Nature
Hafnarhólmi Puffin Colony
Hafnarhólmi
Region: East IcelandCoordinates: 65.5420° N, 13.7545° W
Hafnarhólmi is a small rocky islet at the harbour of Borgarfjörður eystri in East Iceland, and one of the country's most accessible puffin colonies. Wooden stairways and viewing platforms lead right beside the nesting birds, letting visitors watch puffins at close range without disturbing them or risking the burrows and cliffs.
Important to know
- Seasonal access
- Puffins are present from about mid-April to mid-August, with the best viewing in early summer.
Plan the stop
- Who it suits
- All ages
- All ages; the platforms and stairways make close puffin watching easy and safe for families in season.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair · Partial
- A car park sits by the harbour, but the best viewpoints are reached by wooden stairways.
- Limited mobility · Partial
- Some viewing is possible near the parking area, though the main platforms involve steps.
- Sensory · Partial
- A busy, noisy seabird colony with wind and sea air.
- Cognitive · Full
- A clearly laid-out site with platforms and signage.
Why it matters
Around 10,000 pairs of puffins nest at Borgarfjörður each summer, alongside kittiwakes, fulmars, and eiders, making the built-up viewing platforms at the working harbour a key wildlife site in the Eastfjords.