Seeing puffins in the wild was high on my list while travelling through the Nordic region.
Reykjavik seemed like the perfect place to make it happen. Before my summer trip to Iceland in 2016, I did a bit of research and discovered that puffins live on small islands just off the coast, and the only way to see them from Reykjavik is by joining a boat tour.
So after arriving in the city, my husband and I booked a puffin watching cruise departing from Reykjavik’s Old Harbour and set out on the water. I had no idea what to expect — or how close we’d actually get to these tiny, iconic birds.
If you’re wondering whether you can see puffins from Reykjavik and whether a tour is worth it, here’s what to expect based on my experience.
Quick summary:
You can see puffins from Reykjavik by joining a boat tour to nearby islands, but only at certain times of the year. This guide explains what those tours are like, how close you’ll get, and what other options are available for seeing puffins in Iceland.
Recommended tours:
🐧 Puffin Watching Boat Tour – Small-group boat trip from Reykjavik to see puffins in the wild on nearby islands.
🚤 Premium Puffin RIB Boat Tour – Small-group high-speed boat tour for closer puffin encounters.
🌋 Westman Islands Puffin & Volcano Tour – Full-day trip combining puffin spotting with dramatic island scenery.
Can you see puffins from Reykjavik?
Yes — but not from the city itself.
Puffins nest on small islands just off the coast of Reykjavik, and the only way to reach these areas is by boat. That means if you want to see puffins while staying in Reykjavik, you’ll need to join a puffin watching tour departing from the Old Harbour. Tours take you out into Faxaflói Bay to islands such as Lundey and Akurey, where puffins gather during the summer months.
It’s important to know that puffins are only in Iceland for part of the year. Puffin season generally runs from May to August, when the birds come ashore to nest. I visited in June, which is peak season, and it was a great time to see them. If you’re travelling outside of these months, you won’t be able to see puffins in Reykjavik at all.
If you’re looking for a different experience, it’s also possible to see puffins on a day trip to the Westman Islands, which are home to much larger colonies and offer viewing opportunities from land rather than from a boat.
Puffin watching tours from Reykjavik
Seeing puffins from Reykjavik is an Iceland bucket list item for many travellers. There are a few different types of tours to choose from depending on how much time you have, your budget, and how close you’d like to get to the birds.
Classic Puffin Watching Boat Tour
🐧 The most common option is a Puffin Watching Boat Tour, which departs from the Old Harbour and heads out to nearby islands where puffins nest during the summer months.
This is the tour type that I chose to do, and it’s generally the most budget-friendly. These tours are relatively short (lasting around an hour) and are an easy way to see puffins while staying in the city.
Premium RIB Puffin Tour (for closer views)
🚤 If getting closer to the puffins is important to you, it might be better to go with a Premium Puffin RIB Boat Tour. These use smaller, faster boats that can travel nearer to the islands, giving you a better chance of seeing the birds up close.
Group sizes are usually smaller as well, which makes the experience feel a bit more personal. I’d probably choose this tour type if I were travelling to Reykjavik again.
Westman Islands Puffin & Volcano Day Trip
For a completely different experience, you can visit the Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar) on a day trip from Reykjavik. These islands are home to much larger puffin colonies, and sightings usually take place from land rather than from a boat.
🌋 Tours such as the Westman Islands Puffin & Volcano Tour combine puffin watching with visits to volcanic landscapes, coastal cliffs and historical sites.
This is a longer day compared to a boat tour from Reykjavik, but it offers a more varied experience and the chance to see puffins in a different setting.
What it’s like on a puffin watching tour
We chose to do a classic puffin watching boat tour, which departed from Reykjavik’s Old Harbour and headed out into Faxaflói Bay on a small boat. It definitely wasn’t a luxury cruise — it felt more like a sturdy fishing vessel — but it was comfortable enough for an hour on the water.
As we left the harbour, the views back towards Reykjavik were really lovely. On clear days, you can see mountains in the distance, and looking back towards the city gives you a great view of the low skyline with the tower of Hallgrímskirkja rising above the buildings.
Once we reached the islands, the boat slowed right down and we began spotting puffins out on the water and flying overhead. At first, they were just tiny specks — I had no idea how small puffins actually are in real life — but the bright orange colour of their beaks made them a bit easier to pick out from other seabirds. We also saw them gathered at their nesting spots along the rocky edges of the island.
This type of tour is a quick and easy way to see puffins from Reykjavik, but it’s quite different from visiting places like the Westman Islands, where puffins can be viewed from land and in greater numbers.
How close do you actually get to puffins?
This was probably the biggest surprise for me.
On a classic puffin boat tour, you don’t get particularly close to the puffins. Most of the time, they’re either floating on the water or flying around at a distance, and even when the boat approaches the shore, you’re still viewing them from afar.
I found it quite difficult to take photos of the puffins because they were so small and constantly moving, and our boat was bobbing up and down in the water. Even when the puffins were sitting reasonably still, we weren’t close enough to capture detailed shots without proper camera equipment.
I think a lot of the photos you see online give the impression that you’ll be right up close to them, but those images are usually taken with powerful zoom lenses. If getting closer to the puffins is important to you, I’d probably choose a different type of Reykjavik boat tour.
Some companies run small-group RIB (rigid inflatable boat) tours, which are designed to get you much closer to the islands where the puffins nest. These tours use smaller, faster boats that can navigate closer to the coastline, which gives you a better chance of seeing puffins up close. Although it’s a little more expensive, I’d probably go for this option if I visited Reykjavik again.
Visiting puffin colonies in places like the Westman Islands is a completely different option. Here, puffins can be seen from land at closer range. If puffin photography is your number one priority, then this option is likely going to be the best one for you.
Is a puffin tour in Reykjavik worth it?
Even though we didn’t get particularly close, I was still really glad we did the tour. There’s something special about seeing puffins in their natural habitat. Watching them fly, dive and gather along the cliffs felt like a genuinely unique experience.
That said, I do think it’s important to go in with realistic expectations. If you’re expecting close-up encounters, you might be a little disappointed with the classic Reykjavik puffin tour. But if you’re happy just seeing puffins in the wild, then it’s definitely worth doing.
If seeing puffins up close or getting iconic puffin photos is a priority for you, I would definitely suggest choosing a premium RIB boat tour or a full-day trip to the Westman Islands instead.
FAQ about puffin watching in Reykjavik
When is puffin season in Iceland?
Iceland puffin season generally runs from May to August, when the birds come ashore to nest. This is the best time to see puffins from Reykjavik, with June and July usually being peak months when the colonies are most active.
Can you see puffins without a tour?
Not from Reykjavik. Puffins live on small offshore islands, so you’ll need to join a boat tour to reach their nesting areas. If you want to see puffins without a boat, you’ll need to travel to places like the Westman Islands.
Are puffin sightings guaranteed on a tour?
Many puffin tours run during peak season when sightings are very likely, but nothing is ever guaranteed as these are wild animals. Most operators will take you to known nesting areas, which gives you a strong chance of seeing them.
How close do you get to puffins on a tour?
On standard boat tours from Reykjavik, puffins are usually seen from a distance either on the water or along the cliffs of nearby islands. If you’re hoping to get closer views, a smaller RIB boat tour or visiting puffin colonies on land may be a better option.
How can you get a better view of puffins?
If you have a camera with a zoom lens or a pair of binoculars, it’s definitely worth bringing them. Puffins are quite small and often viewed from a distance, so this can make a big difference to both your viewing experience and your photos.
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