Where to spot puffins in Iceland? Tickets + tours and photos

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Where to spot puffins in Iceland? Tickets + tours and photos

17 maart 2020 in Iceland0 reacties

Puffins, the little penguin-like birds, the clowns of the sea, are special birds that are a must to spot in Iceland. The birds can only be found in the northern hemisphere around the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, they can be spotted in Iceland but also around Scotland and Ireland.

Nonetheless, Iceland has the largest population of puffins, and it is probably the best place to spot these animals.

Tours and tickets to spot puffers

From Reykjavík, but also from places such as Akureyri and Húsavík, there are daily boat trips in the summer to the various puffin colonies. These tours are held between May and August. From Reykjavík, for example, you can visit the islands of Akurey and Lundi in Faxafloí Bay, where groups of puffins nest. View all tours here.

For example, go with a RIB boat, a small inflatable motor boat, through the Faxaflói Bay to the colonies of the birds. You can do this tour starting at a price of € 54, or join a tour to the colonies on the Lundey and Akurey islands starting from € 45.
How about a tour to spot killer whales and Puffins? Tours are available starting from € 114.

Content

  1. Puffins, who, what & where?

There are 3 types of puffins, of which the Atlantic puffin is best known. The other 2 species, the crested puffin and the horned puffin, are exclusively found in the Pacific Ocean, while the Atlantic puffin, also known simply as puffin, occurs exclusively in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Atlantic puffin

  • The Atlantic Puffin is best known for its colorful beak, which colors a bit brighter in the breeding season than outside.
  • In addition, the birds have black and white plumage and short wings that allow them to swim easily.
  • The animals are between 30 and 40 centimeters in size, have a wingspan of 50 to 60 cm and weigh on average 300 to 700 grams.
  • The birds have barbs on the inside of their beaks that allow them to hold several fish at the same time while hunting for another fish.
  • In addition to fish, they also eat lobsters, worms and shellfish.

The puffin habitat

  • Puffins live on open sea for most of their lives, landing only when mating and breeding. They do this from the age of 5 and then, with colonies, they come to the places where they were born to land on the cliffs along the coast.
  • After finding a partner, the male builds a nest in holes in the bottom of the cliffs, where the female then lays an egg.
  • This egg hatches after about 40 days, after which the young puffin, also known as a puffling, is fed by both parents for 1 or 2 months.
  • The moment the abandoned pup becomes hungry, it will migrate to the sea and learn to take care of itself.
  1. Puffins in Iceland

What period is best to spot puffers in Iceland?

  • The puffins nest on the islands of Scotland and Wales, Ireland, the Hebrides, Norway and Greenland. Among the Atlantic puffins, on average 60% builds their nest on the coast of Iceland.
  • These are about 6 million birds, which can be seen annually between April and September along the coasts of Iceland and on the islands surrounding Iceland.

Seen clockwise from Reykjavik you can find puffin colonies at:

  • Flatey
  • Látrabjarg
  • Tjornes peninsula
  • Grímsey
  • Drangey island
  • Borgarfjörður Eystri
  • Papey
  • Ingólfshöfði
  • Dyrhólaey
  • Vestmannaeyjar
  1. Flatey

  • Flatey is the largest island in the Breiðafjörður, located between the Snæfellsnes peninsula and the Western Fjords.
  • The island has a length of 2 km and is 500 meters wide. It has a small community that lives in the 30 colorful houses on the island all year round.

In addition, due to its peace and location in nutrient-rich water, the island is very popular with various bird species, such as the eider, the Norwegian tern, and of course the puffins. The bird sanctuary can not be entered between April and September to give the birds peace. Nonetheless, there is a footpath around the area so you still have the chance to see the puffins bobbing in the water and around the cliffs.

The island can only be reached by the Baldur ferry, which stops daily between Skykkishólmur on the Snæfellsnes peninsula and Brjánslaekur in the Western Fjords.

  1. Látrabjarg

  • Látrabjarg is the westernmost point in Iceland and one of the most popular spots in the Western Fjords.
  • The cliffs of Látrabjarg are no less than 14 km long and about 400 meters high, making it a popular place for not only puffins but also many other bird species to nest here.

Due to the remote location of the cliffs and the 17-hour drive from Reykjavik, this place is less visited than the locations closer to Iceland's Ring Road. At Látrabjarg you can leave the car in the parking lot, from where there are several walking routes to the edge of the cliffs.

  1. Tjörnes peninsula

  • Located in northern Iceland, the Tjörnes Peninsula is best known as the epicenter for whale watching in Iceland.
  • From Húsavík several boats depart daily to Skjálfandi bay towards the Greenland Sea.

In the summer, however, you will find several puffin colonies further up the peninsula, mainly on the north and east coasts of the peninsula. Here you can take a walk to Voladalstorfa, the northernmost point of the peninsula, or to the cliffs of Skeiðsöxl, where you can spot the colonies. As a bonus, from these points you also have the chance to spot dolphins and whales a little further in the sea.

Would you like to spot whales and puffins? View all tours here and book your trip online.

  1. Grimsey

  • Grímsey is the northernmost point in Iceland, and the only part of the country located above the Arctic Circle.
  • The birds however leave the island sooner in this area, because it gets cold faster due to its northern location. The puffins often leave the island before mid-August.
  • Grímsey can be reached by ferries from Akureyri, but there are also domestic flights to the island.
  1. Drangey island

Located in the bay of the Skagafjörður fjord in northern Iceland, is the island of Drangey. It is a remnant of a 700,000-year-old extinct volcano, located about 7 km off the coast and is a paradise for birds. You can find a wide variety of birds, including puffins, large colonies of guillemots, auks, kittiwakes, Norwegian petrels, ravens and falcons.

The island is about 170 meters high and completely covered with grass. It plays an important role in many legends about giants and great stories about outlaws. It was first spoken about in an Icelandic saga as the hideout of the outlaw Grettir, who hid there with his brother Illugi and their slave Glaumur in 1031. Read more about Drangey Island in our blog.

  1. Borgarfjörður Eystri

  • Borgarfjörður Eystri is a fjord located in eastern Iceland.
  • An average of 10,000 birds can be found here, who come here to make their nests and hatch their eggs.
  • Various wooden platforms and shelters have been constructed along the cliffs, so that it is possible to get close to the birds without scaring them.
  • In addition to the puffins, you can also see other types of birds such as petrels, gulls and eiders.
  1. Papey

Papey is an island located off the coast of eastern Iceland, southeast of the town of Djúpivogur. It is a low-lying island of only two square kilometers that was abandoned by its inhabitants in 1948.

The people who now live on the island are only there occasionally and don't live their full-time. As a result, the island has become a paradise for birds, where you can find many nests of puffins, and many other birds. To get there you can take a boat from Djúpivogur.

  1. Ingólfshöfði

On the south coast of Iceland you will find a particularly extensive nature reserve at the Ingólfshöfði Cape and Nature Reserve, which consists partly of cliffs and partly of a sandy area and dunes. The cape itself is only accessible via the dunes northwest of the cape, which makes this a well protected places for the birds. You can drive there with a tractor, the ride is about 30 minutes (one way). Then you can walk around the nature reserve for a few hours with a guide and spot puffins.

  1. Dyrhólaey

  • Dyrhólaey is located a little further on the south coast, past the town of Vík. The peninsula's natural arch has gradually been created by erosion caused by water, ice and lava. It also shows some special basalt columns.
  • In the summer you can see beautiful puffin colonies between the cliffs of the peninsula. The birds can be seen both from the cliffs and from the beach.

The peninsula is located next to the popular black sand beach of Reynisfjara and the special rock formations of Reynisdrangar, which is an average drive of 3 hours from Reykjavik. Even if you do not succeed in spotting the puffins, there are still plenty to see here.
Download our Iceland travel guide or use our route along the south of Iceland.

  1. Vestmannaeyjar

The Vestmannaeyjar, or the Westman Islands, are a group of islands from the south coast of Iceland, created by underwater volcanic eruptions. The youngest island, Surtsey, was only created in 1963 by such an eruption. The largest island, Heimaey, is the only island inhabited by people who share the island with the many bird species that can be found there.

The other islands are also home to numerous diverse birds, and across Vestmannaeyjar you will find the largest puffin colony in the world, along with some thirty other species of birds.

Heimaey can be reached in the summer by ferries from lorlákshöfn and Landeyjahöfn and with domestic flights from Reykjavík. From Heimaey you can do tours along or to the other islands of the Vestmannaeyjar.

  1. Tours for puffin spotting

In the summer, from Reykjavík, but also from places such as Akureyri and Húsavík, there are daily boat trips to the various puffin colonies in the area. These tours are held between May and August. From Reykjavík, for example, you can visit the islands of Akurey and Lundi in Faxafloí Bay, where groups of puffins nest. View all tours here + book cheap online.

A tour with a RIB-boat

travel with a RIB boat, a small inflatable motor boat, through the Faxaflói Bay to the colonies of the birds. You can do this tour starting from € 54, or join a tour to the colonies on the Lundey and Akurey islands starting from € 45.

Combine puffins with whales and killer whales

When making a longer trip, it is also possible to combine spotting puffins with whales. Humpback whales, minke whales and perhaps even killer whales.
You can do this tour starting from € 114.

Travel along in a traditional oak boat in Húsavík

In Húsavík it is also possible to do a combination tour with puffins and whales. This tour, where you take to the water with a traditional oak boat, can be done for € 97.

  1. Endangered puffins

In Iceland, but also in other places such as the Faroe Islands, it is legal to hunt on puffins. The meat of the birds is considered a delicacy, along with the eggs that are taken from the nests.

Vulnerable species

The puffins are threatened by invasive species, water pollution, fishing and food shortages. This has significantly reduced the number of animals within the species, and since 2015 the puffin has been included on the IUCN Red List as a vulnerable species.

Many residents of Iceland want to ban the hunting of these birds and the sale of puffin meat in restaurants to ensure that the bird population is more likely to grow. Tourists are therefore asked not to order puffin meat in restaurants in order to reduce demand.

Handle the animals with care

In addition, it is important to not disturb the puffins in their habitat. The birds are particularly afraid of people, so it is sometimes possible to get close to the birds, but you have to approach them gently to prevent them from flying away.

Nonetheless, do not walk all the way to the edge of a cliff to see the birds, in order to prevent the nests that lie along the edge from getting destroyed. Certainly never try to touch or feed the birds to avoid them from becoming too attached to humans whereby they become unable to take care of themselves. With all this information, you can safely leave on a tour through Iceland and discover all the natural beauty.

  1. Map with places to spot puffins

  1. Which car to rent?

  • Are you still unsure which car to rent for your road trip?
  • Do not rent a car that is too small, go for a comfortable car.
  • Be sure to book an all-inclusive insurance policy so you can drive around in peace.
  • A reliable car rental company is Rentalcars (very large offer).
  • Read more tips about renting a car on vacation.
  1. Don't miss out on anything during your stay in Iceland, get our travel guide!

Like most of us, you don't want to miss out on anything during your vacation in Iceland. Well, we have some good news, because we already did the research for you! Buy our Iceland travel guide with 99 sights (+ GPS coordinates) and a mapped tour. Prefer to try it out first? Download your free Iceland travel guide here.

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Posted by

Wouter Coppens

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