Birdwatching in Iceland: Where and When to Go, Region by Region

Southwest: Reykjanes and the Capital Area

The most reliable starter birding in Iceland sits within an hour of Reykjavík. The Reykjanes peninsula cliffs at Krýsuvíkurbjarg, roughly 40 minutes from the city along Route 42, hold fulmars, kittiwakes and guillemots between May and early August, with puffins on the easier grassy ledges. Seltjarnarnes, a 10-minute drive from downtown, is the local favourite for migrants and wintering waders on the tidal flats around Grótta lighthouse. Even in January you can work the shoreline here without a four-wheel drive.

Base yourself in Reykjavík or Keflavík rather than a single night at the airport. From the capital, the drive to Þingvellir takes about 45 minutes and the lake edges give red-throated divers and harlequin ducks in spring. Mid-May to mid-June is the sweet spot: birds are territorial and loud, roads are quiet, and accommodation is still cheaper than the July peak, when the same rooms fill weeks ahead.

North and Northeast: Mývatn and the Laxá Delta

Lake Mývatn is the single best freshwater birding site in Iceland. The midges that give the lake its name feed enormous numbers of ducks — Barrow's goldeneye, tufted duck and scaup — plus Slavonian grebes and a noisy colony of Arctic terns on the islands near Vindbelgjarfjall. The Laxá river outflow at Skútustaðir is where many visitors get their first close views. Access is easy from the ring road, and the hides near Höfði need no booking.

Come late May through June. The north is 4.5 to 5 hours from Reykjavík by car, or a 45-minute domestic flight to Akureyri followed by an 80-minute drive east. I would book two nights around Reykjahlíð rather than day-tripping from Akureyri — the light at 11pm in June is when the lake is quietest. Húsavík, 50 minutes north, adds Skjálfandi Bay seabird trips for puffins and the occasional white-tailed eagle over the headland.

East Fjords and Southeast: Cliffs, Ice and Eiders

The East Fjords reward the traveller who drives the full ring road. At Borgarfjörður Eystri, reached by a 70km detour from Egilsstailsstaðir on Route 94, a fenced viewing platform puts you within metres of a puffin colony from mid-April to mid-August, with no boat required. Common eiders nest around the harbour in town, and the surrounding moorland holds ptarmigan through winter. Distances are long: allow a full day from Mývatn.

In the southeast, the glacial outwash at Skeiðarársandur and the lagoons near Höfn attract great skuas and, in autumn, migrating geese. Vatnajökull's edge is best in July and August. Skip the crowded Jökulsárlón parking area for birds — the lagoon is a boat-tour stop, not a birding site. Instead, stay in Höfn for two nights and drive the coast road at low tide; the harbour langoustine restaurants make the evening worthwhile after a cold, wet morning.

Westfjords and Snæfellsnes: The Quiet Option

Látrabjarg in the Westfjords is Europe's largest seabird cliff, with puffins, razorbills and guillemots so tame you can watch from a few feet away. Getting there is the point: from Reykjavík it is a 5-hour drive to Stykkishólmur, a ferry across Breiðafjörður, then another 2.5 hours on gravel. The reward is June and early July without crowds. Sea eagles are regular over the ferry crossing — keep watching the water.

Snæfellsnes is the accessible compromise. The cliffs at Arnarstapi and Hellnar are 2 hours from Reykjavík and give puffins, fulmars and black guillemots from May. Ólafsvík and Grundarfjörður have guesthouses that open in May, before the summer rush. I would book Snæfellsnes for a first trip and save Látrabjarg for a second, longer visit — the Westfjords in May can still close roads with late snow, and the ferry timetable is not built for a two-day dash.