peterad

We are going back to Iceland in 2 weeks, staying in Rekayavik for 3 nites.
1) Are there any places to see Puffins nearby?
2) Are the Artic circle flights pretty much closed down?
Thanks

basingstoke2

Don't know about the artic flights. As far as Puffins are concerned, they breed in Iceland mostly on the north and west coasts although breeding colonies are found all around the island. However, this time of year they are not breeding are are most likely far from land living over open water.

Some restaurants in Reykjavik serve Puffin but they might not be in season. We had some in a puff pastry (no pun intended).

You will only have about 4 and half hours of daylight so your sightseeing will be somewhat limited. Reykjavik has a good nightlife and places like the Blue Lagoon should be open after dark.

Have a great time - Iceland is an amazing place and I am sure you will want to return. The 24 hours of daylight in the summer is ideal. The Puffins will be nesting there too.

If you are on the east coast of the US or Canada, we saw Puffins nesting in the cliffs of Boneventure Island off of Perce, Canada some summers ago. Perce is on the east coast of the Gaspe peninsula.

capxxx

I was there in September and the Puffin tours were all shut down for the winter. Apparently, Puffins migrate.

Don't know about the artic circle flights, but your hotel should be able to help.

basingstoke2

The Puffins head out to open water about the end of August and don't return until April. It is amazing how they can survive such long periods over the open ocean.

peterad

Thank you both for your help.

One more question: what is the best way to see the Northern lights? Rent a car on a clear night? Excursion? Where would you drive to?

Lizzie_17

I just returned from Iceland --- the Puffins are gone for the season. As for the Northern Lights, there are nightly tours (leaving about 10 pm), with the major tour companies. It was too cloudy for the 5 nights I was there, so the tours were cancelled each night, but if you have your hotel call, they will let you know this in the afternoon. Or you can rent a car and drive outside of the city to where there are no lights.

capxxx

You might want to sign up for a tour.

A friend rented a car for a two day drive-around and said the roads outside the towns are truly awful. He kept stopping the car to throw rocks into the water-filled potholes to see if they would swallow the car. Sometimes he had to drive off the road to get around the pothole; sometimes he said a prayer and drove through. And this was in September, not even winter yet. I can't imagine that you'd want to do it at night, in winter.