Hop on-Hop off & Puffin Express

by Special Tours · Puffins · City tours · Reykjavík

4.30(1,460) · operator on Google
Hop on-Hop off & Puffin Express — Special Tours

Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at Special Tours'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

    2 hours

  • Difficulty

    Very easy

  • Season

    May – Sep

  • Starts in

    Reykjavík

  • Languages

    EN, IS

  • Departs

    08:00, 09:30, 11:00, 12:30 …

  • Cancellation

    No refund once booked

About this experience

The puffin watching tours with Special Tours, Puffin Express, have been popular for over 20 years. Our great experience, and especially designed boat, Skúlaskeið or “Old Skuli”, makes us the leading expert in the area. There are about 30.000 puffins nesting on the islands off the coast of Reykjavik and we are only a 15 minute boat ride away.

We sail out from the old harbour in Reykjavik and it only takes us about 15 minutes to reach the puffin island, Akurey. On the journey out you will be able to view Reykjavik from the seaside [remember your camera] and the guide will also share information about the buildings & islands that can be spotted along the way.

The islands we visit are covered with small hills and slopes and both are well known for their colorful birdlife. The island’s shores are rocky but our boat Old Skuli is specially designed to take us as close to the islands as possible due to its shallow draft. When we arrive to the islands we turn off the engine so our passengers can observe the birds and the beautiful surroundings.

Our expert guide will tell you all the facts and fun stories about the cute puffins and other wildlife that might be seen on the tour.

For the Hop on - Hop off part of this combo tour, join Reykjavík Excursions for a bus tour with City Sightseeing and get the chance to explore Reykjavík at your leisure. There are a series of conveniently located bus stops for you to hop on or hop off at allowing you to truly take your time in exploring the city.

The Hop on - Hop off pass is valid for 24 hours, and there are daily departures every 30 minutes from Harpa Concert Hall at 09:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 13:00, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00, 15:30, 16:00 & 16:30. The last arrival is at 17:30 at Harpa. The tour duration is approximately 60 minutes, but you can choose to spend as much time as you want at each stop.

You can do these tours in whatever order you prefer, but we recommend starting with an early Puffin Express tour and then heading to the nearest Hop on - Hop off stop to see Reykjavík.

NEW

Special Tours Iceland app with 5 languages (English, German, French, Spanish and simplified Chinese) available for Android and Apple. It is available for all clients to download during their tour, with both text and audio information. The app will is as close to an audio guided wildlife adventure as possible

Description from the operator, Special Tours. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Good to know

Please note that the time you select is for the Puffin Express departure - the Hop on - Hop off ticket is an open ticket, valid for 24 hours.

The Puffin Express tour is guided in English. The Hop on - Hop off bus tour has audio guide commentary in 8 languages (German, Italian, Swedish, Icelandic, French, Spanish, English & Russian).

Cancellation for this tour

No refund once booked. 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. 1Special Tours 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 the cutoff shown above, 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 — €46 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

Special Tours · €95SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary · €49
How long it runs2 hours0.75 hours
Changing your mindNo free cancellationFree until 24 h before
How hard it isVery easyEasy

The €46 buys you 1.3 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 the one to book if your dates might move: this operator does not refund once booked.
  • 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

Special Tours 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 Special Tours

Read all 1,460 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.

  • Natalia Solovyeva

    ★★★★★ · 2 months ago

    Amazing experience with Special Tours! This was one of the highlights of our trip to Iceland. We were fortunate enough to see seven humpback whales and many puffins, which exceeded all our expectations. A very special thank you to Alessio, who made the experience truly memorable. He was exceptionally knowledgeable, professional, and engaging. His explanations about whale behavior, puffins, and Icelandic marine life were fascinating and easy to understand. He was constantly helping passengers spot wildlife and making sure everyone had a chance to enjoy the sightings. Seeing seven humpback whales in their natural habitat was absolutely breathtaking, and Alessio’s enthusiasm and expertise made the experience even more special. The entire tour was perfectly organized, the crew was friendly and professional, and the atmosphere on board was excellent. We highly recommend Special Tours, and if you are lucky enough to have Alessio as your guide, you are in for a fantastic experience.

  • Tatum McNamara

    ★★★★★ · 3 months ago

    Tour was great! Learned lots about puffins and their funny little quirks. Alessio was a great tour guide! He was very knowledgeable on puffins and other wildlife in the area. Very engaging and funny. Alessio also gave awesome recommendations on where to visit next. The captain Patrick was a man of few words but they were wise and he captained the ship well. He also had a funny little hat.

  • Ali Good

    ★★★★★ · 3 months ago

    We did 2 tours with Special Tours. The first tour was sea angling. Captain Bishop and the crew were great and so helpful. We caught several fish and they grilled them on board. It was delicious. The only thing I would suggest is sitting on the water for a few minutes to eat before heading back to shore because several people got motion sickness while trying to eat. The water was rocky so not sure if that would have helped or not. The second tour we did was the RIB whale watching which was my favorite. We were able to get so close to the whales. The captain handled the boat well getting us quickly to the whales. We were so close we could smell their breath! The guide Alex was very informative and kind. They were a great team and we had a wonderful experience. They gave us suits to wear over our clothes that kept us warm and dry. The only things I would do different next time is sit closer to the front instead of the back (my own fear of boats I chose a seat in the back but the middle or front looks more exciting) and I would bring a second pair of gloves to change into as my first pair felt to wet as it was raining some during our trip.

  • Piotr Kuszewski

    ★★★★★ · 2 months ago

    Puffins Express is outstanding experience. The boat is REALLY close to the puffins, way closer than I expected. Puffins are really small but you can see that it’s possible to take a picture with just regular camera. Our guide was really friendly is energetic and Captain Patrick navigated us safely and showed us some puffin noises. It was incredible experience. Boat is small and might feel crowded at first but once you reach the puffin island everybody can see the puffins freely. Binoculars on the deck are a nice touch too. Highly recommend for everyone. Just make sure to use Special Tours as they have they special boat, other companies don’t have it.

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.

  • One checkout, any number of operators

  • Rankings are not for sale

  • 153 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted

  • If it falls short, we fix it

Pairs well with

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

from

€95 per person

Check dates & book