Birdwatching in Iceland beyond puffins
Where to see Iceland's seabirds and ducks beyond puffin boats: Vigur by kayak, Mývatn with a birding guide, and the Westfjords. Prices and seasons.
The short version
- The cheapest option is a one-hour puffin boat from Reykjavík at €60. Ísafjörður's two-hour boat is from €105.
- Vigur Island by sea kayak is from €305 for eight hours, minimum age 16.
- Lake Mývatn has a private birding tour in spring, from €1,841 for the vehicle, with a local guide.
- Most bird trips are seasonal and dates are closed now. Book for May to August.
If you want birds and not only puffins, go to the Westfjords or Lake Mývatn and book a guide. Puffin boats from Reykjavík are a good, cheap start. Beyond that, the places with real variety are Vigur, Ísafjarðardjúp and Mývatn, and most are seasonal.
Start with the simple boat
Puffin Express from Reykjavík is from €60 for one hour. It is a short boat ride to the islands in Faxaflói bay. It is the easy option, and we cover the Reykjavík boats in puffins from Reykjavík.
The downside is the usual one. Puffins are only on land in the summer, and you see them from a distance. No boat can promise how close you will get.
Ísafjörður: a longer boat
Puffin Party is from €105 for two hours and fifteen minutes. It sails in Ísafjörður bay and heads for a puffin area, often near Vigur or a nearby fjord. The guide also talks about black guillemots and eiders. Whales may appear, but the operator makes no promise of them.
Two practical points. It needs at least 12 people to go ahead, with a full refund if it does not. And it runs in summer only. Cancelling costs 10% within a year of departure, rising to 50% within 14 days.
Vigur by sea kayak
Seabird Discovery is from €305 for eight hours, with a guide, gear and transport. You paddle out to Vigur island in Ísafjarðardjúp and around it, among puffins and eider ducks. Minimum age is 16, and it is a moderate-effort day.
Bring wool or fleece, not cotton, and spare dry clothes. It is the best fit if you like your wildlife from water level. Cancelling costs 30% within seven days of departure. The calendar shows no dates now, because it is out of season.
Lake Mývatn with a birding guide
Lake Mývatn Nature Reserve Private Birdwatching Tour is from €1,841 for eight hours, and that is per tour, not per person. The operator says Mývatn has one of the world’s largest varieties of nesting ducks, and the tour runs in spring when birds arrive and pair up.
The guide knows the local landowners, so you can reach places a coach cannot. That is the point of paying. Dress for wind. Cancelling is free until 24 hours before.
Split the cost between a group and it becomes reasonable. Alone, it is a lot of money for a birdwatcher.
A bird sanctuary on a cruise day
Dynjandi Waterfall, Fishing Village and Bird Sanctuary is from €165 for four hours, timed to cruise ship arrivals in Ísafjörður. It stops at a sanctuary where Arctic terns and eiders nest in summer, but birds are the third item after the waterfall and the village. Minimum age is 6. If you are not off a ship, check the departure time with the operator.
The honest case against
Seabird trips are a gamble on season and sea. Several of these have no dates until next spring. Terns can be aggressive near nests. And only the Mývatn trip is truly a birding tour. The others are boat or kayak trips where the birds are a bonus.
Our honest take
For most travellers the Ísafjörður boat at €105 is the best value for seabirds beyond a quick Reykjavík puffin ride. Pick the kayak if you are fit and 16 or older. Pay for the Mývatn guide only if birds are the reason for the trip.
Plan for May to August, book early for the Westfjords, and do not expect any guide to promise a species.
