Puffin Cruises in Reykjavik

Along with whale watching, puffin watching in Iceland is one of the marine wildlife activities you shouldn't leave out of your list of things to do in Reykjavik, especially if you're visiting during the summer months.

In many places on the island it is possible to see a large number of these colourful 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 exploratory 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 £82 at Hellotickets

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

Additionally, you'll get to see the behaviour 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 to do when booking such an excursion is to know what to expect. You should ask everything you need to know in order to book your tour, from the number of people on the tour to the minimum age of the participants if you are going with children.

Another thing to do before booking is to find out if it is a private tour or one that you will be sharing with other people. In case you are taking this type of excursion as a cruise participant, you have to leave all your embarkation and disembarkation details at the time of booking.

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

Puffin watching usually lasts between one and five hours, although it all depends on the type of adventure you choose, whether it's a tour just to see puffins somewhere on the island or whether it's a combined experience where you also get the chance to see the puffins and other wildlife typical of the region.

The duration also depends to a large extent on the means of transport you use during the experience. If it is 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 should know that in most of these experiences you will be able to have a successful 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 booking.

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 get on together.

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

Going on a day trip to see the puffins guarantees you'll encounter beautiful scenery that you can only see from a boat on one of the best boat tours and cruises in Iceland. Getting back to the typical wildlife of this country, these puffin cruises usually give you the opportunity to watch audio-visual 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, warm clothing for each of the puffin watching expeditions, whether you do this tour in summer or winter.
• If your tour group includes wheelchair users or those with mobility issues, be sure to ask before booking such an experience.
• These types of experiences often have certain restrictions for children under 2, 4, 6 and even 10 years of age. 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 in the booking price, I recommend asking if this service is available for an additional fee.
• If it is not possible to book a transfer from the hotel and back, then you should look for a rental car or use public transport, which in Iceland is used as the first option for getting around.
• Bring your own binoculars in case you don't have access to one during the experience. They are always necessary for close-up views of puffins.

In some cases you can get a puffin watching experience only, these are usually at a lower cost and are divided according to the age of the participants, i.e. adults pay one price and children pay another, although in some cases children under the age of seven can participate free of charge.

In the case of combined experiences, the price tends to be a little higher, meaning that to go on a puffin watching adventure and other Icelandic species you will have to pay from 100 euros and upwards.

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

Puffins can be seen almost anywhere in Iceland, however, there are special places where you are most likely to see them because these are where the largest populations of the species are found.

Most of the island's puffin cruises depart from the ancient port of Reykjavík, but the destination of each of these excursions is what often varies. 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 on 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.

Next on the list are other places where it is possible to see large numbers of these species, including the Látrabjarg cliffs where it is possible to see a large number of these animals. The West Fjords, as well as Vestmannaeyjar in the south of Iceland, are also often considered a good place to see these birds.

To most of these places you will find excursions with very similar characteristics. All of them are intended to show you the puffins at the best of their time 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 also 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 on your list of things to do in Reykjavík during the summer.

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

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

If you are a nature lover and enjoy discovering new species of animals as well as admiring their natural behaviour, then this tour is for you. It's one of Iceland's must-do's, although this is an island where you'll find a particular charm wherever 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 highly recommend this experience because it will be unforgettable both during 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.