The Icelandic Seal Center at Hvammstangi is a research center and a museum with information about seals. You can learn about seal colonies and the history of seal hunting. Also, you find there information on other ways in which seals are an important part of Icelandic culture, tradition and folklore.
In the center you will learn about the different species of seals found along the shores of Iceland. There you can also learn about their lives and habits. You can find instructions on how to distinguish them apart from one another when you are out on your own or on a guided seal watching tour. You will also find information on the wildlife of the area. It is abundant and includes the notorious Arctic fox, eider duck, famous puffins, whales and the abundant sea and inland bird life of the area. When seals are viewed in the wild, it is good for the seals that you will stay your distance of 100 meters and using binoculars enhances your experience. It’s great to start the seal journey around Vatnsnes peninsula by going first to the Icelandic Seal Center in Hvammstangi and learning about seals. And then going out into nature at the nearby llugastadir and Osar close to Hvitserkur cliff to see them.
You can watch scientists at work in the seal center’s lab. There you learn about the research that is being done on seals. You can even help them by collecting data on your travels around the area! Finally in the “Seal Cinema” you can watch a documentary on the seals found in Iceland.
Walruses in Iceland is a new exhibition at the Icelandic Seal Center in Hvammstangi, which opened in May 2022. Dozens of such animals have been seen off the coast of the country in recent decades; vagrants that always attract a lot of attention. Recent research by scientists shows, however, that a special and independent Icelandic walrus population lived in Iceland for millennia, which became extinct in the first centuries after settlement.
Check out our complete guide to travelling in North Iceland.
