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Puffin and Volcano Boat Tour
4.9
17 Ratings
Vestmannaeyjabær
Explore Vestmannaeyjar’s volcanic craters and puffin colonies by land and sea. Discover history, wildlife, and adventure on this unique boat tour.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Vestmannaeyjahofn - Our base is located at the harbour and the tour starts from there.
- Sprangan - “Spranga” is a name of a very special activity in Vestmannaeyjar. The islanders used to rely heavily on gathering eggs from the various bird species of the area and so they spent alot of time swinging from ropes in the cliffs to get from nest to nest.
“Spranga” is swinging from a rope that has been tied to the top of the cliff. Our local guide is an experienced egg gatherer and still has what it takes to swing in the cliffs.
- Herjolfsdalur - Herjólfsdalur is the valley of Herjólfur, the first settler in Vestmannaeyjar. His settlement is located in the valley, which holds a special place in the hearts of the locals.
- Puffin Lookout - During the land part of this tour, our travellers will be able to explore the rich birdlife of the area from the Puffin Lookout hut in Stórhöfði
- Eldfell - Eldfell is the name of the volcano that erupted in January of 1973. You will learn about the fateful night that sent the whole island down to the harbour and into all available ships and boats.
- Flakkarinn Scenic Overlook - Flakkarinn is a beautiful spot overlooking Klettsvík and Heimaklettur mountian. At Flakkarinn is an interesting vertical log with drilled holes in it. Each hole gives you a tunnel view of an island, glacier, mountain or another beautiful place.
- Skansinn - Built in 1586 to protect the Danish royal store from the English, Skansinn (The Fort) adds yet another layer to Vestmannaeyjar rich history. The area offers great views and is very popular by travellers year round.
- Tanginn - 1 hour lunch buffet at Tanginn restaurant. The restaurant is located close to our base and has some of the best views in the harbour area
- Heimaklettur (Home Rock) - The pride of the islanders. Heimaklettur is an iconic mountain towering over the town and our passengers will get to sail by it from our RIB boat.
- Heimaey Island - During our 1-hour RIB boat ride, travellers will get great views from all angles of Heimaey island (home island)
- Bjarnarey - During our 1-hour boat ride, travellers will see Bjarnarey island from distance
- Elliðaey - During the 1-hour boat ride, passengers can see Elliðaey island from a distance.
- Elephant Rock - Travellers will get a good look at the Elephant Rock from land. If the sea allows us, travellers will also be able to get a view from up close
What's Included
- Lunch
- All fees and/or taxes
Additional Information
Puffin and Volcano Boat Tour is the most comprehensive adventure you can find in Vestmannaeyjar. This tour offers the best of both land and sea. Not only will you learn about the volcanic eruption in 1973 that swallowed over 400 houses and blanketed the whole island in ash - you’ll be able to stand in the crater.
The puffin colony in Vestmannaeyjar is one of the largest in the North Atlantic and we offer the best possible way to experience this: A trip to The Puffin Lookout cabin, located in Stórhöfði and during our RIB boat adventure, you will be able to see the puffin from sea as well!
Travellers will also learn about the first settler in Vestmannaeyjar, how to “spranga” and much more!
Location
Ægisgata 1
Ægisgata
Our base is located on the harbour, opposite Sea Life Trust
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(17 Ratings)
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Andreas_b
Jul 28, 2024
Highly recommended - The tour guide and his wife did really took care of everything, had a wonderful time. He even took the tour just with the 2 of us (actually much bigger group, thanks again for that!)
If you the trip to Westman Island don't miss that out !
Review provided by Viator
Carllh
Jul 27, 2024
Highlight of our time in Iceland! - I highly recommend this tour. It is a local family owned operation, and Halli, owner and operator has much to offer as he has lived on the island his whole life. Some of the stories, especially around the 1973 volcano my children found fascinating. His daughter joined us for the tour, making the family feeling even better! We did the boat and puffin tour, highly recommended, and the lunch was great as well!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jay_k
Jul 24, 2024
The Best!! - When you visit such a remote place, spending your time with a delightful man born and raised on this island is a unique experience. He still sleeps in the room in which he was born! Hailee (sp?) is amazing. We learned history and behind the scenes events from the 1973 Volcano , watched him rope swing from huge rock formations and visited caves and out islands he’s frequented since he was a child. We can’t imagine a better experience!
Review provided by Viator
Stacy_k
Jul 15, 2024
Amazing puffin, volcano, boat tour! - This tour was amazing from beginning to end. Our tour guide, Halli (I hope I am remembering that correctly?!) was so nice and knowledgeable. He has lived on the island all of his life and obviously loves to share the history and the beauty of his home with visitors. He was the kindest man and made sure my whole family enjoyed the tour. The puffins were adorable and very close and the grand finale was the incredible boat tour that his wife accompanied us on. She was very sweet as well and the boat ride was just amazing. We went into caves and
explored quite an extensive area. Last but not least, my family and I wanted to hike the volcano after the tour was over and he kindly offered to drive us up to the start of the trail. We were so appreciative. I can’t say enough about this couple and their tour. It was the highlight of our trip!
Review provided by Viator
Amy_p
Jul 14, 2024
Fun, Fun and more fun - We loved our day and highly recommend this tour It was very personal and we will never forget it! Thank you so much for our tour
Review provided by Viator
Arden_m
Jul 10, 2024
A special and very memorable experience - This was our most memorable excursion of our two week Iceland trip. The guide was a man who has lived on the island since birth. Sharing his knowledge and experiences with the volcano and history of the island, he made the visit to the island much more meaningful. We saw thousands of Puffins. The lunch was superb and the boat ride was memorable. I certainly give it my highest recommendation.
Review provided by Viator
Edward_r
Jun 17, 2024
A Truly Personal Guide to the Volcano and Puffins of Vestmannaeyjar - This tour was our top, outstanding experience in Iceland. Halli the tourguide/owner is a lifelong resident of Heimaey in Vestmannaeyjar who personally experienced the 1973 volcano, evacuation and rebuilding. His tour, morning on land by van, afternoon on the water via RIB, was exceptional from start to finish. Halli includes lots of fascinating and detailed information about what we were seeing, many drawn from his and his family's long history on the island. The included restaurant lunch on the waterfront was very good, with a very comprehensive soup, salad bar and taco bar. Halli is very knowledgeable and very personable. We saw a number of other RIB tours in action, and the boats were all significantly larger with many more passengers and they seemed less personal. We highly recommend this super way to really see and learn about this fascinating island
Review provided by Viator
Angel_t
Jun 17, 2024
Beautiful Westman Island! - Unfortunately, due to bad weather, the boat tour was cancelled and we were promptly refunded by the tour operator. Our guide is very kind and patient with us. There were just my family of 4 so it was like a private land tour. Despite the weather conditions, he did his best to show us the highlights at Westman Island and even included extra stops that were not on the original itinerary.
Review provided by Viator
Joshua_h
Jun 17, 2024
Unforgettable fun! - This tour was fantastic! The guide was very welcoming and knowledgeable great with our kids. The historic sites were interesting and we all got to try swinging on the ropes the way they did to hunt birds and eggs in the past. The lunch was delicious, well above what we expected. The boat tour was the highlight and we had a blast jetting along the coast enjoying the views of sea cliffs, caves, and bird life. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Terri_b
Jul 9, 2024
A bit disappointing - I thought it was an ok experience but not one I would necessarily recommend to a friend. It was really expensive at over $200/apiece. The van tour of the lava field was interesting, but I could have probably gotten the same thing on a walking tour. Also the boat ride was disappointing as I was seated in the back by the motors (noisy) and I was splashed with cold water in the face every time the captain moved fast through the harbor. I was hoping we would see the birds up closer, but we only saw them from the boat as we floated along the cliffs.
Review provided by Viator