Puffin & Birdwatching tour with the locals
Cape Ingolfshofdi is an isolated headland on the south coast half way between Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. This historical nature reserve is home of thousands of nesting seabirds, like puffins and great skuas. The cape is named after the first settler of Iceland, Ingolfur Arnarson, who spent his first winter in Iceland there in the year 874 AD.
To get to Ingólfshöfði we cross 7 km of waters, marshes, and sands in a tractor-drawn hay cart. The drive takes about 30 minutes each way, and then we spend about 1 1/2 hour hiking around the cape. The tractor driver from the nearby farm becomes the tour guide, tells stories and explains the birdlife, and leads the guests safely through the nesting grounds on the cape.
The circle we hike around the nature reserve is 2-3 km long. In the beginning we need to walk up a steep sand slope, and then through rocky terrain, but then it gets easier, mostly hiking on flat grassland and we make many stops along the way. We don’t recommend that people participate in this trip unless they can do this hike. When booking the tour with young children we recommend bringing a Baby Carrier.
Available from May 15th – August 12th
INGOLFSHÖFÐI PUFFIN TOUR is located 2 km south of main road, 30 minute drive east of Skaftafell and 30 minute drive west of Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. The road is between farms Hofsnes and Fagurhólsmýri and is marked “Ingólfshöfði 2 km”. You will find the meeting point on Google Maps here
The Puffin tour is operated by our local friends at From Coast to Mountains. If you need to contact them Tel: +354 8940894 , www.fromcoasttomountains.com
Tour Details
- Season 15th May - 12th August
- Departure times: 10:15 and 13:30
- Please arrive 15 minutes before departure
- Duration is 2,5 hours ( 2-3 km hike)
- No tours on Sundays
What's Included
- -Tractor-drawn hay cart ride
- -Guided walk
- -Sightseeing
- -Bird watching
GOOD TO HAVE IN MIND
Be careful to bring good outdoor clothing for this trip, the area is exposed to winds and rain, and sometimes sand storms. Perfect trip to try out your gore-tex outfit and gloves and hats, but on the other hand, sometimes it is possible to wear shorts and t-shirts on the trip. The Icelandic weather is included in the Ingólfshöfði Puffin Tour 🙂
Disclaimer: All tours are taken at the responsibility of participants. Glacier Adventure does not take responsibility for accidents which are caused by their customers or can be traced to their own actions.
