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Iceland with Kids: Puffin Sightings

Iceland has the Blue Lagoon, many amazing natural wonders, like geysers and waterfalls, but there was only one experience my kids will never stop talking about.  Our Puffin Tour!

This was the tour they looked forward to the most and was the highlight of their Iceland trip.  We’ve seen the puffins at Sea World many times.  But, seeing it in the wild and not behind a glass enclosure was beyond exciting for all of us.

Reykjavik old harbour

Iceland is home to one of the largest puffin colonies in the world.  More than half of the Atlantic puffin population breed here. Whale and puffin excursion tours are one of the most popular tourist activities in Iceland.

Most of the tour companies were located around Reykjavik‘s Old Harbour where we boarded the boat.  We chose Puffin Express for a guided, one-hour, narrative tour since they were the cheapest around.

Puffin Express Flag

We were on the first tour which started at 8:30 AM and assembled in front of the ticket office.  Hot chocolate and coffee were provided by the office which we gratefully welcomed.  Then, we were led to one of the platforms and saw the small wooden boat that took us on the tour.

Iceland puffin express boat Skúlaskeið or Old Skúli

We boarded the boat, known as Skúlaskeið or “Old Skúli“, with two other couples and our two tour guides.   The tour guides provided life jackets for the kids, binoculars and puffin books.  There were also children’s puffin books which kept my kids occupied for awhile.

Iceland puffin express boat Skúlaskeið or Old Skúli

I was a bit worried when I first saw how small the boat was with a capacity of 33 people.  I read reviews of people getting seasick with a combination of jetlag and rough waters on these tours.

We got lucky with calm waters.  It was an overall smooth ride and none of us got seasick.  Along the way, we passed by the colorful Harpa Concert Hall.  It was even more impressive to see it up close glistening in the sun.

Reykjavik Harpa concert hall

It was a 15 minute ride to get to the island inhabited by thousands of puffins.  They used the small boats so it could get as close as possible to the island without scaring the puffins.

We were taken to Akurey, one of the two puffin populated islands these tours go to.  The puffins live in the North Atlantic Ocean in the winter.  They arrive in Iceland in April and leave in August.

Iceland puffin tour boy telescope

As we approached the island, we suddenly caught sight of the numerous puffins flying, diving in or just floating in the water. They were everywhere!

It was a spectacular sight to see so many of them. My kids excitedly ran from one side of the boat to the other trying to follow specific puffins’ movements.

iceland puffins swimming

Iceland puffins

My first thoughts were that they were relatively small.  Their size was between 12.5 – 15 inches (32-38 cm).  Luckily, the binoculars helped us see these interesting creatures closer and in more detail.

Iceland puffins on rock

Puffins are known as sea parrots for their orange beak, webbed feet and fat bubbly black and white body. During breeding season, the adult puffin’s bill becomes bright orange and yellow.

They were adorable but hard to photograph due to their size and quick movements when flying.  But, my husband did a wonderful job capturing many of them in action.

Iceland puffins flying

They were quite fast swooping into the ocean.  One of the things we noticed was how quickly they flapped their wings when flying.   Further research showed they flap their wings up to 400 times per minute which seems so unreal.

Iceland puffin flying

These puffins spend most of their time in the water and go ashore to breed and raise their single puffling annually.  We saw so many of them standing there on the island’s rocks.  They looked like they were just waiting for the humans to come by and gawk at them.

Iceland puffins on akurey island

The island was surrounded by dark, volcanic looking rocks but also had a grassy area with some vegetation.  It is believed that as many as 15,000 pairs nest here.  I was expecting a fishy smell surrounding the area but there was no noticeable odor other than smelling like the ocean.

Iceland puffins on akurey island

During ideal weather conditions(sunny and high tide), boats can get as close as 5-10 meters (16-32 feet) from the island. I’m not sure how close we got but enough not to need binoculars at one point and got a good view of some of the puffins.  They build their nests in soft earth in underground tunnels on sea cliff faces.

Iceland puffin tour akurey island

I honestly didn’t hear a lot of the narrative portion of the tour since I was too  engrossed watching the puffins in action. We could have stayed there for hours just watching these adorable creatures in their natural environment. They were so much fun to watch and deserved its other nickname of “clown of the sea“.

iceland puffin skipping in water

One of my favorite pictures from that ride was this one of my daughter excitedly recalling her favorite part of the tour to her dad.  Seeing the puffins up close was everything she expected and more.

Iceland father daughter conversation

A bonus during our cruise into the outer islands was the skyline view we got of Reykjavik with the spaceship looking church, Hallgrímskirkja, towering over the buildings.

Reykjavik skyline view

We highly recommend this quick tour to see one of the cutest birds in the world.  Our guides were friendly and helpful and it was a fantastic and unforgettable experience.  It was also a very relaxing boat ride and worth going, to see Reykjavik and its surrounding areas from a different perspective.

Reykjavik mountains

Seeing Iceland Puffins Tour Basics and Tips

  • Puffin tours run from May to mid-August with five tours per day.  The earliest tour is at 8:30 AM and the latest at 4:30 PM.
  • Prices: 4.000 ISK (24 Euros/$31 US); Kids 7-15 were half price and Children under 7 years old were free.  Check the Puffin Tours website for any changes.  They guarantee 100%  puffin viewing success.
  • During busy season (late June/July), buy your tickets in advance to get your desired time.  They often sell out.
  • Grab as many of the tourist booklets and pamphlets at the airport and hotels which may contain coupons and specials.
  • If you have more time, combine the tour with whale watching which also passes by the puffin islands.
  • Puffins are a delicacy in Iceland so don’t be surprised when you see them on some restaurant menus around town. After seeing these adorable creatures, I don’t think we could have eaten them for dinner.
  • Many of the tours offer free pickup of passengers in the Reykjavik area.
  • Bring a good camera with a good lens if you want to capture the puffins in action.  A point-and-shoot will not do an adequate job since they never know how close they’ll get to the island and those puffins move fast.
  • Bring your own binoculars since they only have a limited number onboard.

Iceland puffins swimming

Five Interesting Atlantic/Iceland Puffins Facts

1. Puffins mate for life keeping the same mate every season. But, if they don’t produce an offspring for several years then they find another mate. I guess sterility is grounds for “divorce” in the puffin world.

2. Puffins start breeding when they’re five years old. They seek out other young ones or an older “widowed” puffin.

3. The female puffins lay one egg per year and the chick is incubated and raised by both parents when hatched.

4. Puffins live an average of 25 years in the wild.

5. While hunting for food, they can dive into freezing waters and be submerged for 30 seconds.

*Have you seen any of these Atlantic puffins in the wild? 

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Where to Stay

  • Hotel Berg in Keflavik – This was the first hotel we stayed during our first visit and loved it. It’s close to the airport (2 miles), by the marina and offers free Wi-fi and airport transfer. It’s a small family-owned hotel. We had a split-level suite which fit our family comfortably.
  • Hilton Reykjavik Nordica – This hotel is located in the city and within walking distance of the center but shuttle buses are also provided. If you want the comforts of a modern hotel, this has it with buffet breakfast and Executive Lounge for Hilton Honors Gold and Diamond members. A couple of friends have stayed here and recommend it.
  • Hlemmur Apartments  – We loved this spacious, two bedroom apartment located within walking distance to Reykjavik’s city center. It looked like an IKEA showroom, It was clean, well-equipped and furnished well with all the amenities we needed for our stay. It had free WI-fi and the owners were friendly. 

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ICELAND Puffins

22 thoughts on “Iceland with Kids: Puffin Sightings”

  1. I’m so glad that you had calm waters for your tour – that makes all the difference in the world! :) Your husband did an amazing job capturing photos of the puffins – I wish my photos were as great as yours are! I’ve loved all of your Iceland posts and seeing puffins again would just be one more reason for me to travel to Iceland!

    1. Thanks Lisa! I remember your puffin experience from this past summer. Yes, the calm waters made a a huge difference in seeing these puffins. I know you will love Iceland so keep Icelandair in mind the next time you fly to Europe :)

  2. You really had a lovely day weather wise and these beautiful creatures with their disc
    distinct lines would have been so beautiful to see. Boat trips are a favourite
    thing of ours. I think the photo of the puffin taking off across the water is
    fantastic.

    1. Thanks Jan! That picture is one of my favorites too.. I don’t know how many pictures my husband took but glad some came out great. This was such a pleasant boat trip and the puffins we such a great bonus.

    1. I didn’t know that abut swans. It makes you wonder how they identify each other considering they all seem to look alike. Puffins are some of the cutest creatures. We had a fantastic ride. Thanks Salika!

  3. The boat looks fabulous and the weather is gorgeous with clear blue skies! The water is also so clean and pure blue. The Puffins are cute and it must be thrilling to be amongst thousands of them. The captures are very good :)
    Thanks for sharing Mary :)

  4. Oh Mary I love this one. Hopefully we’ll be seeing puffins soon too:) Thank you for helping me in my “need to go to Iceland” plight;) Such a well-written post!

  5. What a great post Mary and some interesting puffin facts – especially the number of wingbeats per minute. I saw puffins on the Skellig Islands in Ireland and like you could have spent the whole day watching them.

  6. Ahhh Mary you got me so excited, then I let out a big ‘Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa boo hoo sobsob’ when I read the dates they arrive and depart! I go to Iceland in February so I wont get to see these adorable looking Puffins. However I’m glad you and family had a great time – the pictures are stunning as usual!

  7. Wow! How exciting. I am with your kids, this would be a highlight – although so would the waterfalls, hot pools and much of the other amazing things I have seen in Iceland photos. Thanks for sharing these photos and story.

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