Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik

by Sea Trips Reykjavík · Puffins · Boat tours · Whale watching · Reykjavík

4.60· 348 Google reviews of the operator

Fine on your own
Couples
Good with teenagers
Eco-certified

from €79.9 per person

Next departure: Tue 1 Jun

Book Tue 1 Jun · €79.9 Other dates

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik — Sea Trips Reykjavík

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 2

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 3

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 4

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 5

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 6

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 7

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 8

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 9

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 10

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 11

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 12

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 13

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 14

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 15

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 16

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 17

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 18

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 19

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 20

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 21

Puffin Tour by RIB Speedboat from Downtown Reykjavik, photo 22

1 / 22

22 photos from Sea Trips Reykjavík. Tap any one for the full-size original.

Duration
1 hour
Difficulty
Easy
Season
May – Sep
Starts in
Reykjavík
Pickup
Meet at the start point
Starts at
Please check-in 30 minutes before departure
Ægisgarður 5b, Reykjavík
Guide
Guided in English
Departs
12:00
Minimum age
10
Cancellation
Free until 24 hours before

About this experience

Join us for a fun and scenic 1-hour RIB speedboat tour from Reykjavík’s Old Harbour and experience the puffins of Faxaflói Bay up close.

This small-group tour takes you out on the water to the islands near Reykjavík, where puffins and other seabirds gather during the summer months. The RIB speedboat allows us to get closer to the birdlife in a respectful way, giving you a great chance to see these charming birds in their natural surroundings.

Along the way, you will also enjoy beautiful views of Reykjavík from the sea, with the colourful city skyline, Harpa Concert Hall, and the majestic Mount Esja creating a stunning backdrop.

This tour is perfect for nature lovers, families, photographers, or anyone looking for a short and memorable adventure on the water. With a small group on board, the experience feels more personal, exciting, and relaxed than a traditional sightseeing boat tour.

Please note that puffins are wild birds, so sightings can never be guaranteed, but during the puffin season this is one of the best ways to see them near Reykjavík.

Description from the operator, Sea Trips Reykjavík. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Included

Passengers will receive a complimentary beer or drink voucher at our favorite restaurant, Bryggjan Brewery & Restaurant, located by the harbor.
45 - 60 minutes exciting tour in a small group 12-seater RIB boat.
Reykjavík sightseeing with panoramic views of the Harpa Concert Hall and Sun Voyager.
Warm overalls, gloves, goggles, and all necessary safety equipment.

Good to know

We recommend all guests dress warmly in layers and good footwear it is always colder on the water and don´t forget your camera.

Not suitable for

Children under 10 years
Pregnant women
People with back problems
People under 4 ft 8 in (145 cm)

Since this is a wildlife tour we can never predict or guarantee sightings of any kind. In the event that we don't encounter any puffins, we do not offer refunds, but instead, give our passengers a complimentary ticket to use another day.

Weather is a big factor for the tour, and we may have to cancel the tour.

Cancellation for this tour

Free cancellation until 24 hours before departure; no refund after that. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.

If the weather cancels this tour

Iceland's weather is real. What usually stops this one is sea state — the skipper decides an hour or two before departure. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.

1Sea Trips Reykjavík decides, and tells us. Operators cancel when it is unsafe or pointless, and we back that call every time — we do not ask them to run anyway.
2We contact you by email, and by phone if your tour is the same or next day. You choose: another date if there is one you can make, or a full refund. There is no fee and nothing to argue.
3The refund goes back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, usually visible within a few working days. If this tour was one of several in your booking, the others are untouched.

What you do not get is the day back. If this is the only free day in your plan, put a spare day next to it — the planner leaves days free with the rest-day option. And if you want out because the forecast looks bad, that is your own cancellation: free until 1 day before departure, the operator's policy after that.

Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →

Who this is not for

Children under 10 cannot join this one.
Not available in winter; the operator runs it roughly May to September.

Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.

Why we list it

Sea Trips Reykjavík is one of 207 operators we work with — chosen for reliability, honest descriptions and how they treat guests when weather changes plans. We don't list everything; we list what we'd book ourselves. The six checks every operator passes →

What travellers say about Sea Trips Reykjavík

Read all 348 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.6/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

János Kiss
★★★★★ · a month ago
Luckily, the boat wasn't crowded at all, which we were really happy about. The vessel was very comfortable, and having multiple decks meant we could enjoy the scenery from different viewpoints. Unfortunately, despite the beautiful weather, we didn't spot any whales, and only a few of us caught a brief glimpse of white-beaked dolphins swimming alongside the boat. But no worries—better luck next time! Since the tour wasn't successful in spotting whales, we received a voucher to book another trip for free within the next three years.
Zack Eckley
★★★★★ · a month ago
An absolutely incredible experience out on Faxaflói bay with Sea Trips Reykjavík. We were lucky enough to spot several whales, which made the trip truly unforgettable. The crew onboard were wonderfully friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable throughout the entire sailing. On top of that, the tour was very reasonably priced for such a fantastic adventure. Highly recommended if you’re visiting Reykjavík!
Hernan Torres
★★★★★ · a month ago
Puffin Watching Yacht Cruise from Downtown Reykjavík – Small Group Experience https://seatrips.is/tour/puffin-watching-yacht-cruise-from-downtown-reykjavik/ It was a really smallest group experience, like a private tour for both of us, we booked way before our trip, very easy, and once over there, the day before someone from the tour operator called me to see if we were willing to move our tour time from 2:30 pm to 12 pm, because some technical issues, I know things happen, so no problem, we went there around 11:30 am, nobody was in the office because all shops around there were doing some painting, we went to a restaurant across the street, and Ana was there, we did the check in and ready to go on board the “Sea Ranger”, small powerful and beautiful yacht and guess what? We were the only passengers, the whole boat just for us! Ana was the guide and a young nice man the pilot, they took us to 2 small islands near the port, no more that 15 minutes away, and we were able to see those beautiful, colorful, small and fast elusive sea birds, it was worth and we took several pictures /videos from them very close, you cannot step on land, it’s forbidden, and they don’t stay put for the pictures! You need to know, the birds have their own “calendar for the year” , that day (8/19/26) was the last day for the season, they go and live on the sea and come back next year in early April, how? Good question. In the background you can see the Tall ship ARC Gloria from the Colombian Navy on its yearly cruise with Naval Cadets on board
Katie Hepting
★★★★★ · 6 months ago
Claudia was an incredible guide for our northern lights tour on March 22, 2026. She was very attentive and informative, giving constant updates on light activity and giving us all tips for photographing. Inside the boat was warm and cozy, and you can’t beat having bathrooms and a bar available! The boat wasn’t packed full of people which we appreciated. It was very easy to move around. Highly recommend this tour!

Reviews from Google · updated 23 Oct 2026

Read before you book

What to do on your arrival afternoon in ReykjavíkFood walk, whale watching or bed on the afternoon you land — which one survives a red-eye, which one wastes the day, and the combo we'd actually book.
Boat tours in Iceland: the five kinds explainedWhale boats, aurora cruises, glacier-lagoon zodiacs, island ferries and sea angling. What each one actually is, what it costs, and which are worth a slot.
Northern lights tour: bus, boat or super-jeep?Bus, boat and super-jeep lights hunts from Reykjavík compared on real odds, comfort and price, with the one we'd book first.

Reviews from our travellers

Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.

Reviews arrive the day after each trip — none yet for this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.

Puffins — questions people ask

When can you see puffins in Iceland?

Mid-April to mid-August. Puffins arrive at the nesting cliffs in April, hatch chicks in June and leave for the open sea by late August. July is the safest month for numbers and for chicks being fed. Outside this window there are none on land, and a tour sold as a puffin tour in October is a boat ride. Reykjavík puffin boats usually run May to August; check the tour page for the exact dates each year.

Can you see puffins from Reykjavík?

Yes. Two small islands in Faxaflói, Akurey and Lundey, hold puffin colonies ten to fifteen minutes by boat from the Old Harbour. One-hour trips like Elding's classic puffin watching (/experience/1299/) circle the islands slowly; you do not land. Bring binoculars, because the boats keep a respectful distance and puffins are small. It is the easiest puffin option in Iceland and a good fit for children or a spare hour before dinner.

Where is the best place to see puffins up close?

On land, at a cliff, not from a boat. Látrabjarg in the Westfjords, Borgarfjörður eystri in the east and Dyrhólaey on the South Coast let you sit a few metres from birds that ignore you. Vestmannaeyjar has the largest colonies. Reykjavík boat trips are convenient but distant. If you are travelling the Ring Road in June or July, the puffin tour from Seyðisfjörður (/experience/973294/) gets you to the eastern cliffs with a guide.

Are puffin boat tours good for kids?

Yes, mostly. They are short, an hour or so, and stay in the sheltered bay, so seasickness is rarer than on a three-hour whale trip. Children usually enjoy the boat as much as the birds. The downside is distance: puffins look like specks without binoculars, so ask if the boat has some to borrow. Combined whale-and-puffin trips (/experience/1569/) run six hours, which is long for under-eights.

Hotels

Where to stay for this tour

From the cheapest to the top end of what is near Reykjavík, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site.

All hotels in Reykjavík →

One checkout, any number of operators
Rankings are not for sale
206 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted
If it falls short, we fix it

from

€79.9 per person

Sea Trips Reykjavík's own price. 3% off the whole trip when you book two or more tours together, in one checkout.

Your date

The next departure we can see — change it if this tour is for another day.

Pick a date to check departures.

Departs12:00

Reykjavík: light 03:25–23:26, 20 h 1 min of daylight.

✓ Free cancellation until 24 hours before
✓ Instant confirmation by email
✓ If Sea Trips Reykjavík cancels for weather or safety: a full refund, or another date
✓ Card — Apple Pay or Google Pay where your device offers it — through Stripe; the charge is made in Icelandic krónur
✓ Price promise: Sea Trips Reykjavík's own price, or we refund the difference
✓ One checkout, even with tours from several operators
✓ Vetted operator — the six checks every operator passes

Pairs well with

Add any of these to this tour and 3 % comes off both at checkout — about €4 on the cheapest pair. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.