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About tour

Join us on a rustic journey through Iceland’s rolling countryside to a picturesque headland known as Cape Ingolfshofdi. The cape itself is situated on a remote headland that lies between Skaftafell in Vatnajokull National Park and the iconic Jökulsárlón ice lagoon. There we will find some of Iceland’s amazing birdlife, including adorable puffins and great skuas, which are nicknamed the pirates of the seas. Our journey to the cape will take us across 6 kilometers of diverse Icelandic countryside, encompassing marshes, waters, and sands in a tractor-drawn hay cart. We will then spend time hiking around this incredible landscape, enjoying the birds and the beautiful natural scenery. This makes the tour ideal for anyone who loves nature and wants to get an authentic taste of Iceland’s gorgeous countryside.

Highlights

  • Puffins in Natural Habitat
  • A Tractor-Drawn Hay Cart ride
  • Expert Guide Knowledge
  • A Unique Experience
  • Sightseeing

Included

  • Puffin Sightseeing
  • Expert Guides
  • Ride to Ingolfshofdi Cape

What to bring

  • Good outdoor clothing preferably good wind clothing is best as the area can get quite windy.

Tour Snapshot

Availability May - Aug
Duration 2.5 hours
Departs From Ingólfshöfði Hut
Level Easy Suitable for most people in fair condition.
Minimum age 6 years
Meet on Location Yes
Pick Up No

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Itinerary

The tour begins when we meet up with our expert local guide, who will tell us about what we are going to see before we head out on our hay-cart ride across Iceland’s rolling countryside. This fascinating ride will take us across diverse landscapes including, marshes, small streams and sand dune covered beaches. Cape Ingolfshofdi itself is named after the first Icelandic settler who first arrived on the island in 874 AD and wintered there. Once we arrive we will disembark from the hay-cart and hike around this remote piece of countryside. The entire expanse of land is around 2-3 kilometers long and includes a steep sand slope and rocky terrain, meaning that we only recommend booking the tour if you can manage the hike.

The cape and the surrounding area is populated by adorable puffins, whose brightly colored beaks and iconic black and white coats have made them very popular with all wildlife enthusiasts. It also plays host to great skuas, who are famously nicknamed the pirates of the sea, due to their habit of stealing the food of other animals. There is nothing quite like seeing these amazing birds in their natural habitat and it is sure to create memories that will last you a lifetime.

Iceland hosts between 8-10 million puffins and is responsible for 60% of the world’s Atlantic Puffin Population, making it the puffin watching capital of the world. They are known as ‘Lundi’ in Icelandic, although many locals know them by the affectionate nickname “prófastur”, which translates to ‘preacher’. Puffins are fairly unique amongst birds, due to the fact that they are monogamous, meaning that they pair for life. They also spend the majority of their life at sea, using the summer months to nest on land and breed, before heading back to their ocean life. They live for between 20 and 25 years, although the oldest recorded puffin reached the age of 38.

Meeting time: Meet us at least 15 minutes before departure. See departure times in the booking engine.

Meeting point: Ingolfshofdi parking lot, on a side road of the Ring Road 1. The turn is a 30 min drive East of Skaftafell and 30 min drive West of Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon. The road is between farms Hofsnes and Fagurholsmyri and is well marked “Ingolfshofdi 2 km”.

GPS: 63.879167 -16.659000

FAQ

This is a great question. We ask all participants to be ready from the start of the pickup time indicated. This is because you may well be the first pick up of the day. Please be at your assigned location at the start time that you chose when booking the tour.

Here you should wait for your guide.

Have your email and phone number listed with us so we can contact you if we run into any trouble finding you.

View our pick-up locations in Reykjavík.

Before and during activities on the multi-day tours consumption of alcohol is prohibited. If we suspect that a participant is intoxicated, we will prohibit them from joining the activity.

After the activities of the day are finished, you are welcome to have a drink and relax.

Yes, we do. Langjökull Ice Cave is a magical experience, the tour has no minimum age and is a wonderful option for the whole family. Whale Watching with our partner company Elding has been a favourite with families traveling with young children, these guys have a great success rate in seeing whales (upwards of 98% in the summertime).

Another option would be the Landmannalaugar Safari on this tour you get to explore parts of the Icelandic highlands and bathe in natural hot springs. Most of our super jeep tours are also suitable for children over the age of 6 years old. If you would like a nice and relaxing experience we would also recommend the Golden Circle & Secret Lagoon tour.

Your safety is our number one priority! Keeping this in mind, Arctic Adventures reserves the right to adjust the itinerary and/or take different routes depending on conditions. Please read more information in our cancellation policy.

Yes, there is a specially trained and certified guide on each of our tours. The only exception to this is for our self-drive tours.

All of our tours are guided in English.

No, for all your questions and concerns you would need to contact our customer service.

The standard in Iceland is 230V and 50Hz and we use F-type power sockets and plugs, so you might have to bring an adaptor if you are visiting from UK, USA, Canada or other countries using a different voltage, Hz or plugs.

Our tours are split into four different categories that help participants to understand what to expect from the tour. The categories are Easy, Moderate, Challenging and Demanding. Each tour is rated making it easier to find tours that suit you.

For further information about the difficulty ratings and descriptions.

We’ve partnered with the Kolviður Fund in a new carbon offsetting program, which passengers can select to participate in at the time of booking.

The Kolviður Fund is the oldest, most respected carbon offsetting program in Iceland. With your support, one tree will be planted in special Kolviður forests in Iceland to carbon offset your tour with us.

Kolviður forests are strategically planted to absorb the maximum amount of CO2 and the forests are protected for a minimum of 60 years. During their lifetime the trees absorb carbon and store it in their root system, trunk, and branches. Trees also prevent soil erosion and maintain storage of carbon in the soil.

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