Puffin boat from Reykjavík's Old Harbour
A one-hour sail round a puffin island just outside the city, 20 April–20 August, 8,300 ISK adult; ten minutes' walk from Harpa.
By supjourney editorial team · published 1 November 2026 · facts checked 1 November 2026 · 2 min read
The Reykjavík puffin boat is a one-hour summer sail from the Old Harbour to one of three small islands off the city where Atlantic puffins nest. It suits a short Reykjavík stay between late April and August, families with small children, and anyone whose route does not pass the big cliff colonies. It is short: you see the birds from a boat, not from a cliff top.
The figures, read today on elding.is: the Classic puffin tour runs from 20 April to 20 August, lasts one hour and costs 8,300 ISK for an adult, 4,150 ISK for ages 7 to 15 and nothing under seven; hotel pick-up costs 3,750 ISK for an adult. Departures are at 10:00, 12:00 and 14:00 through the season, with 16:00 and 18:00 added from 15 June. The Premium tour on a RIB runs from 20 April to 15 August at 12,450 ISK for adults and children 10 to 15 alike. The schedule is published as valid from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2027, subject to change.
The arithmetic
From a central Reykjavík bed: the tour is 60 minutes, Harpa to the boats at Ægisgarður is 0.8 km on foot by OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap, 10 minutes at 80 m/min each way, and a 30-minute buffer to check in and board makes about 110 minutes. Per minute on the water the puffin boat is the dearer hour: 8,300 ISK for 60 minutes is 138 ISK a minute, while the Classic whale tour at 14,500 ISK for up to 210 minutes is about 69. On the five-day South Coast and Golden Circle journey it fits the arrival day; on the Westfjords loop, the Látrabjarg cliffs give the land-based version for free.
What goes wrong
The calendar: before 20 April and after 20 August there is no tour. The weather: tours can be cancelled for unfavourable conditions, as late as two hours before departure by the operator's FAQ. Expectation: you are watching from the deck, so a long lens helps.
Alternatives
On the same quay, the whale-watching boats run all year. In summer on the south coast, the Westman Islands day takes you by ferry to Heimaey, the inhabited island of the group. On the Faroe journey, the Vestmanna bird-cliff boat is the cliff-face version.
Sources
Elding's Reykjavík schedule and prices page and FAQ, read 1 November 2026; walking distance by OSRM foot routing on OpenStreetMap.
Questions people ask
When are the puffins there?
Where does the boat go?
Can children go?
Will I see puffins on the whale tour instead?
Sources we checked
Something changed here? Tell us; we re-check against the source and print the new date.
wildlife · Iceland · Capital
The arithmetic
- Time needed
- 60 min
- Adds to a driving day
- 1 h 50 min, door to door
- Price
- Low cost — Classic puffin watching 8,300 ISK adult, 4,150 ISK ages 7–15, under 7 free, hotel pick-up 3,750 / 1,875 ISK; Premium RIB 12,450 ISK for adults and ages 10–15 (Elding schedule and prices valid 1 April 2025–31 March 2027, read 2026-11-01).
- Season
- Classic: 20 April to 20 August, departures 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and, from 15 June, 16:00 and 18:00; Premium: 20 April to 15 August
- Book ahead
- A day ahead in June and July
- Best time
- June and July; an evening departure for lower light
- From
- Reykjavík
- Checked
- 1 November 2026
What this page adds
A 110-minute ledger cost from a central Reykjavík bed (the operator's one-hour tour, a measured 0.8 km walk each way from Harpa at 80 m/min and a 30-minute boarding buffer), and the price per minute on the water computed from the operator's list: 8,300 ISK for 60 minutes is 138 ISK a minute, against 69 for the Classic whale tour at 14,500 for 210.
Journeys that pass this way
- Iceland South Coast and Golden Circle in 5 days
Reykjavík base, a Golden Circle day, then two south-coast days to Jökulsárlón with nights in Vík and Kirkjubæjarklaustur: about 1,125 km and 14 hours of driving.
5 days · Iceland1,125 km · 14 h 10 drivingChecked 1 Nov 2026 - North Iceland and the Diamond Circle in 5 days
Fly to Akureyri, drive Goðafoss, Mývatn, Dettifoss, Ásbyrgi and Húsavík and fly back: about 360 km and 5 hours of driving, with the 380 km road alternative costed.
5 days · Iceland357 km · 5 h drivingChecked 1 Nov 2026 - Iceland Westfjords loop in 6 days
Reykjavík to Stykkishólmur, the Baldur ferry to Brjánslækur, Látrabjarg, Dynjandi, Ísafjörður and home by Hólmavík: about 1,020 km, 14.5 hours and one crossing.
6 days · Iceland1,020 km · 14 h 35 driving · 2 h 10 ferryChecked 1 Nov 2026 - Iceland Ring Road in 7 days
Anticlockwise from Keflavík: about 1,555 km and 19.5 hours at the wheel in seven days, with nights in Vík, Höfn, Egilsstaðir, Mývatn, Akureyri and Borgarnes.
7 days · Iceland1,555 km · 19 h 35 drivingChecked 1 Nov 2026 - Iceland Ring Road in 10 days with Snæfellsnes
The 7-day loop plus Snæfellsnes, a second east night and the full Diamond Circle: about 2,160 km and 27.5 hours of driving, with a half-day kept for weather.
10 days · Iceland2,160 km · 27 h 40 drivingChecked 1 Nov 2026 - Iceland and the Faroe Islands by ferry, 12 days
Copenhagen to Hirtshals, two nights on the Norröna, three days of Faroese roads, then Seyðisfjörður to Keflavík by north and south: 2,519 km, 36 h driving, 47 h at sea.
12 days · Iceland + Faroe Islands + Denmark2,519 km · 36 h 05 driving · 47 h 30 ferryChecked 1 Nov 2026
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