Family fun: Wildlife, petting zoos and parks

ACTIVITIES Family

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04 01 Photo: Jorge

Fernandez 02 Photo: Visit North

Iceland 03 Photo: Daladyrd 04 Photo: Pascal

Mauerhofer

Animal adventures

The colder months are a wonderful time of year to meet and learn about some of Iceland’s unique wildlife. Here are our top tips for animal lovers of all ages.

TEXT: Sarah Dearne

Tiny tots and younger children

The gentle joy of a petting zoo will delight even the smallest travellers.

If you’re in or around Akureyri, make the short drive to Daladyrd (open till mid-October), where kids can cuddle up to goats, horses, dogs, cats, rabbits and chickens, and then burn off steam in the play area.

In Reykjavik, you can take a quick bus ride to the Family Park and Zoo (aka Husdyragardurinn, open year-round), which has both domestic animals and Icelandic wildlife such as seals, reindeer and Arctic foxes. The park also includes an adventure playground and a few rides that operate on weekends, weather allowing.

Note: Animals speak Icelandic too. To ensure communication (and your own amusement), teach kids to greet dogs with voff voff, ducks with bra bra, and cows with a hearty muuu!

Older children and teens

School-age kids and teenagers will enjoy more adventurous animal-centric tours, and luckily there are plenty on offer.

Horse-riding tours are available all around the country, and the small and sturdy Icelandic horse is perfect for young and inexperienced riders.

Whale-watching tours are another safe bet, with sightings all but guaranteed. Humpbacks and whitebeaked dolphins are the most common sightings during the colder months, and large seabirds such as gannets and fulmars also make cameo appearances. Try a tour from Husavik in North Iceland, which has remarkably plentiful waters and an excellent whale museum in town.

Tweens and teens with a bit more stamina will also enjoy reindeer safaris in the East, the Icelandic Seal Center combined with seal-watching tours in Hvammstangi, or if you’re here in September, Arctic fox tours in the Westfjords.

Domestic flight from €67

G r e e n l a n d S e a

GREENLAND Ilulissat Kulusuk Nuuk Narsarsuaq

Arctic Circle

Isafjordur

40 mi n .

GREENLAND Nerlerit Inaat

Grimsey

3 0 m in.

Akureyri Thorshofn

Vopnafjordur

40 min. 50 min.

I C E L A N D

Egilsstadir

Ke avik REYKJAVIK

Arctic Circle

FAROE ISLANDS Torshavn

N o r t h A t l a n t i c O c e a n From city centre to countryside in under an hour 60°

Your adventure is just a click away. Our airport is conveniently located in downtown Reykjavik, and a trip across the country that’s as quick as your average commute means that you can get started in no time.