Reykjavík Premium Puffin Watching
by Elding Adventure at Sea · Puffins · Reykjavík
- Fine on your own
- Luxury
- Self-guided
from €94 per person
Next departure: Tue 20 Apr
1 / 19
Duration
1 hour
Difficulty
Moderate
Season
May – Sep
Starts in
Reykjavík
Pickup
Meet at the start point
Starts at
Ægisgarður 5c, Reykjavík
Departs
09:00, 09:30, 10:00, 10:30 …
Minimum age
10
Cancellation
Free until 24 hours before
Meeting point, in Elding Adventure at Sea's words: Please arrive at the Whale Safari ticket office at least 20 min. prior to depature.
About this experience
Departing from the Old Harbour in Reykjavík, this is the fastest and most convenient way to see puffins and embark on the ultimate puffin adventure. The tour is available during the puffins' breeding season, typically from late April to mid-August.
Summer is the ideal time to witness the vibrant birdlife of the bay and islands just outside Reykjavík. Puffins, auks, gannets, and a stunning variety of other seabirds fill the skies and cling to the sea cliffs just minutes from the Old Harbour, right in the heart of the city.
What makes this tour truly special is the use of our custom-made RIB boats, designed to bring you as close as possible to the islands. Whenever possible, we turn off the engines completely, allowing you and the birds to experience the tranquility of nature. Throughout the tour, your naturalist and captain will share fascinating facts and stories about the puffins and the beautiful surroundings.
Description from the operator, Elding Adventure at Sea. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.
Where you go
- Check-in and Boarding
- Premium Puffin Watching
- Return to the Old Harbour
Included
- 1 hr. expertly narrated puffin watching tour on a RIB boat.
- Small Group - only 12 passengers with expert naturalist & captain.
- High quality suspension seats for extra safety and comfort.
- Panoramic views of Reykjavík.
- We supply warm overalls, goggles and all necessary safety equipment.
Not included
- Pick up / Drop off (not available for this tour)
- Refreshments (not available for this tour)
Good to know
Please dress according to weather and remember to bring a hat, gloves and sturdy footwear. You will be required to wear our thermal overalls (available up to size 3XL), as well as a self inflating life vest for the duration of the tour.
You are welcome to bring your sunglasses, phone or camera on board, but do so at your own risk. Bags are not permitted on the RIB boat, so ensure that whatever you bring with you fits around your neck or in your pocket. You can store your belongings in our office while you are on the tour.
Make your own way to the Old Harbour for check-in at least 30 minutes before the scheduled departure. The tour lasts about 1 hour and requires a minimum of 4 passengers to operate. If the minimum is not met, you will have the option to reschedule or receive a full refund.
For safety reasons, participants must be at least 145 cm tall, weigh less than 140 kg and able to stand comfortably in our saddle-like seats. The tour may not be suitable during pregnancy and is not recommended for those with a history of back or knee injuries. Please consult with your doctor prior to booking this tour. Keep in mind that you are required to sign a safety waiver prior to departure, confirming that you are physically fit.
We abide by a Code of Conduct for responsible wildlife watching, thus each encounter is on the animals' terms and distance may be kept to minimise disturbance.
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.
- 1Elding Adventure at Sea 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.
- 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.
- 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 Puffin Watching Yacht Cruise from Downtown Reykjavík – Small Group Experience from Sea Trips Reykjavík is €55 — €39 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.
| Elding Adventure at Sea · €94 | Sea Trips Reykjavík · €55 | |
|---|---|---|
| How hard it is | Moderate | Easy |
On everything we can measure, the Sea Trips Reykjavík tour is the better buy. The €39 is not buying anything we can point to, so unless you want this operator in particular, take the cheaper one.
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
Elding Adventure at Sea 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 Elding Adventure at Sea
Read all 2,419 reviews on Google →Operator rating 4.5/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.
★★★★★ · 2 months ago
We had an incredible sunset whale watching trip. From the beginning, every member of staff was attentive and helpful. Our guide shared lots of info on the wildlife we spotted - birds and whales. We were blessed with beautiful weather and the boat wasn't busy so we had room to move around and spot wildlife. Lots of tips on how to spot whales were shared. We saw a minke whale and then in the distance the sprays from several humpbacks.We made our way towards these and then stayed with one for ages - it was magical! The captain was very generous with time - because our encounter was quite far out, our trip was over 3.5 hours, we were not rushed back because time was running out! We saw lots of different bird species too. The sunset was stunning and we were able to enjoy this on the way back and also get some beautiful pictures of Reykjavik as we approached. We were also impressed with the way Elding respect the wildlife. Our 9 year old learned so much about whale spotting and ga been putting it to use on our cruise - spotting minkes and humpbacks from the ship! Thank you so much, Elding, for a truly memorable and magical evening!
★★★★★ · a month ago
Great experience! Information on what and where very clear on the website and the ground staff very nice and friendly when one went for the tickets. The crew were helpful, fun and full of information on the whales but also other wildlife that could be seen. They were really persistent in ensuring we actually did see a whale, and we ended up being quite far out of the port with the total cruise time around 3.5 hrs instead of the envisioned 2.5 hrs. We were most grateful for their efforts!!! It was much appreciated that after the tour itself we received an e-mail with photos the crew had taken of our particular cruise. Highly recommended!
★★★★★ · a month ago
Our whale watching tour was so special. I will start with the whales: we definitely saw them! We found a couple of humpbacks busy feeding and out guide did a great job of pointing them out and describing the behaviors we were seeing. It was truly amazing. The crew has the skills and experience to find what’s in the area. Additionally, they provided us with pictures of the whales and a journal entry about our voyage. We heard from someone else on the boat that if you go out and do not see any wildlife, they will provide you with a voucher to come out again another time (this family was on their re-do but your mileage may vary as I didn’t hear or read about this.) But of course, one cannot control the outcome, and still I would recommend this trip. It was such a fun way to see the city of Reykjavik and the surrounding mountains. We had a beautiful day with a bit of wind and they provided motion-sickness tablets for free, but remaining outside I did not experience much malaise. I also want to say that the company was very accommodating. We had booked a morning tour that we couldn’t get to due to travel disruptions and they were very willing to honor our reservation at a later time slot.
★★★★★ · 2 months ago
Booking excursions through Elding was seamless, and I really appreciated their ecological focus. I first took their free ferry to Viðey with my Reykjavík City Pass, then enjoyed the experience so much that I booked both their classic whale watching and puffin tours. Everything felt easy and well organized, from the cold weather gear to the books, wildlife guides, and knowledgeable experts who narrated the tours and answered questions along the way. These excursions gave me some of my favorite memories of Iceland while getting to learn. about the wildlife and explore Faxaflói Bay. Highly recommend!
Reviews from Google · updated 21 Oct 2026
Read before you book
- Iceland in July: what tours runEverything runs in July, including the Highlands and puffin boats. What you lose is the dark: no northern lights, and ice caves are the man-made kind.
- Puffin tours from Reykjavík: May to AugustWhere the puffin boats from the Old Harbour actually go, when the birds are there, what you see from the deck, and which one-hour tour to 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 Reykjavík, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site.
from 16.181 kr.Lowest price
Guesthouse · Reykjavík
Old Town Reykjavík
under 1 km away · a night for two, indicative
from 41.790 kr.Mid-range
Hotel · Reykjavík
Radisson Blu 1919 Hotel
under 1 km away · a night for two, indicative
from 60.840 kr.Top end
Hotel · Reykjavik
Hótel Holt
under 1 km away · a night for two, indicative
One checkout, any number of operators
Rankings are not for sale
203 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted
If it falls short, we fix it
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