Seeing the Puffins at Hafnarhólmi From the Pier
About 10,000 pairs of puffins nest on a harbour islet at Borgarfjörður Eystri, and the village has built boardwalks straight through the colony. Birds sit a metre from the rail. Two coaches run there from Seyðisfjörður, 85 minutes each way, at $225 and $227. Both add the village and Gufufoss; one adds reindeer. The season is the thing that decides everything.
About the Trip
Ashore mid-April to mid-August, in burrows on the islet's turf banks
85 minutes each way, an hour at the colony, 40 minutes in the village
Per person; the six-hour version with reindeer is $225
The second most reviewed trip running out of this fjord
Pickup and drop-off at the cruise terminal, live guide in English
The colony is free; the village asks for donations towards upkeep
Check Dates and Times
Live availability in US dollars. Puffin dates outside the nesting window sell a drive, not a colony, so check the season note below first.
Which of the Two to Book
Both go to the same islet and give you about an hour with the birds, and both cost about what a canyon coach does in the Seydisfjordur tours comparison. What differs is the length of the day and what fills it.
BusTravel, $227, five hours
An hour north, 20 minutes at a viewpoint on the way, an hour at Hafnarhólmi, then 40 minutes in the village at Lindarbakki, the red turf house with grass on its roof and walls that somebody still lives in. Gufufoss on the way back. 4.6 from 243 reviews, which is the largest sample of any puffin trip here.
One July reviewer described the village stop coming with an Icelandic doughnut and coffee, which is not on the listing.
Magic Iceland Travel, $225, six hours
Two dollars less and an hour longer, because it adds the reindeer park before the coast: an hour with Iceland's only herd, then the puffins, Álfaborg, the village and Gufufoss. Rated 4.9 from 22 reviews.
One traveller in July counted hundreds of puffins and singled out the young reindeer. The same review noted a large coach rather than the smaller bus earlier reviews mentioned, which is worth knowing if legroom on a 170-minute round trip matters to you.
Season decides this, not price
The puffins are ashore from mid-April to mid-August, with the strongest numbers from May. After that the young leave and the adults return to open water. A September call books the same coach to the same rock with nothing on it.
If your ship arrives late in the season, take the fjord cruise or a canyon trip instead.
Both Puffin Trips
Prices and ratings read off the operators' listings in July 2026.
from $227 Puffin Colony at Borgarfjörður Eystri & Gufufoss Waterfall
- Puffin viewing platforms at Hafnarhólmi islet
- Lindarbakki, a red turf house still lived in
- Álfaborg, the elf rock above the village
- Gufufoss waterfall in Seyðisfjörður valley
from $225 Puffins, Reindeer and Gufufoss in One Cruise Day
- Puffin platforms at Borgarfjörður Eystri
- Reindeer park with Iceland's only reindeer
- Álfaborg elf rock and a turf-house village walk
- Gufufoss waterfall stop
What You See at Hafnarhólmi
Hafnarhólmi is a small rocky peninsula behind a working fishing harbour at the end of Route 94, on the far side of the village. The birds nest in burrows dug into the sloping turf, and a network of boardwalks and platforms at different heights runs through them, fenced, with a wooden hut at the top for shelter when the weather turns.
- About 10,000 pairs of Atlantic puffins, often within a metre or two of the boards
- Kittiwakes, fulmars and common eiders nesting on the same rock
- A viewing hut with benches and slats, useful in rain and wind
- Lindarbakki, a red turf house in the village, still lived in
- Álfaborg, the rock above the church that folklore gives to the queen of the elves
- Gufufoss, 27 m, five minutes short of the pier on the way home
What the Price Covers
The colony itself is free. What you are paying for is the 170 minutes of driving that gets you there and back inside a port call.
- Included: coach from the cruise terminal, live guide, all stops on the route
- Included on the BusTravel trip: free WiFi on board
- Not included: food and drinks. There is a café in the village but nothing is provided
- Not included: personal expenses, and toilets at some stops charge a small fee
- Not needed: any ticket for the puffins, though donations towards the boardwalks are welcome
How the Five Hours Break Down
The BusTravel run, as the operator publishes it. Stop order can change with weather.
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0:00
Ferjuleira, at the pier
The coach waits at the cruise terminal. On a tendered call it parks opposite the tender landing instead.
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0:00–1:00
North over the pass
An hour towards the northeast, over Fjarðarheiði and along Route 94.
-
1:00–1:20
Viewpoint stop
20 minutes on the coast road before the descent into Borgarfjörður Eystri.
-
1:45–2:45
Hafnarhólmi
An hour on the boardwalks above the colony, with the hide available if the weather turns.
-
2:50–3:30
The village
40 minutes at Lindarbakki and around the harbour. Coffee and a doughnut if the timing allows.
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4:40–5:00
Gufufoss, then the ship
20 minutes at the waterfall, five minutes to the pier.
Important Things to Know
What to pack
A clifftop above the North Atlantic makes its own weather.
- Waterproof jacket and a warm layer. The colony sits exposed and the wind comes off the sea
- Comfortable shoes. The boardwalks are level but the harbour path is gravel
- Binoculars if you have them. Nobody hands them out and the far platforms reward them
- A camera with something longer than a phone lens, though the birds come close enough for both
- Water and a snack, since no food is included
- Cash or card for toilets at some stops
Who these trips do not suit
- Children under 2, on the BusTravel run
- Anyone hoping for puffins outside mid-April to mid-August. The rock empties and no operator can fix that
- Travellers who dislike long coach legs. Nearly three hours of the day is spent on the road
- Anyone who gets uneasy on mountain roads: Route 94 was paved in full only in 2023 and still crosses the Vatnsskarð eystri pass on hairpins with no guardrail at the top
If your ship tenders
Add 20 to 40 minutes at each end. Both trips are timed to the ship and the operators wait, but the five-hour version has more slack than the six. Guides here park by the tender landing rather than the standard coach stop, so look for the operator's sign there.
Insider Tips
Gathered from birdwatchers and travellers who have made the drive, rather than from the booking pages.
- Puffins are busiest at the colony from 7am to 10am and again from 6pm to 10pm, when adults come and go from the fishing grounds. Midday visits, which is when cruise coaches arrive, show fewer birds in the air and more sitting on the turf
- Climb to the top platform and the hut. Most people stop at the first railing, and the higher decks look down into the burrows
- The hut is the reason a rainy call is still worth it. Benches, slats, out of the wind
- Watch for kittiwakes and fulmars on the same rock. The kittiwake colony is noisier than the puffins and closer to the path
- Ask the guide to run Gufufoss first if rain is forecast for the afternoon. One July group had exactly that swap and beat the crowds as well
- Bring the doughnut money. The village café is the only food on the route and the stop is 40 minutes
Where the Colony Is
Hafnarhólmi sits at the end of Route 94, behind the harbour at Borgarfjörður Eystri.
Questions About the Puffin Trips
When are the puffins at Hafnarhólmi?
Mid-April to mid-August, with the best numbers from May through July. Around 10,000 pairs nest in burrows on the islet. By late August the young have left and the adults are back out at sea, so a September tour is a coach ride to an empty rock.
How close do you get?
A metre or two. The boardwalks run through the colony with fenced platforms at several heights and burrows on both sides. There is nothing to climb and no cliff edge to lean over, which is why this counts as the easiest puffin watching in Iceland.
Is it worth the three hours of driving?
For most people, yes. There is no closer colony, and 243 reviewers on the main trip average 4.6. If a long coach leg would ruin your day, the three-hour fjord cruise also passes nesting puffins, at a greater distance and for $102.
Which trip is better with children?
The six-hour Magic Iceland run, because it adds an hour at the reindeer park and a village walk with an elf rock. It costs $2 less. The BusTravel trip is an hour shorter, which counts for something on a tendered call.
Does the colony cost anything?
No. Entry to Hafnarhólmi is free and the village asks only for donations towards the boardwalks. The tour price covers the drive and the guide. The tour price covers the drive and the guide.
What Travellers Said
We loved seeing the puffins and found this tour very convenient from our cruise ship! Great value for money as well :)
Puffin and Gufufoss Waterfall Tour
Wonderful! Our tour guide Victoria was beyond great, and the discussion of some local music was super! Icelandic lullaby was wonderful. Driver too. Not an easy task to navigate parking spots (and a narrow road).
Puffins, Reindeer and Waterfall Tour
The scenery was incredible, and we appreciated that our guide adjusted the order of the stops. Visiting Gufufoss first meant we enjoyed it before the larger crowds arrived, and our timing at the puffin colony was great as well. The puffin colony was the highlight for us, we saw hundreds of puffins, up close, we took a lot of great pictures.
Puffins, Reindeer and Waterfall Tour