Seal watching in Iceland: where to see them

The easiest place to see seals in Iceland is Ytri Tunga, a small golden beach on the south side of Snæfellsnes. Almost every Snæfellsnes day tour from Reykjavík stops there, all year. If you want more than a beach stop, go to Jökulsárlón or Ísafjörður in summer. Vatnsnes, in the north-west, has the most seals of all, but you have to drive there yourself.

Seals are wild. They haul out when the tide and the weather suit them, not when the bus arrives. Every place below is a good chance, not a promise.

Which seals you will see

Two kinds live here all year. The harbour seal is the small one with a round, dog-like face, and it is the one you see on beaches. The grey seal is bigger, with a long nose, and keeps more to remote skerries. Most people who say they saw seals in Iceland saw harbour seals.

They rest on rocks at low tide and slide into the water as the tide comes in. Look up the tide before you go. An hour either side of low water is the best time. Keep your distance and keep your voice down: a seal that lifts its head and stares at you is already deciding to leave.

Ytri Tunga, Snæfellsnes

This is the one most visitors see. The beach is a few minutes off the road on the south coast of the peninsula, and the seals lie on the rocks just offshore. In June, July and August you would be unlucky to see none at low tide. In winter there are fewer, and some days none.

You do not need a seal tour for it. BusTravel Iceland’s Snæfellsnes Peninsula Tour is from €128 and stops at Ytri Tunga along with Kirkjufell, Djúpalónssandur and Búðir. It runs almost every day of the year and takes eleven hours from Reykjavík. The seal stop is short, and the bus does not wait for the tide. Our Snæfellsnes guide covers the rest of the day.

If you are driving, come at low tide and stay as long as you like. It is free.

Ísafjörður, Westfjords

The fjord at Ísafjörður has a seal colony at its head. We no longer list a coach seal tour there, so the way to go is on the water. Borea Adventures’ Calm Water Kayaking is from €131, two and a half hours in sheltered water under the mountains, and the seals are often curious enough to come and look at the kayaks. It runs May to September, minimum age 12, and no experience is needed. The downside: cancel inside seven days and you pay 30%.

Jökulsárlón, southeast

Seals swim into the glacier lagoon from the sea and lie on the icebergs. You can often see them from the shore, near the bridge where the lagoon drains into the sea, in any month. A boat or kayak gets you closer.

Arctic Adventures’ Glacier Hike & Jökulsárlón Zodiac Boat is from €195, seven hours with a one-hour zodiac ride among the icebergs and a glacier hike. The listing says seals sunbathing on the icebergs is a frequent sight, which is not a promise. It is sold for the summer season and the minimum age is 8. From Reykjavík, BusTravel Iceland’s Glacier Lagoon & South Coast Tour with boat ride is from €253 for a fourteen-hour day. That is a long time on a bus for an hour at the lagoon, so read our Jökulsárlón day-trip guide first.

Vatnsnes, north-west

The Vatnsnes peninsula, about two and a half hours north of Reykjavík on the Ring Road, has the largest seal colonies in the country. Illugastaðir has a hide on the shore, Hvítserkur is the troll-shaped sea stack on the east side, and the seal centre in Hvammstangi explains what you are looking at.

We have no bookable tour there with dates in our calendars. It is a detour for drivers going north to Akureyri. The road round the peninsula is gravel, about 90 km, and slow. Give it half a day.

Our honest take

If you are doing Snæfellsnes anyway, Ytri Tunga is enough for most people. Go in summer, at low tide, and you will very likely see seals for free.

If seals are the point, kayak at Ísafjörður. It is the closest you will get, it is quiet, and the fjord is lovely in its own right. Drive Vatnsnes only if it is on your way north. And do not book the long Jökulsárlón bus day just for seals. They are a bonus there, not the reason to go.