Puffin Express: 1-Hour Close Encounter with Adorable Birds

by Reykjavik Sailors · Puffins · cruise-excursion · Reykjavík

4.30(215) · operator on Google
Puffin Express: 1-Hour Close Encounter with Adorable Birds — Reykjavik Sailors

Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at Reykjavik Sailors's own price and take our commission from them, not from you. What you get here is one checkout across operators, one confirmation, and one place to change or cancel it. If you ever find it cheaper on their own site, tell us and we will match it or explain why we cannot.

  • Duration

    1 hour

  • Difficulty

    Very easy

  • Season

    May – Sep

  • Starts in

    Reykjavík

  • Meeting

    Meet on location

  • Languages

    EN

  • Departs

    08:00, 09:30, 10:45, 12:30 …

  • Cancellation

    Free until 24h before

About this experience

Puffins are some of the most interesting creatures on the planet. With big, colorful beaks, dark soulful eyes and an almost penguin like appearance, it is hard not to love them. Embarking on a puffin-watching cruise is similar to going on an ocean treasure hunt – you never really know what's going to appear. Puffins are usually witnesses on the nearby land, bobbing on the water or flying overhead – the charismatic Puffin is definitely a treat to see in person.

We are conveniently located at the old harbour which is downtown Reykjavik. 


Please be aware that due to environmental reasons this trip will be delivered on a shared boat with our partners. At Reykjavik Sailors we are committed to ensuring the environment is kept pristine by making sure fewer boats are on the water during slower periods.


NOTE: You should schedule to be at our departure point the latest 30 minutes before scheduled departure.

Tour will be operated by Special Tours and starting point for this tour is at Special Tours Ticket Office, located at Geirsgata 11, 101 Reykjavík.

Handcrafted experiences with premium partners.

Disclaimer for pick ups :

Pick-ups must be booked with a minimum of one hour before the tour departure time, all pick-ups booked after that will be discarded.

Pickup service (round trip) fee applies to first boat tour, if due to lack of sightings tour is joined for free again, pickup service must be added and paid again.


Let’s plan your next great adventure together. 

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

Where you go

  1. Special Tours

Included

  • Guided boat tour
  • 100% Sightings
  • Binoculars provided on board.
  • We get you extra close.

Not included

Please note: Hotel transfers are available for an additional cost.

Good to know

We recommend wearing good footwear and warm clothing. Don´t forget to bring your camera to take amazing photos.

Sunscreen, comfortable footwear, and a long-lens camera are advisable for capturing stunning photographs of the puffins.

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. 1Reykjavik Sailors 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 →

Why this one and not the cheaper one?

The nearest cheaper Guided Tour from SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary is €49 — €10 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

Reykjavik Sailors · €59SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary · €49
How long it runs1 hour0.75 hours
How hard it isVery easyEasy

The €10 buys you 0.3 more hours out. Whether that is worth it is your call — but that is what the difference is.

Sold out on your date?

Seats come back — a cancellation, or the operator adding a vehicle. Tell us the date and we will check once a day and email you if one opens. One email, then we delete the address; nothing else is ever sent to it.

Who this is not for

  • 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

Reykjavik Sailors is one of 154 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 Reykjavik Sailors

Read all 215 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.3/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

  • K Reu

    ★★★★ · 2 months ago

    We booked the whale watching and puffin watching tour package (whale watching boat followed by puffin watching boat) through Get Your Guide in late May. We did not see a single whale which isn't the fault of the tour guide, just something to consider when choosing tours late May. However, we saw more puffins on the puffin tour portion than we saw the entire time in Iceland. It was great. If going late May you'll definitely want your waterproof layers to stay warm. The company provides you with seasickness tablets if needed.

  • Anna Lis

    ★★★★★ · 7 months ago

    We went whale watching in Reykjavik and had such a fantastic time! The guide was absolutely hilarious — the perfect mix of informative and funny, which made the whole trip even more enjoyable. And yes… “Banana” and “Apple” showed up so many times! 🐋🐳 It was so exciting every time we spotted them again. Seeing the whales surface so close to the boat was unforgettable, and the crew made sure everyone had a great view. The whole experience was well organized, fun, and memorable. If you’re in Reykjavik, don’t miss whale watching — especially if you get a guide like ours!

  • Ariel Macon

    ★★★★★ · 7 months ago

    Seeing humpback whales in Iceland was an unforgettable experience. I cried from joy. Since we went in December, we knew the chances could be slim, but that made it even more special when we spotted them. The tour wasn’t overcrowded, which made the experience feel more personal. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and even knew details about the individual whales, explaining how biologists study and track them. Warm oversuits were provided, which made the cold completely manageable, and they also offered anti-nausea medicine for anyone worried about seasickness. Even beyond the whales, the scenery was stunning. Between the views, the expertise of the guide, and the overall care taken by the crew, the tour was absolutely worth the cost. I can’t recommend it enough. (Mobile photos included. DSLR cameras allowed.)

  • Luna

    ★★★★★ · a month ago

    We went whale watching, our guide was super helpful and friendly. We were super lucky we saw the humpback whales and dolphins and the dolphins decided to swim with the boat

Reviews from Google · updated 13 Sept 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.

No reviews yet from our travellers on 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.

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Pairs well with

Everything here goes into the same basket and the same single payment, however many operators it comes from.

from

€59 per person

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