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Iceland Wildlife Tour: Puffins and Seals Adventure
4.7
184 Ratings
Reykjavík
Embark on a classic puffin watching cruise from downtown Reykjavík’s Old Harbour. Spot puffins and other bird species while enjoying a fun and eco-friendly boat adventure.
Embark on a classic puffin watching cruise from downtown Reykjavík’s Old Harbour. Spot puffins and other bird species while enjoying a fun and eco-friendly boat adventure.
Duration:
1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Old Harbour - Join us at the Old Harbour in Reykjavík and hop aboard one of our smaller vessels that will take you to see the delightful puffins!
- Puffins of Reykjavik - We visit one of three puffin islands (Engey, Akurey, or Lundey) near Reykjavík to observe the thousands of puffins that migrate to Iceland each summer for breeding. As these…
- Old Harbour - Join us at the Old Harbour in Reykjavík and hop aboard one of our smaller vessels that will take you to see the delightful puffins!
- Puffins of Reykjavik - We visit one of three puffin islands (Engey, Akurey, or Lundey) near Reykjavík to observe the thousands of puffins that migrate to Iceland each summer for breeding. As these islands are nature reserves, we cannot disembark, but we aim to sail as close as possible. Feel free to borrow binoculars or bring your own. A camera with a good zoom is recommended for capturing high-quality photos.
- Harpa Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre - During the cruise, you will have the opportunity to view Reykjavík from a unique perspective, including the stunning Harpa Concert Hall, the impressive Hallgrímskirkja Church, and possibly the Sun Voyager sculpture!
What's Included
- Excellent live guidance in English
- Photos taken by crew (upon availability)
- Binoculars provided for guest use
- Raincoats available for guest use
- Excellent live guidance in English
- Photos taken by crew (upon availability)
- Binoculars provided for guest use
- Raincoats available for guest use
What's Not Included
- Pickup / Dropoff (available for a fee)
- Food & Drinks (bring your own or purchase on board)
- Pickup / Dropoff (available for a fee)
- Food & Drinks (bring your own or purchase on board)
Additional Information
This tour offers a memorable way to experience Iceland’s wildlife, just minutes from downtown Reykjavík. Depending on the tides and conditions on the islands our captains will take you to either Engey, Akurey or Lundey, which are well known for their plentiful birdlife.
In addition to puffins you have the opportunity to view other birds such as eider…
This tour offers a memorable way to experience Iceland’s wildlife, just minutes from downtown Reykjavík. Depending on the tides and conditions on the islands our captains will take you to either Engey, Akurey or Lundey, which are well known for their plentiful birdlife.
In addition to puffins you have the opportunity to view other birds such as eider ducks, arctic terns, guillemots and cormorants. You may also see seals, adding to the excitement of the tour.
Our crew will share interesting facts about puffins against the scenic backdrop of rocky shores, and if the weather is good, we might turn off the engines so you can enjoy the natural sounds!
- As the birds are small in size, we recommend bringing a tripod and a good zoom lens for ‘close up’ photography and/or binoculars (also available to lend on board)
- The deck on the boat can be slippery. We recommend wearing good sturdy footwear. For optimal viewing and a more enjoyable cruise this tour is weather dependent.
- Please note that our fleet is not completely accessible for low mobility as there are steep stairs between lower and upper decks and high thresholds to get from the decks into the saloon as well as from the saloon to the toilets.
Location
Elding Whale Watching
Meet us in the ELDING ticket office located at Ægisgarður 5c by the Old Harbour district in Reykjavík. Once at the pier, simply follow the red colour to find us! Be sure to arrive at least 15 min. before departure to ensure enough time to check in and to board the boat.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(184 Ratings)
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Marylouise_h
May 31, 2025
Great day, lots of puffins. - Great day. Saw lots of puffins and sea calm. Got pretty cold at island sobrug up. Forgot to take gloves so more enjoyable with them I'm sure
Review provided by Viator
Chrises
May 31, 2025
Excellent tour! - We had a great time with the very professional Elding crew watching puffins just off the Reykjavík coast. There were hundreds of them and the boat got so close to the island that we were able to take loads of great pictures. This tour is a great value for money.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ontheroadagain65
May 29, 2025
Enjoyable - We took the classic puffin tour this past week and thoroughly enjoyed it. Make sure you dress for the weather; it did get a little chilly while the boat was heading to and from the island. Unfortunately, they can only get so close to the island, so it's hard to see the puffins without binoculars, unless they're in the water or flying near the boat. They do provide some binoculars for use. One of the crew members has a camera with a telephoto lense. If you send them an email with your tour date and time, they will send you the photos taken of the puffins from your tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Juliewf5638wh
May 23, 2025
Amazing tour not to be missed. - Elding tours was recommended to us by a couple on our cruise ship. The puffin tour was amazing, we weren’t disappointed. We went to see puffins and wow we saw them in their hundreds. The guide was very informative, giving us lots of information and answering all questions. He made sure everyone got a good view, even giving us binoculars. It was excellent value for money. If ever I’m in Reykjavik I will definitely use Elding tours again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wendyt553
May 23, 2025
Puffin watch - While sunny in Reykjavik it was very misty and cold on our hour tour. But still great fun. The staff were helpful and even took great photos that you can have sent to you. Small boat with indoor and outdoor seating. Def worth the trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susan_w
May 21, 2025
Great trip, saw lots of... - Great trip, saw lots of puffins from the island we visited.
Short trip but worth it to see these birds
Review provided by Viator
S1418uuedb
May 21, 2025
Very well done. - Very well done. We were brought by the small islands where the puffins roost and nest and provided binoculars for the best view. I liked how respectful the boat pilot was in keeping the boat wake and engine noise to a minimum as to not disturb any of the birds. We felt this tour was a great value and enjoyed it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Q5321yjstephaniep
May 8, 2025
Fun looking for Puffins! - My family and I had an amazing time today on our Puffin watching tour. We were picked up right on time by the shuttle at our hotel and the shuttle was waiting for us on our return. Our driver was very kind. We appreciated the pick-up because we had a sleepy toddler. Since my toddler was sleeping by the time we made it to the island, I could not do as much walking about and photo taking as I wanted (my husband was able to get some good shots), but I was easily able to see the Puffins through the inside windows and with the binoculars that were given. The guides were very kind and even took photos for those of us who were unable to get good photos of the Puffins. I would highly recommend this tour. It was a nice boat ride, although the waters were a bit choppy since the weather can be unpredictable here. I look forward to returning again when my little one is a bit older so that we can go on top of the boat. It was a very pleasant experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
June_l
May 31, 2025
Not Much - The cruise was quite pricey. We paid $85 each and chose this tour as it had a live English guide as well. However, to our disappointment, the guide only spoke about boat safety and which island we would be going to. We also sat at the top floor and could barely hear any of it.
We also didn’t realize how far we’d be from the puffins and given they’re quite far they were hard to see.
There were binoculars provided and washroom on board.
Review provided by Viator
Sightseer34727106055
May 31, 2025
A Bird-Watching Tour Without Binoculars - DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY. Extremely disappointing experience.
I knew beforehand that we wouldn’t be allowed to get off the boat. that’s fine for me. But the actual experience was even worse than expected.
1. Me and my mom DID NOT HAVE BINOCULARS which is included and paid and promised. This is not a cheap tour. When we told the guide there were no more left. She simply replied then there's no more and kinda turned away, trying to end the conversation. No helping. No trying to find a solution. No nothing. I asked "so we just stand here(on the boat)?" no answer.
Thankfully, another tourist kindly gave his binoculars. So me and my mom shared. But we were not the only ones. I saw people sharing like we did
2. The explanation about the puffins lasted very short throughout the entire trip. Even worse, the volume was so low that it was covered by the boat engine. So basically we heard nothing. Comparing to other whale tour we had, loud and clear, full and informative commentary and even a little summary at the end.
3. Don't even mention how crowded the boat was but they still sell you the tickets
Binocular are basic and promised but they cannot even provided you that. The cold reaction of the guide clearly shows they do not care about your experience at all. On top of that, you can't really see the puffins well. Not worth the price. Avoid this tour. Spend your money somewhere you’ll actually be respected as a guest.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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