Articles about Whale and Puffin Watching in Iceland
Iceland is one of the best places in the world to see whales and puffins in the wild, and for a lot of visitors, a few hours out on the water ends up being the most memorable part of the trip. Minke whales, humpbacks, white-beaked dolphins, harbor porpoises, and — if you’re lucky — blue whales and orcas all feed in Icelandic waters. The puffins arrive in their millions every spring and turn whole cliffs and islands into noisy, comic seabird cities for a few short months.
This section covers where to go and when. Húsavík in the north is the country’s whale watching capital, and the boats there have some of the highest sighting rates anywhere. Reykjavík’s old harbor is the easiest option for travelers short on time, and Akureyri, Ólafsvík on Snæfellsnes, and Dalvík all run excellent tours with their own strengths. For puffins, my guides cover the Westman Islands, Látrabjarg in the Westfjords, Borgarfjörður Eystri in the east, the Dyrhólaey cliffs on the south coast, and the boat tours from Reykjavík out to Akurey and Lundey.
Timing matters more than people realize. Puffins are only on land roughly from mid-April to mid-August, and the best whale watching runs from April to October, with the summer months giving you the calmest seas and the longest daylight. I’ll tell you which tours suit which season, what to wear (it’s colder on the water than on land, always), and when a RIB speedboat beats a traditional oak boat for your trip.
Many of the operators running whale and puffin tours partner with me, and my newsletter subscribers get exclusive discount codes for a long list of them.
Browse the guides below, and you’ll pick a tour that matches your timing, your tolerance for waves, and the wildlife you most want to see.
Látrabjarg Cliffs – See The Puffin Metropolis of Iceland
Pioneering eco friendly whale-watching in Iceland
Watch this Mindblowing Iceland Whale Watching Video
Vigur Island – The Icelandic Paradise at the End of the World
Puffin´s Paradise
