Where to See Puffins in Iceland (and How to Photograph Them)

Atlantic puffin portrait shot with a 70-200mm lens in Iceland

Seeing puffins was at the top of Dan's wish list for our Iceland road trip. We tried at Dyrhólaey on the South Coast with no luck. Then, on day five, we made a detour to Borgarfjörður eystri in East Iceland, hoping to spot maybe five or ten. Instead we found hundreds of them, so close you could photograph them from the path. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life, and I almost cried.

Here's everything you need to know about where to see puffins in Iceland: where we went, the best time of day, what lens to bring and how to photograph them. It's part of my Iceland Ring Road photography guide.

Where we saw puffins: Hafnarhólmi, Borgarfjörður eystri

The puffin colony is at Hafnarhólmi, a small islet connected to the harbour at Borgarfjörður eystri in East Iceland. There's a car park, and a series of stairs and wooden viewing platforms take you up and around the cliffs. First you see a few puffins from the ground, then more as you climb, then hundreds bobbing in the water. From the top, the entire cliff is covered in puffins.

Puffins sitting on grassy burrows on the cliffs at Hafnarhólmi, Iceland

The Hafnarhólmi puffin colony, edited with Meadow.

Viewing platform and stairs above the puffin colony at Hafnarhólmi in the fog

The viewing platforms and harbour at Hafnarhólmi, edited with Meadow.

Puffins dig little burrows into the grassy cliffs and carry grass in their beaks to build them. They're a bit like hobbits. They're also not bothered by people on the paths, a bit like the penguins we saw in Antarctica.

Getting to Borgarfjörður eystri

Borgarfjörður eystri is off the Ring Road, about an hour's drive each way from the main route, over a mountain pass. When we drove it in late April, the pass was a complete whiteout, with snow more than a metre deep beside the road. Check the road conditions before you go, and drive carefully. It was 100% worth the detour.

Man standing in deep snow during a whiteout on the mountain pass to Borgarfjörður eystri

Farmhouse in a green valley on the road to Borgarfjörður eystri

The drive to Borgarfjörður eystri, edited with Meadow and Disposable Film.

Best time to see puffins in Iceland

Season: puffins nest in Iceland from around late April to August. We visited at the very start of the season, at the end of April, and they had already arrived in their hundreds.
Time of day: go in the morning or the late afternoon and evening. During the middle of the day many of them are out at sea fishing. We arrived around 6pm and the colony was packed.
Weather: it was cold and foggy when we visited, which actually made the photos look moody and soft.

How to photograph puffins

I used my 70-200mm f/2.8 at the long end for almost every puffin photo. Here's what worked:

Use a telephoto lens. 200mm let me fill the frame with a single puffin from the path without disturbing them.
Find a clean background. I looked for puffins with the ocean or distant cliffs behind them, which gives smooth background blur and lovely colours.
Get to eye level. Shooting from their level makes the photo feel much more intimate.
Use a fast shutter speed for flight. Puffins fly incredibly fast, so bump your shutter speed up if you want to freeze them in the air.
Look for the iconic pose. Side-on shows off their bright orange beaks and feet.

Atlantic puffin standing side-on on a grassy cliff in Iceland shot at 200mm

Puffin at 200mm, edited with Meadow.

Close-up of an Atlantic puffin with an orange beak on dry grass in Iceland

Puffin with orange feet standing on a mossy rock at Borgarfjörður eystri

Edited with Meadow.

Puffin standing on a burrow with more puffins behind at the Hafnarhólmi colony

Shooting through the colony for depth, edited with Meadow.

Other places to see puffins in Iceland

Puffins nest all around Iceland's coastline. Other popular spots include Dyrhólaey and Reynisfjara on the South Coast, the Westman Islands and Látrabjarg in the Westfjords. Sightings at the South Coast spots aren't guaranteed, as we found at Dyrhólaey. Borgarfjörður eystri is known for being one of the easiest places to see puffins up close.

See the rest of East Iceland in my Jökulsárlón and Southeast Iceland guide, and continue to Stuðlagil, Dettifoss and Reykjavik in my North Iceland and Reykjavik photography guide.

Puffins in Iceland FAQ

Where is the best place to see puffins in Iceland?

Hafnarhólmi at Borgarfjörður eystri in East Iceland is one of the easiest places to see puffins up close. When we visited, there were hundreds of puffins on the cliffs and viewing platforms.

When can you see puffins in Iceland?

Puffins nest in Iceland from around late April to August. We saw hundreds at the end of April.

What time of day is best to see puffins?

Go in the morning or late afternoon and evening. During the middle of the day, many puffins are out at sea fishing. We arrived around 6pm.

What lens do you need to photograph puffins?

A telephoto lens is best. I used a 70-200mm f/2.8 at 200mm to fill the frame without disturbing them.

Can you see puffins at Dyrhólaey?

Puffins do nest at Dyrhólaey, but sightings aren't guaranteed. We didn't see any when we visited.

The puffin photos in this post were edited with my Meadow Lightroom preset pack. Browse all my packs in the Lightroom Presets for Portraits collection, and if you're stuck between a few, you can buy any 3 presets and save 10%.