Reykjavík: RIB Speed-Boat Puffin Watching Tour

GYG

Reykjavík: RIB Speed-Boat Puffin Watching Tour

★ 4.4(25 reviews)

• Guide works in English
• Duration per the operator: 1 hour

from $79

See dates, price and what is included at the operator

A fast hour on the water

This tour leaves from Reykjavik and runs for exactly one hour in a rigid inflatable boat, the kind of craft that skims rather than plows. You head out from the capital toward the nearby islands and skerries where puffins nest during the summer months. The itinerary also takes in the coastline around Vík í Mýrdal, though the main focus of the hour is the seabird colonies close to Reykjavik. The boat is fast, so you cover more ground than a standard sightseeing vessel would in the same time. It suits someone who wants the puffin experience without committing a full morning or afternoon. The guide speaks English and stays with the group for the whole trip. You meet at the operator's base in Reykjavik, and the hour starts from there. The price begins at 79 USD, which puts it in the middle of the puffin tour market. If you have never been on a RIB before, expect a wet and windy ride; the boat does not slow down for the scenery, it stops so you can watch the birds, then moves on.

Photographs from the operator Katla Whale Watching. They show the listing, not your day.

What the price covers and what it does not

The 79 USD entry price buys you the boat ride, the guide, and the hour on the water. Food is not part of the deal, and neither is hotel pickup, so you make your own way to the departure point in Reykjavik. The operator offers free cancellation, though no deadline is given for when you have to decide. There are no admission fees or parking charges at any of the places this tour visits, because the puffin colonies are on open water and uninhabited islands where no gate exists. You pay for the tour itself and nothing else on the day. The guide is included in the price and speaks English throughout. If you want to eat before or after, that is your own arrangement. The boat does not carry food for sale, and the tour is short enough that you will not need a meal on board. Bring whatever you want to drink, but keep in mind that a rough sea and an open boat are not ideal for balancing a cup.

A small sample, a solid score

The tour holds a rating of 4.4 out of 5, but that score comes from only 25 reviews. In a category with 18 puffin tours, this one ranks 12th by the number of reviews people have left. That means the score is honest but the evidence behind it is thin. A 4.4 from 25 people tells you the tour generally works, but it does not carry the weight of a rating built on hundreds of trips. By price, it sits exactly in the middle of its group, 8th of 18, with the range stretching from 63 to 265 USD. So you are paying a mid-market rate for a tour that has not yet attracted a large crowd of reviewers. The neighbouring puffin boat tour, which runs for the same hour, has a 4.6 from over 1,300 reviews. If the number of opinions matters to you, that tour gives you a much bigger base to judge from. This RIB tour is newer or less heavily marketed, and the review count reflects that.

When the puffins are out

The tour runs in the months when puffins are actually in Iceland, which is the summer half of the year. The birds arrive to nest in late spring and leave by early autumn. In Reykjavik, the average high in May reaches 10 degrees, and by June it climbs to 13. July is the warmest month with a high of 15 degrees and a low of 9. August stays similar at 14 high and 9 low. These are the months when the tour makes sense. The hour-long trip is short enough that you can fit it around the long daylight of an Icelandic summer. In June and July, the sun barely sets, so even a late afternoon departure happens in full light. September cools to 11 degrees and the puffins start to depart, so the later in the season you go, the fewer birds you will see. The boat ride itself is cold regardless of the air temperature, because the wind over open water cuts through. A morning departure in May will be noticeably chillier than an afternoon one in August.

Meeting the boat

You gather at the operator's base in Reykjavik, where the crew fits you with the gear needed for the ride. The boat is a RIB, so you sit on the sides of an inflatable hull, and the ride is fast and open to the weather. The crew will tell you where to sit and how to hold on before the boat leaves the dock. Once you are out on the water, the guide points out the puffin colonies and gives context on the birds. The boat stops at the best viewing spots so you can watch the puffins on the water and in the air. The whole thing is over in an hour, and you return to the same dock where you started. There is no shore stop on this tour, no walking on land, and no facilities at sea. If the weather turns rough, the guide may adjust the route or cut the trip short, which is the right call on an open boat. The crew decides on the day whether conditions are safe enough to run.

Who should take this ride

This tour is for someone who wants the puffin experience but values speed over comfort. The RIB gets you to the colonies quickly and gives you a thrill ride along the way. It suits a traveller who does not mind spray and wind and who wants to be done in an hour. If you prefer a calmer, more traditional outing, the standard puffin watching boat tour runs the same length of time and costs less, starting at 63 USD. That boat is slower and lower to the water, which makes for easier bird viewing and a drier ride. The RIB is not for anyone with back problems, pregnant women, or small children, because the ride is jolting. It is also not for someone who wants a comprehensive wildlife tour, since puffins are the focus and whales are not part of the deal. If you want both whales and puffins, the express cruise combo runs four hours and covers both, starting at 134 USD. For the single-purpose bird watcher who wants speed, this RIB tour delivers.

GYG

Reykjavík: RIB Speed-Boat Puffin Watching Tour

Dates, remaining places and the current version of what is included are at the operator. This page reflects the state of the catalogue, not the state of this morning.

from $79

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