. We recommend wearing good sturdy footwear. For optimal viewing and a more enjoyable cruise this tour is weather dependent.
- Please note that our fleet is not completely accessible for low mobility as there are steep stairs between lower and upper decks and high thresholds to get from the decks into the saloon as well as from the saloon to the toilets.
Reviews(377)
I loved the excursion. Everyone was great. The boat ride was good. We got close to the island. We were told we didn't need to take pictures, that they had someone onboard that would be taking pictures. I was sorely disappointed in the 17 pictures we got from them. Fortunately, my husband took pictures.
It was a lovely experience and the guide was amazing!
I had such a great experience with the Whale watching that I booked the puffin tour through you (Elding) as well. Great job to your teams! It would be nice to have the boat idle to get better pictures.
I have wanted to see puffins forever and when I saw we had a 16 hour layover in Iceland on the last day of the puffin tours, I booked it immediately. I was worried there would only be a few puffins but thankfully there were still so many on the cliffs and bobbing in the water. We brought our own binoculars and they gave us a pair - both were very useful as theirs were VERY zoomed in, but ours gave us a more clear picture of everything. The tour guide was great and very knowledgeable and the crew was friendly. We would highly recommend booking this if you want to see puffins and only have a short time in Iceland!
It was a stunning day which made being on the water so much more beautiful. The puffins were located on a protected island just out of the harbour but we just couldn’t see them, even with binoculars. We did see them flying around but not well enough to get some close up photos. Still a nice journey though. Cute little birds.
We enjoyed seeing the puffins and learning from the guide on our boat. She was great!
Great experience even though the puffins are soon on their migration.
Crowded seats are not comfortable and if rough water cannot get close to see puffins. Not enough binoculars for everyone,
We had a great time. The naturalist was very informative and the crew great. We saw many puffins.
We loved the tour, which was an amazing experience. It lasted just as long as needed to enjoy puffin watching.
