Puffins in Iceland: Where and When to See Them

The Atlantic puffin, lundi in Icelandic, spends most of its life far out at sea. For a few months each summer it comes ashore to nest in burrows on grassy sea cliffs, and Iceland hosts a large share of the world's population. With an orange beak, orange feet and a slightly worried expression, it is the bird most visitors hope to see.

Puffins in Iceland at a glance

• Icelandic name: lundi.
• Season on land: late April or May to about mid-August.
• Best months: June and July.
• Best time of day: evening and early morning.
• Closest to Reykjavík: boat trips from the Old Harbour, about an hour.
• Closest colonies on land: Dyrhólaey and the cliffs near Vík, about two and a half hours' drive.
• Largest colony: the Westman Islands.
• Size: about 30 cm tall, smaller than most people expect.

When to see puffins

Puffins arrive at the colonies from late April and May and leave again around mid-August. June and July are the most reliable months. By September the cliffs are empty, and from autumn to spring you will not see puffins on land in Iceland at all.

The best places to see puffins

• Dyrhólaey and Reynisfjall, near Vík: the easiest colonies to reach from Reykjavík, on the South Coast. Parts of Dyrhólaey can be closed for some weeks in spring to protect nesting birds.
• Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar): home to the largest puffin colony in Iceland, reached by ferry from Landeyjahöfn. The Stórhöfði headland has a viewing hide.
• Borgarfjörður eystri, East Iceland: at Hafnarhólmi a boardwalk lets you stand a few metres from the burrows.
• Látrabjarg, Westfjords: enormous bird cliffs at the western tip of Iceland, far from everything but unforgettable.
• Ingólfshöfði, South-East Iceland: a headland reached on a guided trip across the sands.
• Boat trips from Reykjavík: short tours from the Old Harbour sail past small islands in the bay where puffins nest.

How far the colonies are from Reykjavík

• Reykjavík Old Harbour: boat trips leave from the city centre.
• Dyrhólaey and Vík: about 180 km, roughly two and a half hours by car.
• Westman Islands: about two hours by car to Landeyjahöfn, then a ferry of around 40 minutes.
• Borgarfjörður eystri: in East Iceland, about an hour from Egilsstaðir.
• Látrabjarg: in the Westfjords, a full day's drive from Reykjavík.

Distances and times are approximate. The far colonies are best visited as part of a longer trip around the country.

Puffins on a South Coast day trip

If you are staying in Reykjavík, the simplest plan is a day on the South Coast in June or July with a stop at Dyrhólaey or the cliffs near Vík. You see the Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls and the black beach at Reynisfjara on the same day. See our South Coast day trip guide and our Vík travel guide.

For the Westman Islands, our Herjólfur ferry guide explains the crossing and how to reach the harbour.

Puffin facts worth knowing

• Puffins usually keep the same partner and return to the same burrow year after year.
• A pair raises a single chick each summer. The chick is called a puffling.
• They are strong swimmers and use their wings to “fly” underwater after small fish.
• A puffin can carry several fish crosswise in its beak at once.
• The bright beak is a summer feature. In winter it is smaller and duller.
• In the air they beat their wings very fast, which gives them their whirring, slightly clumsy flight.

The puffling rescue in the Westman Islands

In late summer the young birds leave their burrows at night and head for the sea. On Heimaey, in the Westman Islands, some are confused by the lights of the town and land in the streets instead. Local children and families collect them in cardboard boxes, and release them at the shore the next day. It is a much-loved tradition, and visitors in August and early September sometimes see it happen.

Are puffins in trouble?

The Atlantic puffin is classed as vulnerable, and numbers in Iceland have fallen over recent decades, mainly because the small fish the birds depend on have become harder to find in warmer seas. That is one more reason to watch from a distance and keep to the paths.

How to watch without disturbing them

• Stay behind ropes and on marked paths. Puffins nest in burrows in the turf, and the ground near the cliff edge can collapse under you.
• Keep a few metres away and let the birds come to you. If a puffin stops what it is doing to watch you, you are too close.
• Never touch or feed them, and do not fly drones near the colonies.
• Sit down and wait quietly. Puffins are curious and often land surprisingly close.

Wind on the cliff tops is strong even in summer. Bring a warm, windproof layer and hold on to hats and lens caps.

Photography tips

• A zoom lens of 200 mm or more lets you fill the frame without going closer. A phone works too if you are patient and the birds come to you.
• Evening light is warm and there are more birds on the cliffs.
• Sit or lie low so the background falls away behind the bird.
• Use a fast shutter speed for birds in flight.
• Do not use flash.

Seeing puffins with a private driver

On our private South Coast tour you travel in your own car with a local driver and choose the stops. In the puffin season, tell us when you book that you would like time at Dyrhólaey or the cliffs near Vík, and we plan the day around it. We cannot promise birds on any given day, but after ten years of driving travellers around Iceland we know when and where the chances are best. For colonies further away, such as Borgarfjörður eystri or Látrabjarg, message us on WhatsApp at +354 777 3949: we go everywhere in the country.

9–10 hours · private

South Coast & Vík

Seljalandsfoss · Skógafoss · Reynisfjara · Vík

Car

1–4 people

120,000 kr

Van

5–7 people

142,000 kr

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