One of the strongest impressions when visiting Iceland is the chance to see and get to know the puffins, they are called puffins in English. Iceland's most famous bird, the puffin, is not so easy to find, but here in Borgarfjarðarhöfn, the chances of seeing these birds are quite high!
Content:
- How to get to Borgarfjarðarhöfn (Borgarfjordur Eystri)?
- Borgarfjarðarhöfn Observation Deck (Borgarfjordur Eystri)
- What should I take with me?
- Organized tours or how easy and simple it is to see dead ends in Iceland
- Webcam in Borgarfjordur Eystri
Located in the remote northeastern corner of Iceland, the newly built harbor of Höfn Borgarfirði Eystri is just a few kilometers north of the village of Borgarfjodura Eystri (aka Bakkagerdi).
Before we continue, it is important to note that Atlantic puffins are not found in Iceland all year round. In fact, they spend up to 8 months at sea fishing, and return to earth only to raise chicks. This happens from the end of spring to the middle of summer. Almost any local resident will tell you that puffins will return from the sea to land around the middle of April and begin to fly back to the sea around the beginning of August. So, the window when you can see dead ends is short, but fortunately, this window is one of the best times of the year to visit Iceland!
And in more detail, when and why it is better to go to Iceland:
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How to get to Borgarfjarðarhöfn (Borgarfjordur Eystri)?
Coordinates of Borgarfjarðarhöfn: 65.542092, -13.756103
The path to Borgarfjarðarhöfn is not for the faint of heart. To get to Borgarfjarðarhöfn and the Borgarfjodur Eystri area, you need to head north from Egilsstadir by road number 94. At first, the road is quite simple, mostly asphalt, but there are also gravel sections. After a while, the road will turn east, towards the mountains! before the main ascent, the road will become gravel (in Iceland, you should not be afraid of gravel roads, since they are constantly monitored), and you will have to drive along a very steep and windy mountain pass without any road barriers!
On a sunny day, the views are spectacular, and it's worth stopping at the top of the mountain to look around. After the descent, the road will go over the cliff along the ocean shore. Fortunately, the road is not too narrow and the traffic is weak. From the road you will enjoy stunning views of Borgarfjodur and the surrounding peaks. Keep moving, you will pass through the tiny town of Bakkagerdi. About 3-4 km. From the city, the road will end at a small harbor where you can park in the visitor parking lot.
Borgarfjarðarhöfn Observation Deck (Borgarfjordur Eystri)
Dead ends can be scary if you're too loud or moving fast. But if you are patient and approach quietly and slowly, you will most likely be able to see dead ends at arm's length!
Another thing to keep in mind in puffins is that they like to fish during the day, so the best time to inspect them is in the evening and morning. During the day, you can meet only a few birds, but by the evening, by 6 o'clock, thousands of puffins will return from the sea and the colony will abound with birds!
Halfway to the walking platform, the Icelanders have built a bird watching house, which is equipped with heating and chairs, and it is a convenient place to watch if the weather is rainy. However, this house is paid, you can use it for $ 5.
Hafnarholmi is considered one of the best places to see puffins in Iceland due to the fact that it is accessible by car or on foot, and more than 10,000 puffins nest there, and the surrounding scenery is also impressive.
Most of the puffin colonies in Iceland are located on the surrounding islands, which makes it difficult to visit them. There are two more exceptions: the rocks of Dyhorlaey and Latrabjarg, but there are fewer bird colonies there. While at Hafnarholmi you will also see sea gulls, Eider ducks, terns and many others!
What should I take with me?
- Camera and Telephoto Lens (e.g. 70-300 mm)
- Tripod
- Water and food
- Binoculars
- Rain jacket and warm clothes
Organized tours or how easy and simple it is to see dead ends in Iceland
If you still realize that you will not have time to go to such remote places, then we can safely recommend you to go on a tour to the puffins from Reykjavik, but you will not have a lot of time, but in just 1 hour you are guaranteed to see this living symbol of Iceland -> Puffins and other seabirds
Webcam in Borgarfjordur Eystri
And what if you want to look at puffins from home, or are you in Iceland at the turn of the dead end season and don't know if it's worth wasting time and going looking? Then the webcam will help you, but it's worth considering that dead ends usually appear at the nests only in the morning and evening, which means that it's worth looking for the right period of time on the camera recording
