Puffins & Peaks: Borgarfjörður Eystri Tour from Seyðisfjörður Port

by Your Friend in Reykjavik · Puffins · East Iceland

4.90· 1,779 Google reviews of the operator
  • Luxury

from €1,804 per vehicle

Next departure: Thu 22 Oct

Book Thu 22 Oct · €1,804 the vehicleOther dates
Puffins & Peaks: Borgarfjörður Eystri Tour from Seyðisfjörður Port — Your Friend in Reykjavik
An aerial shot of Borgarfjörður Eystri
A close-up shot of 3 puffins.
A shot of Seyðisfjörður with a white table set in the foreground.
A picture of a puffin pair sitting on top of a cliff.
An aerial shot of Borgarfjörður Eystri

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  • Duration

    5 hours

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Season

    May – Sep

  • Starts in

    Seydisfjordur

  • Pickup

    Hotel pickup included

  • Guide

    Guided in English

  • Departs

    08:00, 08:30, 09:00, 09:30 …

  • Cancellation

    Free until 24 hours before

About this experience

This 5-hour shore excursion is designed exclusively for cruise passengers arriving in Seyðisfjörður, offering a rare opportunity to see puffins in their natural habitat—with no hiking required. Journey with us to the tiny village of Borgarfjörður Eystri (Bakkagerði), nestled in the colorful mountains of Iceland’s remote Eastfjords and home to one of the most accessible puffin colonies in the country.

Departing from your ship, we travel through stunning fjords and over a scenic mountain pass toward Borgarfjörður, a place steeped in both natural beauty and elf folklore. At Hafnarhólmi, a specially built viewing platform lets you get incredibly close to thousands of puffins—perfect for photos and quiet observation. The area is also home to other seabirds like kittiwakes and fulmars.

You’ll also explore the charming village of Bakkagerði and hear local tales of the elf queen who is said to reside in nearby Álfaborg (the Elf Rock). Time-permitting, we can stop for coffee and Icelandic treats at a cozy local café.

Perfect for Cruise Travelers:

  • Timed for return to your ship with ease
  • Small-group, personalized experience
  • See puffins without strenuous hiking
  • A chance to explore one of Iceland’s most picturesque and least-visited villages

Description from the operator, Your Friend in Reykjavik. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Where you go

  1. Departure from Seyðisfjörður Harbour
  2. Arrival in Borgarfjörður Eystri (Bakkagerði)
  3. Puffin Watching at Hafnarhólmi
  4. Álfaborg (The Elf Rock)
  5. Optional Stop at a Local Café (Time-permitting)
  6. Return to Seyðisfjörður

Included

  • Observe puffins up close at Hafnarhólmi during nesting season (May–August)
  • Enjoy dramatic East Iceland landscapes on a mountain drive
  • Visit the mystical Elf Rock and learn about local folklore
  • Optional visit to Lindarbakki turf house (time-permitting)
  • Relaxed pacing with flexible stops for photography and short walks

Good to know

  • Warm, layered clothing (windbreaker recommended)
  • Comfortable shoes
  • Binoculars or camera with zoom lens
  • Curiosity for birds and legends alike.

Cancellation for this tour

Free cancellation until 24 hours before departure; no refund after that. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.

If the weather cancels this tour

Iceland's weather is real. What usually stops this one is sea state — the skipper decides an hour or two before departure. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.

  1. 1Your Friend in Reykjavik decides, and tells us. Operators cancel when it is unsafe or pointless, and we back that call every time — we do not ask them to run anyway.
  2. 2We contact you by email, and by phone if your tour is the same or next day. You choose: another date if there is one you can make, or a full refund. There is no fee and nothing to argue.
  3. 3The refund goes back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, usually visible within a few working days. If this tour was one of several in your booking, the others are untouched.

What you do not get is the day back. If this is the only free day in your plan, put a spare day next to it — the planner leaves days free with the rest-day option. And if you want out because the forecast looks bad, that is your own cancellation: free until 1 day before departure, the operator's policy after that.

Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →

Who this is not for

  • Priced per vehicle, so it is poor value for one or two people and good value for four or more sharing.
  • Not available in winter; the operator runs it roughly May to September.

Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.

Why we list it

Your Friend in Reykjavik is one of 204 operators we work with — chosen for reliability, honest descriptions and how they treat guests when weather changes plans. We don't list everything; we list what we'd book ourselves. The six checks every operator passes →

What travellers say about Your Friend in Reykjavik

Read all 1,779 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.9/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

  • Sanket Das

    ★★★★★ · 2 months ago

    Your Friend in Reykjavik is the best tour company in Reykjavik . I took Walk with a Viking Tour , Snaefellsnes Peninsula day tour and 6 days around Iceland Adventure tour . I spent 8 Nights in Iceland . I stayed 2 nights at Hotel Reykjavik Grand , 1 night at Hotel Geirland , 1 night at Hotel Hofn , 1 night at Wilderness Center , 1 night at Akureyri Berjaya Iceland Hotels , 1 night at Hotel Laugarbakki , 1 night at Hotel Keflavik . It was an amazing tour . My experience in Iceland was magical and heavenly . I also visited Blue Lagoon and it was a nice experience. I enjoyed my every second in Iceland . Iceland is one of the most beautiful country on our planet . I would keep visiting Iceland in the future . Thank you for making my Iceland journey special and memorable .

  • Wendy Uhlig

    ★★★★★ · 2 months ago

    We had a great time on our Iceland Folklore tour. Our guide was Einar. He was a fantastic storyteller!! Hidden people/elves, trolls and ghost stories - and a lot of Icelandic history. Thank you Einar!!

  • Nanci Ritter

    ★★★★★ · 2 months ago

    Petra was an incredible guide. We asked her to show us as much as she could before taking our crazy family of 10 to the airport for our flights to three different cities ! First stop was the beautiful church in downtown Reykjavik that had just opened with an organ recital. Next stop a lovely spot and observation sight overlooking the city by the Pearl. Cold and wet she found us a lovely coffee shop with the best pastries for a welcome mid morning rest next to the sea. Back in the van we drove for a bit before having the opportunity to explore a geothermal field on our way to the airport. A perfect day and ending to our time in Iceland. Petra shared alot of history and information from the perspective of a local which we all appreciated and enjoyed!

  • Vincent Damas

    ★★★★★ · 4 months ago

    Nice walking trip in Reykjavik city centre with our local guide Hrafn, very friendly and knowledgeable. A good introduction to Iceland on the very first day of our 2 weeks road-trip around the island 👍

Reviews from Google · updated 21 Oct 2026

Read before you book

Reviews from our travellers

Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.

Reviews arrive the day after each trip — none yet for this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.

Puffins — questions people ask

When can you see puffins in Iceland?

Mid-April to mid-August. Puffins arrive at the nesting cliffs in April, hatch chicks in June and leave for the open sea by late August. July is the safest month for numbers and for chicks being fed. Outside this window there are none on land, and a tour sold as a puffin tour in October is a boat ride. Reykjavík puffin boats usually run May to August; check the tour page for the exact dates each year.

Can you see puffins from Reykjavík?

Yes. Two small islands in Faxaflói, Akurey and Lundey, hold puffin colonies ten to fifteen minutes by boat from the Old Harbour. One-hour trips like Elding's classic puffin watching (/experience/1299/) circle the islands slowly; you do not land. Bring binoculars, because the boats keep a respectful distance and puffins are small. It is the easiest puffin option in Iceland and a good fit for children or a spare hour before dinner.

Where is the best place to see puffins up close?

On land, at a cliff, not from a boat. Látrabjarg in the Westfjords, Borgarfjörður eystri in the east and Dyrhólaey on the South Coast let you sit a few metres from birds that ignore you. Vestmannaeyjar has the largest colonies. Reykjavík boat trips are convenient but distant. If you are travelling the Ring Road in June or July, the puffin tour from Seyðisfjörður (/experience/973294/) gets you to the eastern cliffs with a guide.

Are puffin boat tours good for kids?

Yes, mostly. They are short, an hour or so, and stay in the sheltered bay, so seasickness is rarer than on a three-hour whale trip. Children usually enjoy the boat as much as the birds. The downside is distance: puffins look like specks without binoculars, so ask if the boat has some to borrow. Combined whale-and-puffin trips (/experience/1569/) run six hours, which is long for under-eights.

Hotels

Where to stay for this tour

From the cheapest to the top end of what is near Seyðisfjörður, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site.

All hotels in East Iceland →

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Pairs well with

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€1,804 per vehicle

Book Thu 22 Oct · €1,804 the vehicle