Iceland puffins arrive earlier than most people expect
Every spring, around late April, the first Atlantic puffins start appearing on Icelandic cliffs. By early May, the colonies are filling in. By mid-May, if you’re standing at the right headland, you’re looking at hundreds of thousands of birds. This is not a marginal wildlife experience. Iceland hosts roughly 60% of the world’s Atlantic puffin population, which means that if you want to see puffins properly — not one or two bobbing on the water from a boat, but full colonies, birds landing at your feet, the whole spectacle — Iceland is genuinely the place to do it.
The season runs from late April through mid-August. Peak weeks are June and July, when the birds are nesting and the cliffs are at their most alive. By late August, they’ve mostly gone, and some years they leave quickly — the colonies that were packed in July can look almost empty by the third week of August.
Plan around mid-June to late July if you want certainty.
Látrabjarg: the puffin cliff that changes how you see the word ‘remote’
Látrabjarg, in the Westfjords, is the westernmost point in Europe and one of the most extraordinary places I’ve been in Iceland. The cliff face runs for about 14 kilometres and rises to over 440 metres in some sections. In summer, it holds puffins, razorbills, guillemots, and fulmars in numbers that take a moment to process when you first see them.
The puffins here are famously unbothered by people. Walk carefully along the clifftop and they’ll often be sitting within a metre or two, looking back at you with that slightly bewildered expression they have. I’ve sat at Látrabjarg for an hour without moving and had birds land close enough to hear their wings. It’s the kind of encounter that makes you understand why people fly across the world for wildlife.
Getting there takes commitment. From Reykjavík, you’re looking at roughly 450 km by road, including the ferry across Breiðafjörður from Stykkishólmur to Flatey and then Brjánslækur — a crossing that takes about two and a half hours. You can also drive the long way around through Hólmavík, which skips the ferry but adds significant distance and time. Most people do this as part of a Westfjords loop of at least two or three nights.
The road to Látrabjarg is mostly unpaved in its final stretch. A regular car can manage it in summer in good conditions, but drive slowly — the surface can be rough, and it’s narrow in places. If you’re already renting a 4WD, obviously use it.
Staying near Látrabjarg
The small village of Patreksfjörður, about 50 km from the cliff, is your best base. There are guesthouses, a supermarket, a petrol station, and the Fosshotel Westfjords, which books up fast in summer — if you’re planning a July visit, sort accommodation months in advance. The village itself has a bakery and a fish-and-chips truck in summer that does good work. Simple food, good portions.
Vestmannaeyjar: puffins you can reach without a long drive
The Vestmannaeyjar archipelago — the Westman Islands, off the south coast — has one of the largest puffin colonies in the world on Heimaey, the only inhabited island in the group. If you’re based in Reykjavík and want a serious puffin experience without the Westfjords commitment, this is the practical answer.
The ferry from Landeyjahöfn takes about 35 minutes and costs around 2,700 ISK (roughly €18 or $20) each way for a foot passenger. Heimaey is small enough to walk or cycle, the birdlife is everywhere during June and July, and the island has its own character entirely — the 1973 Eldfell eruption that nearly buried the town is still present in the landscape, with lava fields running right up to people’s back gardens.
The puffins nest in the cliffs on the island’s edges, and there are walking paths that take you right to the colonies. Boat tours also run from the harbour and get you close to the cliff bases, which gives a different perspective — you see how densely packed the nesting burrows are from below. Tours cost around 7,500–9,000 ISK (€50–60 / $55–65) depending on operator and duration.
August is also when the annual pysja rescue takes place on Heimaey. Young puffins, disoriented by the town’s lights, land in the streets instead of heading out to sea. Local children collect them in boxes and release them at the shore. If you’re traveling with kids, this is genuinely worth timing a trip around — it usually happens in the first two weeks of August.
Dyrhólaey and the south coast: easier access, thinner crowds
Dyrhólaey, the dramatic basalt arch promontory near Vík, is one of the more accessible puffin spots on the south coast. Part of the headland is closed during nesting season to protect the birds, but the accessible sections still bring you close to nesting puffins on the cliff edges, with views over the black sand beaches below.
It’s not Látrabjarg — the colony is smaller and you won’t have that immersive feeling of being surrounded by birds. But it’s an easy stop if you’re driving the south coast or doing the Golden Circle route extended toward Vík, and it pairs naturally with a visit to Reynisfjara beach.
The drive from Reykjavík to Dyrhólaey is around 180 km on the Ring Road, mostly well-surfaced and straightforward. The final turn-off up to the headland is a narrow paved road.
Krýsuvíkurbjarg and the Reykjanes Peninsula: when you just have a few hours
Not everyone has time to get to the Westfjords or the Westman Islands. If you’re spending a couple of days in Reykjavík and want to see puffins without a full day’s driving, Krýsuvíkurbjarg on the Reykjanes Peninsula is the answer nobody talks about enough.
It’s about 50 km from the city centre, the road is entirely paved, and the seabird colony on the cliffs includes puffins from May through July. Not a huge colony, but real birds, accessible, and you can combine it with the geothermal areas around Krýsuvík, the Bridge Between Continents, and lunch at the Blue Lagoon area if you’re doing a Reykjanes day loop.
I’ve sent people here when they’ve had a single afternoon free and wanted to see puffins. Nobody has been disappointed.
Borgarfjörður Eystri: the east’s quiet answer to Látrabjarg
In the East Fjords, Borgarfjörður Eystri — sometimes called Bakkagerði — has a puffin colony that sits practically at the edge of the village harbour. A small wooden viewing platform was built specifically to let you watch the birds without disturbing the nesting area. It’s close, it’s calm, and because the East Fjords see far fewer tourists than the south coast or the Westfjords, you often have the whole thing nearly to yourself.
The drive from Egilsstaðir, the nearest large town, is about 70 km on a road that passes through genuinely remote mountain terrain — some of it unpaved, with a mountain pass that can be closed in bad weather. Worth checking conditions before you go. The village itself has a small guesthouse, a café, and a bakery that opens on a schedule that seems more aspirational than fixed. Bring snacks.
Borgarfjörður Eystri is also known for being connected to the hidden people mythology — the local elf rock, Álfaborg, sits right in the middle of the village. That’s optional context. The puffins are the main event.
Puffin watching tours from Reykjavík: worth it or skip it?
Several operators run boat tours from the Old Harbour in Reykjavík targeting puffins near Lundey and Akurey, two small islands in Faxaflói bay. These tours run from May through August, last about an hour, and typically cost 7,000–9,000 ISK (€47–60 / $52–66). They get you genuinely close to the birds, and the logistics are zero — you walk from the city centre, step on a boat, see puffins.
The honest version: the experience is fine but not remarkable. You see puffins on the water and in the air, you get good photos, it’s pleasant. But you’re not getting the cliff colony experience that makes Iceland’s puffin watching exceptional. If Látrabjarg or Vestmannaeyjar is on your itinerary, skip the Reykjavík boat tour and save the money. If you’re in Reykjavík for two days and can’t get further afield, the boat tour gives you something real.
Book in advance during June and July. Elding and Whale Watching Reykjavík both run these tours, and they fill up in peak season.
A few practical things worth knowing
- Puffins are most active in the mornings and evenings when they’re coming and going from feeding. The Icelandic summer light means 10pm is still bright, so evening visits are entirely practical.
- Cliff edges in Iceland are not always fenced or marked. Watch where you step, especially in wet or windy conditions. This sounds obvious until you’re at Látrabjarg leaning to look at a puffin burrow.
- Binoculars help but aren’t always necessary — at Látrabjarg and Borgarfjörður Eystri especially, the birds are close enough without them. For the boat tours, a zoom lens on a camera matters more.
- Puffins are legally protected in Iceland. Don’t touch, chase, or disturb them. The unbothered behaviour that makes Látrabjarg special depends on people being respectful.
The best puffin experiences in Iceland reward a little planning and, usually, a bit of distance from the main tourist routes. The Westfjords trip to Látrabjarg is genuinely one of the more memorable things you can do in this country. If that’s not on this trip, Vestmannaeyjar comes close and is far more accessible. Either way, go before mid-August — the birds don’t wait for late season visitors.
