By Monika
5 Best Places to See Puffins in Iceland.
Is puffin watching on your must-do in Iceland list but you’re not sure how to go about it? When and where to go?
Well, you found the right article!
In this guide I’ll tell you all I’ve learned about puffins straight from the source – our amazing Icelandic tour guide (read on for more details about a unique puffin-watching tour we took!) and I’ll share all my tips on where to spot these adorable birds on your own or with various guided tours as well.
And how to approach them so they don’t take off scared before you take that long-awaited epic puffin photo and more!
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- 5 Best Places to See Puffins in Iceland.
Quick facts about puffins
Puffins became an iconic species of birds associated with Iceland – you see them on postcards, magnets, calendars – everywhere! And why not? They are just so cute! Black and white, with orange beaks, wabbling clumsily along the cliffs. Seeing a puffin became a not-to-miss experience for anybody traveling to Iceland.
Iceland has the largest colony of puffins in the world – over half of all puffins come to nest in Iceland in the summer, after living at sea the rest of the year.
These charming seabirds can be found nesting on the edge of the cliffs and grassy slopes of Iceland’s coastal areas. They are excellent swimmers and divers, using their wings to propel themselves underwater in search of small fish – their primary source of food.
Fun fact: despite their abundant presence on most Icelandic souvenirs, puffins are NOT the national bird of Iceland! It’s the Gyrfalcon – a large, fast, protected bird of prey living in Iceland year-round.
Fun fact: puffins are also known as “sea parrots” due to the similarities of both bird’s beak shapes and are also called the “clowns of the sea” – that’s due to their colorful beaks, facial coloring, and their adorable but awkward movements when on land.
Best time of the year to see puffins
In short, you can only see the puffins in Iceland during the summer season.
Atlantic puffins are migratory birds and typically arrive to nest in Icelandic cliffs sometime in late April. That’s when they breed and raise their young in burrows they create in the ground. That makes the summer months the best time of year to see them, specifically from mid-May to mid-August.
Please know that the exact timing of “puffin season” can vary from year to year, so this information should only be considered a guideline. You may want to check with a local tour operator as they are more likely to have more current details each year.
Best time of the day to see puffins
Early mornings (usually about 6 am till 11 am) and evenings (6 pm – around 10 pm) are considered the best times to see puffins in their natural habitat if you’re planning to watch them on land.
The rest of the time they are at sea, gathering food or just resting on the ocean waves, which makes it a good time for a puffin-watching boat tour.
Can I see the puffins on my own?
Absolutely! You can drive to almost every puffin site without a guide. I’ll specify the one location on my list that needs a tour – the rest of them you can visit on your own and enjoy those adorable birds for as long as you want!
Are there puffins watching tours?
Yes, there are plenty to choose from, departing from many locations. There are boat tours and bus/mini-bus tours, offering different options.
I’ll post a selection of tours under every puffin-watching place listed in this article.
Where are the best places to see the puffins in Iceland?
Here is my list! There are of course other areas where you can view puffins in Iceland, but these are the ones you can easily get to on your own.
Many of them are located on the South Coast – the most visited region of the country. That makes them very easy to incorporate into your trip plan.
Here is a map of my top 5 puffin viewing spots:
1. Ingólfshöfði Promontory
This is the one puffin viewing spot that requires a tour, you can’t get there on your own. We squeezed this tour into our itinerary last minute (after I thought it was finalized!) and what a good idea it was!
It was a fabulous experience, and I described it in great detail in this article.
Let me give you the basics here:
The tour base is located in Öræfi, just a short detour directly from rt. 1, about halfway between Skaftafel Visitor Center and Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon.
The tours are organized by a family-run company, called “From Coast to Mountains” (in Icelandic “Öræfaferdir”). It is a very easy stop to include in your summer Ring Road itinerary.
You do need a car to get there as it’s a “meet on location” only tour, with no pickup option. It’s a very easy and scenic drive from either direction.
It starts with a one-of-a-kind fun and scenic tractor-drawn wagon ride.
After you arrive at the black sand beach, you hike up the dune and then you find yourself at the top of the Ingólfshöfði cliffs – one of the prime puffin nesting areas in Iceland.
Read more about the Ingólfshöfði Puffin Tour in this detailed guide, complete with photos and tips from our experience!
Book this incredible puffin adventure here.
If you’re not up for a tour or simply will not be traveling in the Ingólfshöfði area, your best bet will be to head to Dyrhólaey Cliffs. That’s where we got to see A LOT OF PUFFINS!
2. Dyrhólaey Cliffs
Dyrhólaey is a protected nature reserve, located on Iceland’s South Coast, near Vik and the famous Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach.
It’s best known for the magnificent stone arch rising dramatically from the ocean. In the summer months, it’s also one of the prime puffin viewing spots.
How to get to Dyrhólaey Cliffs?
The easiest and most convenient way to travel to Dyrhólaey is by car.
It’s less than 20 min. (18 km) drive from Vik and a 2 hr 15 min. (180 km) drive from Reykjavik.
There are two parking lots for the cliffs – the lower one, where the main walking trails are, and the upper one, directly by the lighthouse.
The puffins nest along the cliffs and you can easily spot them from the lower main lot area.
Helpful tip: to find the main (lower) parking lot, type “Dyrhólaey View Parking Lot and WC” in your Google Maps or GPS. If you just put in “Dyrhólaey Viewpoint” or “Dyrhólaey Lighthouse” you may be taken right to the lighthouse via a rather steep winding road.
From the parking lot you can take one of many paths to explore the area and take in the views of the cliffs, black sand beaches and the of course – see the puffins!
You can also take a marked uphill path to the lighthouse and enjoy a clear view of the stone arch from there.
But where are the puffins?
They are very close to the lower parking lot!
We arrived at Dyrhólaey around 7:30 pm, after a really long day of sightseeing and hiking. This was our last stop before heading to our guesthouse. We didn’t actually know where to even start looking for puffins at Dyrhólaey, I just knew they may be there.
So we just started walking up the main path. As soon as we got to the top of it, to a spot where the path diverged into different trails, we saw people gathered near the cliff to the left of us. Immediately we thought “puffins!”
And, boy, were we CORRECT!
SO. MANY. PUFFINS!
It was so hard not to break into a run to that magical spot where everyone was calmly watching them – but we knew better and just quietly walked up and joined the group.
The puffins were just sitting there on the grass, fluttering their wings, almost posing for pictures! Totally not bothered by the people, the phones, or the cameras. It was so amazing to watch! We went really picture happy but how can you not?
Watch a video of these cute birds:
Tours to Dyrhólaey Cliffs:
These are not puffin-specific tours, however, if you book them during puffin viewing season, you have a good chance of seeing them:
- South Coast, Waterfalls, Black Beach Small Group Tour
- South Coast Waterfall, Black Sand & Ice Tour
- South Coast and Hidden Waterfalls Tour
Read my full guide to Dyrhólaey Cliffs, including a video of the drive to the lighthouse!
3. Látrabjarg Cliffs
These cliffs, located in the Westfjords of Iceland, just by themselves are an impressive sight, towering about 440 meters above the ocean and stretching for 14 kilometers along the coastline.
It’s the westernmost point in Iceland. During the summer months, they are home to thousands of nesting puffin colonies. You can observe these charming birds up close as they come and go from their burrows, but please be careful – there are no barriers – please keep a safe distance from the cliff edges!
You only have to walk a few minutes from the parking lot to the puffin viewing point, however, it may be worth it to go a bit further and explore more of this amazing area.
Aside from puffins, Látrabjarg is also a great spot for birdwatching in general, with numerous other sea birds such as razorbills and guillemots present there. They are even called “bird cliffs”. It’s just a breathtaking place to visit.
How to get to Látrabjarg Cliffs?
The best way to get there is by car. It’s a long drive though, so it’s probably best to plan a visit to the cliffs as part of a more comprehensive Westfjords trip.
It’s a 416 km drive from Reykjavik and will take you about 6 hours.
Another option is to take a ferry from the town of Stykkisholmur located on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula (a truly magical region of Iceland that you should definitely plan to visit!) which will get you to the town of Brjánslækur. The ferry ride takes 2.5 hours and from Brjánslækur your car ride to the cliffs is 1.5 hours.
Here is the link to the ferry schedule.
Note: while most of the main roads in the Westfjords are paved, some (including the last 46 km of the way to the Látrabjarg Cliffs) are rough and unpaved so a 4×4 car is recommended.
Tours from Reykjavik are not that easy to find. They’re usually multi-day tours.
If you find yourself in the Westfjords but don’t want to drive to the cliffs by yourself, you can take this tour.
4. Westman Islands
Westman Islands are a cluster of small, mostly uninhabited islands off the South Coast of Iceland.
The main island (and the only inhabited one) is called Heimaey and it’s easily accessible by ferry, located near the famous Seljalandsfoss Waterfall.
Vestmannaeyjar (another name for Heimaey) is home to one of the largest colonies of puffins. You can easily see them by driving out to the southernmost part of the island, where Stórhöfði puffin viewpoint is located.
Note: it is the windiest spot not only in Iceland but in all of Europe! According to the official Westman Islands website, Storhofdi Cape only gets about 4 calm days a year!
Fun fact: Late August is the time when young puffins test their independence and many a time, they venture out to the city of Haimaey, attracted by the city lights. After finding themselves outside their usual habitat, they often can’t find their way back home. That’s when the local children come to the rescue. Those who are allowed to stay up late, walk the streets, and collect the lost baby puffins. The birds spend the night at the kids’ houses and in the morning are released into the wild, in a spot with easy access to the ocean. That is just as adorable as the puffins themselves!
How to get to Westman Islands?
As I mentioned above you need to take the Landeyjahöfn ferry, which is located about 15 minutes from Seljalandsfoss Waterfall parking lot. The ride takes about 40 minutes one way.
Westman Islands puffin tours:
If you decide not to take your car to the Westman Islands you can see the puffins with one of these recommended tours:
You can also watch the puffins from the boat. Here is a popular boat trip tour to consider:
5. Borgarfjörður Eystri
It’s a small fishing village in the north-east part of Iceland (the Eastfjords), about a 1-hour detour from the Ring Road and most likely the best set-up spot for puffin watching.
All you have to do is find Hafnarhólmi Harbor and follow the boardwalk set up along the cliffs, leading to multiple viewing platforms. The paths give you easy access to the best observation spots, without disrupting the puffins.
How to get to Borgarfjörður Eystri?
The only way to reach that location is by car. The closest town on the Ring Road is Egilsstaðir, and from there the drive takes about an hour heading north on rt. 94. So if you are traveling around Iceland, this is definitely a detour from the Ring Road worth considering.
READ MORE: How to See Puffins at Borgarfjörður Eystri: a Complete Guide.
Can you see the puffins near Reykjavik?
Yes, you can! You can take a boat tour from Reykjavik harbor to a small uninhabited island called Lundey island for a great bird-watching adventure. You have a really good chance to see the puffins there as Lundey is also known as “puffin island”. You may be lucky enough to also spot a whale as well!
Now that you are familiar with some of the best places to see puffins in Iceland, only one question remains:
How to get that perfect puffin photo?
Puffins are quite accustomed to human presence, so you can get up close for some amazing photo opportunities.
They are okay with the average human noise but still may get spooked and fly away if they hear a sudden loud sound. And if one does, the rest of them will follow.
Our knowledgeable puffin tour guide revealed that the one thing puffins dislike the most is sudden movements. So approach slowly (trust me, I know this rule is hard to follow, but don’t let your excitement scare the puffins!), keep your voice level, and you will be able to get some fantastic puffin close-ups!
Do you have a favorite puffin-watching spot? Share your experiences and tips in the comments!
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About Monika
An avid traveler and a passionate trip planner, mildly obsessed with being organized and prepared 🙂
Well aware of how precious travel time is, I’m here to share my experience and help you get the most out of your vacation time.
“Taking the hassle out of trip planning”
