Drangey Tours — Attraction in undefined

For my 40th birthday, my wish was to hang out with puffins with a little adventure mixed in and, guys, let me tell you…THIS EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS. I can confidently assume that this is the best puffin tour in Iceland. Granted I haven’t done any others, but I just can’t even imagine how it could get much better! The father/son tour handlers/guides do it perfectly. My husband and I were just two of 11 people total (including our guide) where we took their boat to the uninhabited little cliff island of Drangey. It’s incredible sight as you’re pulling up from the water, and you’re already seeing puffins flying and floating around you. As soon as you step onto the little dock, the adventure begins. You climb up the very steep hill (it’s definitely a workout!), trek on narrow paths alongside the cliff (anyone afraid of heights would not like that part but I thought it made it more incredible). And then you climb up a straight up metal ladder. And puffins are everywhere! It’s the most surreal experience. Once you’re up on top, the views are amazing! Our guide (the son of the father/son duo) was so nice and funny and told great stories and provided tons of information about the land, the puffins, Icelandic folktales. We got to explore pretty much the entire top of the island cliff and it was just the 11 of us the whole time we were there! They only take one group a day and no other tours go there. It’s a practically private experience and feels really special. And the puffins are just so cute and mesmerizing. I couldn’t stop smiling. I cannot recommend this tour enough. Well worth the money! For what it was, the price was really good. I truly hope to experience this again one day! Thank you, Drangey Tours for making my birthday...

I spent a little over 3 weeks in Iceland, but the tour of Drangey is most deeply etched in my soul for its visceral thrill. Intimate, raw…it has you feeling like Sir David Attenborough because of how immersed in nature you are. From the fun boat ride to the steep hike, my adrenaline stayed in overdrive. Thousands of puffins and other seabirds (kittiwakes, guillemots etc) sang a cacophonous chorus to my heartbeat which drummed to first the hike; then, the thrill of seeing so many birds up close. Drangey Tours is a family-run business. Helgi, our guide, kindly helped me on with a supportive hand when he saw me looking fearful at the cliff edges. His father was the steady boat captain and his grandpa was the first to lay the guide ropes & pegs into the cliffs years ago. Atop the cliffs, we were offered coffee or hot chocolate, then brought to the various high points of this little basalt fortress where Helgi told tales of Icelandic sagas and puffin factoids. If there’s only one thing you have time for in Iceland, do this! It’s a half-day adventure but a lifetime memory. I visited Drangey on...

Wonderful, friendly father-son business! There's no real online reservation system, so you either call or email them to reserve a spot on the boat (we were able to walk up the morning of just ask them if they had space).

After a 30 min boat ride, you arrive at Drangey and the son leads you all over the island, telling you all about the sea birds, geology, and the history of the place, made famous as the hide out of Grettir the Strong, one of the most famous Icelandic outlaws from the Saga age.

One (major?) thing to consider: I feel like others have maybe undersold how vertical the hike up to the top is! There are a few sections where you are hanging on to ropes or metal bars with a sheer drop on one side. If you happen to have any people in the tour group who fancy themselves the next great Nat Geo photographer, this can be especially terrifying as they abruptly stop in front of you to take yet another version of the same picture. (The guys warn you against doing this, but...) I would suggest that if you are really scared of heights or have younger kids with you to maybe just go for...