Frequently Asked Questions

Even though the tours visit the same areas the experience can be quite different as they are operated on very different type of boats. They both offer a live guidance from a marine biologist so you should be able to get answers to any puffin questions.

The Classic Tour is operated on a comfortable sightseeing ship that has a bathroom and an indoor area. The boat usually takes up to 50 passengers. The Classic Tour is suitable for all ages and the duration is around 1 - 1,5 hrs

The Premium Tour is operated in custom designed RIB speedboats. Those boats are smaller and faster and can get you the closest to the islands where the puffins are nesting while not disturbing their everyday lives. This tour is 45-60 minutes but we still spend more time at the islands watching the birds than on other tours since it only takes these fast boats around 5 minutes to reach the first stop on the tour. This tour has an age requirement of 10cm and height limit of 145cm. It is also more personal, with a maximum of just 12 passengers onboard.

We cruise off to the islands there are located just outside of Reykjavík. On the RIB boats it only takes us approx 5 minutes from the harbour to reach the islands, and on the classic boats it takes 10 to 15 minutes. They are called Engey, Lundey and Akurey. Depending on weather conditions, and recent sightings, the Captains decide the best Island(s) to visit.

Our fluffy friends the puffins unfortunately leave Iceland and therefore leave us for winter and autumn. They arrive in Iceland in April and start making their way towards the islands and other areas where they nest from Mid April until Mid August.

This actually varies from tour to tour depending on the sea conditions as well as the tides. If it suits your itinerary we would recommend joining the tour at high tide as we are usually able to get the boat closer to the islands. It depends on conditions but we like to visit two islands offering different viewing experiences during the tours.

One of the islands (Akurey) has had very high abundance of puffins in the past seasons but they are usually seen from a greater distance as the surrounding reef is very shallow. This island is often our first stop on our tours. In order to see the puffins at a closer proximity we attend another island (Engey) that has deeper water and steep rocks where the birds are often closer, depending on tidal conditions. They may not be as numerous at this location but it is the area where you can get closest to the wildlife.

You are always welcome to contact us to get information on the tides and sea conditions before booking your tour.

Unfortunately not. The islands are nature reserves and we place great emphasis on not disturbing the puffins that are nesting and other wildlife inhabiting these small islands. Therefore we approach the islands carefully and our crew monitors the behaviour of the birds and depending on that they decides where and how to approach the islands.

This is something that is very difficult to predict. The feeding pattern and everyday behaviour of the birds changes based on the weather conditions, tides and also which time of their nesting period they are in. We visit a variety of locations on the tour and some offer a closer proximity in locations where the puffins may not be as numerous.

In the early and later part of the season we usually do not see as many but during the summer months we can often see thousands of them during the tour.

You will also see a variety of seabirds including but not limited to; Puffins, gulls, oystercatchers, geese, eider ducks, fulmars, guillemots, skuas, Arctic terns. Seals are also occasionally spotted on or near the islands.

Wear just about any kind of shoes as long as they are not open (like sandals, high heels etc). So that means that running shoes, hiking shoes, wellingtons, boat shoes (yes, like the hipsters wear) are all good.

Prebooking is advised for our Premium Puffin Tour, as space is limited onboard (just 12 seats onboard).

For our Classic Puffin Tour, there is often space just before, however if you have a time and date in mind, then go ahead and book so you don‘t miss out!

Note we have a 24 hour change and cancellation policy for all scheduled tours.

Children under the age of 18 years cannot go alone on our boats unless we have some form of written permission from the parents. Children under 14 years cannot go alone under any circumstance, even with permission.

Not for the Premium tour because our RIB boats only seat 12 passengers and are very often sold out so every passenger pays the same price. If you are travelling with a large family or a group you can always contact us beforehand and inquire about an offer.

On the Classic tour there is a 50% discount for children 7-15 year old and free for 6 years old and younger.

Please contact our sales office at info@puffintours.is with your details and we will be happy to make you and your group an offer.

For our Premium Puffin Tour, we do not offer any transfer service, however we are located a short walk from the city centre and most downtown hotels.

For our Classic Puffin Tour, we do offer a return transfer service for an additional charge. More information on the Classic Puffin Tour page.

For all scheduled tours operated by us, we operate a 24 hour change & cancellation policy, which means any change or cancellation must come in at least 24 hours before the scheduled tour start time. After this time, a 100% change / cancellation fee is charged.

For event or private tours, or tours operated by a partner, a different cancellation policy may apply - please check on your ticket for more detailed information.

If you are booking a combo tour or through a third party, please keep in mind that other cancellation policies may apply.

The Mr Puffin Team happily advises and assists you to find a new departure date if possible when the weather conditions are better. No charge is made on our behalf if you cannot join our tour due to cancellation of the tour from weather conditions. That is, we will give you a 100% refund of your money if we cancel your tour due to weather and you are not able to go on another date.

We start by putting on our special overalls (flotation suits), life vests and more at our service center in the harbour 30 minutes before departure. Next you will meet your nature guide and the captain of the boat you will be travelling on. They will introduce you to the safety procedures and give you a general overview of how the boat works. Next up is the tour itself.

We start with a short 5 minute ride over to the puffin islands, then we zip around the islands for 45 minutes trying to get the best viewing spot for the birds.

We then cruise back in the direction of Reykjavík and ride along the coast, viewing the Sun Voyager sculpture and the skyline of the city. Our final view is of the ocean side of the famous Harpa Concert Hall.

Our boats seat 12 passengers plus one guide and one captain.

We recommend wearing sturdy flat bottom shoes and dressing in warm clothing, maybe a wool sweater or fleece, as it is a bit colder on the water than on land.

On board we will use warm float-able overalls along with a personal flotation device which are both supplied by us. If you have gloves and warm hats bring them along!

They are designed to keep you warm on the boat as well as warm and floating in the ocean. Wearing these excellent suits is compulsory, by law in Iceland, when travelling on these kinds of boats. These fancy suits also make for some fantastic selfie opportunities.

No, you wear them over your normal clothes. We recommend a fleece or warm wool sweater underneath. However we kindly ask you remove your shoes while getting dressed in the overalls.

We have some neoprene gloves and hats available for guests but we recommend you bring your own gloves and hat, they are very useful on the tour and most people are more comfortable with wearing their own.

Yes, you can wear your glasses and sunglasses if you'd like, we can explain to you on location how to keep them safe. We will supply you with special goggles to wear over your glasses if you prefer. If you have contact lenses, we recommend using them on the tour.

Those limits are set for safety reasons. Each individual in our tour needs to be able to touch the bottom of the boat with their feet while sitting on the saddle-like seats. That is very important especially during the full speed of our scheduled tour as we will teach you a technique we call "riding" the waves to maximise your comfort and safety during the tour. If in doubt you are always welcome to come visit us down at the Harbour and a member of our crew will escort you down to the boat to check if someone you are travelling with can sit safely on the boat.

However when we are running private tours we are more flexible in regards with these limits as we can drive more cautiously or slowly then the scheduled tours demand to meet the requirement of every passenger on the boat.

You are of course welcome to bring your camera or phone along on the tour but it's always at your own responsibility. Most of our guests, as well as our crew members, do bring phones and cameras with them on the tours and some have captured unbelievable photos and videos. There are pockets on the overalls you wear that are ideal for storing smartphones and small cameras. Larger cameras or SLR with straps is best to keep around your neck and strap in under your suit while sailing on the boat. We don't want to risk it moving around while the boat it sailing. Your guide and captain can explain all of this and how to best keep the camera stored both safely and in a way that you can quickly grab it if something exciting starts happening all of a sudden!

Even though our fluffy friends the puffins are great models they are a lot smaller than many think. Therefore we recommend bringing a zoom lense. Most of the puffin photos we use on our website and brochures are shot with a 300 or 600 mm lenses.

You arrive at our ticket office 15-20 minutes prior to departure time to collect your tickets and make your way down to the boat. There you will meet the crew and the guide will explain the safety information about the boat and the tour as heading out of the harbour. Then we sail towards and around the islands where the birds are nesting and making various stops on the way for watching the birds and their everyday lives. On the way back we will have some beautiful views of Reykjavík’s shoreline.

It can vary based on bookings and sea conditions which boat is used for the tour but usually we use Elding II which can seat up to 38 passengers. Sometimes we use our boats Skrúður or Elding, which seat up to 49 and 144 passengers respectively.

The boat has a nice indoor area but we always recommend dressing warmly and weather appropriately. Wearing warm and comfy layers as well as flat bottom shoes so you can easily walk around the boat.

It will always feel somewhat colder out on the water then on land. There is no specific gear that is compulsory to wear but life jackets are available on board both for children and adults.

With our puffin tours, sea sickness is not usually an issue, as the puffin islands are close to land and fairly sheltered, although it always depends on the conditions on the day of the tour.

In the ticket office you can get the current information about sea conditions. We also offer free motion sickness tablets if you want to take one before the tour.

Unfortunately our RIB boats on the Premium Tour are not wheelchair accessible.

If you require wheelchair access for the Classic Tour we recommend you contact our service agents and we can check if the tour is suitable for you. It can depend on which pier we are leaving from, what boat is being used for the Classic Tour and the type of wheelchair needed. The ability of the passenger to walk short distances, or over a step down and into the boat, also makes a difference.

Yes, you are able to join the Premium tour if you are pregnant in the first trimester, but we recommend consulting your doctor before doing so. Please keep in mind that pregnant women can often be more vulnerable to sea sickness.

If you are further along than 3 months we do not recommend going on the RIB boats. You can still go Puffin watching on our classic tour.

On our Premium Puffin Tour, you will be on an open RIB boat so unfortunately there are no toilets onboard. However, we do have a WC in our service centre where you will get ready for the tour.

On our Classic Tour, we do have a WC onboard.