Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik

by Iceland Discover · Puffins · Boat tours · Reykjavík

4.4(17) · operator on Google
Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik — Iceland Discover

Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at Iceland Discover'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.

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22 photos from Iceland Discover. Tap any one for the full-size original.

  • Duration

    1 hour

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Season

    May – Sep

  • Starts in

    Reykjavík

  • Meeting

    Meet on location

  • Languages

    EN

  • Departs

    12:00

  • Minimum age

    10

  • Cancellation

    Free until 24h before

About this experience

On this exciting 1 hour tour around Faxaflói Bay and the islands of Engey, Lundey and Viðey, you’ll have a chance to get up close to colonies of endearing puffins and many other migrating bird species, as well as enjoying the extraordinary backdrop of the majestic Mount Esja and the city’s colourful skyline.
Depending on the time of your visit, the mountains may be capped with ice and snow, or coloured bright purple, covered with a carpet of summer lupins. At any time of the year, Reykjavík is always a stunning city to see from the water. During the summer months, our voyages will pass close to the famous puffin colonies of Faxaflói Bay.

Description from the operator, Iceland Discover. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Included

  • Reykjavík sightseeing with panoramic views of the Harpa Concert Hall and Sun Voyager.
  • An hour exciting tour in a small group 12-seater RIB boat.
  • Warm overalls, gloves, goggles and all necessary safety equipment.

Not included

  • Hotel transfer

Good to know

We recommend all guests dress warmly in layers and good footwear it is always colder on the water and don´t forget your camera.

  • The tour has an age limit of 10 years & a height limit of 145 CM
  • Not recommended for people with back problems
  • Not recommended for people with heart conditions
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Not suitable for pets
  • Not stroller accessible
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Pick-up/drop-off is not included. 
  • Weather is a big factor for the tour, we may have to cancel the tour due to unfavorable weather conditions. 
  • The tour takes place in wild nature, sightings cannot be predicted or guaranteed. If there are no sightings on the tour, we do not offer refunds but instead, we offer our passengers a free return to join our tour depending on availability, valid for up to three years

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. 1Iceland Discover 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 — €29 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

Iceland Discover · €78SEA LIFE TRUST Beluga Whale Sanctuary · €49
How long it runs1 hour0.75 hours

The €29 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

  • Children under 10 cannot join this one.
  • 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

Iceland Discover 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 Iceland Discover

Read all 17 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.4/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

  • Sarah Hodges

    ★★★★★ · a year ago

    We booked the whale watching tour on the Amelia Rose. The boat was comfortable with a warm cabin on two levels. It was not possible to see much from inside, so be prepared to be on the outdoor decks (very cold in December). The crew was skilled, and we saw several humpback whales not far out of the harbour in Reykjavik. The check in process was a little confusing, with kiosks inside a crowded pub and staff only intermittently available to advise on how/when to board the boats (proceed through the back door of the restaurant or around to the back from the entrance to the docks as soon as you have your ticket from the kiosk). We did not purchase anything from the bar, but it was available. There were bathrooms on board. There was WiFi, but I never found the password posted. The views looking back at Reykjavik and of the mountains in the bay were striking.

  • J M

    ★★★★★ · 10 months ago

    I went on the whale watching tour on the Amelia Rose in August this year. Our guide, Julian is a marine biologist so he gave very useful, detailed information about not only the whales and but also the other sea life and birds during our tour. We were very lucky because despite the very cold, grey, rainy weather, we saw some whales, among them minke whales. I enjoyed the tour very much.

  • Gian Franco Capra

    ★ · 8 months ago

    This was one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had in all my years of traveling around the world. It’s not really a whale watching tour at all. In reality, it consists of going out in a boat that never gets far from the harbor and then chasing poor whales, disturbing their peace. Every time a tail or even the smallest water spout appears, the boat rushes toward the unfortunate whale, which of course gets scared and swims away. In 2026, activities like this should be banned. Neither my family nor I would ever have joined had we known it was something so barbaric. I strongly suggest the company rename it to what it truly is: “Join us and go to bother the whales.” Stay away, this is a complete waste of money.

  • Birk Karsten Ecke

    ★★★★★ · 2 years ago

    The whale-watching tour will remain an unforgettable experience. We saw several minke whales and puffins. Sometimes just a few meters from the ship. The guide was very professional and accurately announced where the whales could be seen. The captain did everything he could to keep track of the whales and allow for multiple sightings. There is enough space on the ship and people don't get in each other's way. However, the tour was only twenty percent booked at 9:15 that Monday morning. Indoor decks, warm blankets, and a bar are available. I can fully recommend this tour. I would book it again. Vouchers must be redeemed for a boarding pass at the Old Harbor House at Ægisgarður 2, 101 Reykjavík. From there it is only about a hundred meters to the ship's dock. Many thanks again to the Crew for this nice and unforgettable trip.

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

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from

€78 per person

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