This Wonderful day tour is ideal for nature lovers, history enthusiasts, and pretty much everyone else, combining puffin watching and Golden Circle into the perfect package!
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Save up to 10% by booking a combo tour!
This incredible day tour combines wonderful wildlife and Iceland’s most popular tourist route into the perfect package. You’ll spend the morning on a traditional fishing boat getting thrillingly close to the adorable puffins that reside on the islands of the Reykjavik coast. Then go on the iconic Golden Circle tour during the afternoon – seeing Þingvellir National Park, the Geysir Geothermal Area, and the majestic Gullfoss Waterfall. If you want a tour that offers wildlife, history and splendid natural beauty, then this is the one for you!
We’ll collect you from one of our designated pick up points in Reykjavik, at 9:00 am and take you to Reykjavik’s charming old harbor. We’ll board our specially designed boat called Old Skúli, which is perfect for puffin watching, and set sail to a small island just off the Reykjavik coast.
The journey takes around 15 minutes and offers stunning views of Reykjavik and Mount Esja. We may also see marine mammals such as whales and seals along the way. The islands we visit play host to around 30,000 nesting puffins, who safely raise their chicks away from potential predators. They generally nest in the rocks close to the shore, which would make it difficult for most boats to get close – luckily our boat is low slung, allowing us to get thrilling close to the adorable little puffins. We’ll also turn off the boat’s engine, so as not to disturb the birds.
A friendly guide will be with you to point out any other interesting species of birds that we see and tell you fascinating facts about the puffins. If you want to see these cute little birds in the flesh, then this puffin express tour is perfect for you!
The first stop on the Golden Circle is Þingvellir National Park (Thingvellir) – a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is steeped in historical and geological significance. Iceland’s parliament, Alþingi, was founded by a group of Vikings there in 930. Free Icelandic men met there, to dispense justice and
arrange new laws, until 1844 (when it moved to Reykjavik), making it the oldest continuously running democratic parliament in the world. Parliamentarians would gather around the Lögberg (Law Rock) – a spectacular rocky outcrop, where the Lawspeaker would chair the meetings from. A flag now flutters above the spot – making for an incredible photo opportunity!
This set of rugged cliffs was created by the seismic activity that occurs beneath Þingvellir. It straddles the North Atlantic Ridge – marking the border between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. You’ll be able to explore this ever-expanding gap between two continents – a bucket list experience that should be high on everyone’s list.
Next on the Golden Circle is the Geysir geothermal area. A place of bubbling hot springs, spouting fumaroles, and erupting geysers. Its centerpiece is the now dormant, Great Geysir that gives all other geysers their name. We’ll also visit Strokkur – an erupting geyser that tosses torrents of boiling water and steam into the air every 10 minutes or so. This scalding water regularly climbs as high as 25 meters but has been known to reach up to 40 meters and is undoubtedly one of nature’s most thrilling shows.
The Golden Circle’s final attraction is the most popular waterfall in Iceland – the majestic Gullfoss (Golden Falls). Its name comes from the glorious golden color its waters take as it cascades down into the luscious valley below. Gullfoss’ waters originate at Langjökull glacier and flow down the thundering Hvítá (the White River). Be sure to bring a camera, because Gullfoss will be one of the best pictures that you ever take!
This is a combination of two separate tours. If one of the tours is cancelled, you will still be able to join the other part.
You can book almost all of our trips here on our website. You will find a booking window on each tour page and the best and safest way is to book and pay is directly through our website.
You will receive a confirmation email after you have made the booking. If you think that you have made a booking and haven’t received an email confirmation then you may please contact us via email with an inquiry through our contact form, and we will figure it out together.
We do not require minimum participants on most of our tours but there is a minimum of 2 people for a few of our trips. If you are traveling solo and interested in a tour that requires more than 2 participants than we can take down your information and contact you if more people book the tour.
We can arrange private departures as per customer request. Almost all of the tours that we offer can be arranged as a private tour. If you prefer to have a private tour arranged than you may feel free to contact us through email info@adventures.com
If your tour that you have booked is canceled on our behalf than you will receive a 100% refund. The refund process is different depending on the way you booked the tour.
If you booked the tour through our website then we will start the refund process as soon as we know if you will not be rescheduling and you will receive a separate email with a confirmation about that your refund has been processed.
If you booked the tour via booking agent than you will need to contact them directly to receive the refund. We will confirm with them about your canceled tour and then the refund process will start on their end. Extreme Iceland only receives the payment when the tour has finished, that means that your payment still remains with the booking agent and therefore, the refund can only be processed directly from their end.
We can unfortunately not accommodate you and your group if the number of your group extends the number of available seats left on the tour. Our website shows the correct number of available seats left. It is impossible to squeeze additional participants onto sold out departures as we have really strict policy measures as to how many participants are assigned to each guide on our tour departures. Therefore we hope that you understand as this is of course done with our customer's safety in mind.
If you’re visiting between mid-October and mid-April, it’s highly recommended to use lightweight crampons, also known as ice spikes. These small traction devices attach to your shoes and help prevent slips on icy paths, making sightseeing safer and more comfortable. You can purchase them during the booking process to ensure you’re prepared for winter conditions. They are yours to keep after the tour ends!
