Runde is a Island in Sunnmøre on the northwest coast of Norway. What makes Runde different from all the other Islands in the area, is its famous bird mountain. Runde is the home of a multitude of different sea birds, seagulls, eagels and the very photogenic Atlantic Puffin . Runde is the southern most Puffin colony in Norway. In this article you will find a complete guid on how to photograph the Atlantic Puffin in Runde, tips on where to stay in the area, what camera and hiking equipment to bring..

tabel of content

1. Introduction to Runde island

2. How to get to Runde

3. The hike to the bird mountain

4. Photographing the birds

5. What hiking and photography gear to bring

6.places to stay in the area

Runde Island

Runde only has 150 human inhabitants, but every year 500 000 sea birds come to Runde to nest and breed. Historicaly Runde had been a fishing and agricuktural comunety, with settlment as long back as the viking age. Today however , tourism is the biggest source of income for the island. Apart from the birds Runde is known for its picturesque light house and it's wild nature.

How to Get there

The two biggest towns “close” to Runde is Bergen in the south and Alesund in the north.

From Bergen:

Follow E39 north towards Førde, when you come to Førde keep driving E39 Byrkelo, after Byrkelo you will come to Olden and Loen, which is two small fjord towns worth a stop. If you want to spend more than one day on this drive, i recomend spending the night in Loen and explore the Loen vally, lake and the glacier. From Loen , keep driving E39 towards Stryn and after Stryn , drive towards Volda. A few km after pasing Volda you will come to s big roundabout, in that roundabout, turn left on road 653. Follow 653 towards Fosnavåg and Runde. When you arrive in Runde follow the road all the way past the tunnel, and you will find a carpark on your left side, this is the only car park on this side of the island, so this is where you will be parking when hiking, to the bird mountain.

From Ålesund:

The drive from Ålesund to Runde takes about two/ two and a half hour. From Ålesund drive south on R61 towards Ulsteinvik. There is one ferry crossing from Sulesund to Hareid. After the ferry crossing keep driving past Ulsteinvik, about two km after Ulsteinvik, turn right towards Fosnavåg, follow the road until Buholvika and turn right onto Fv18 and follow the road til Runde. When you cross the Runde bridge, turn right and follow the road past the tunnel, there you will see a carpark on your right hand site. This is the only day parking for visitors and the place you should park if you haven’t booked accommodation in the campground.

The hike

From the carpark the hike to the bird mountain and the Puffin viewpoint takes from 30-45min. From the car park follow the road until you see a sign for the bird mountain on the left side of the road. The first part of the hike goes up a steep tarmac path. It continues on a gravel path and the last bit of the hike is not very steep and has a combinations of nicely laid down rocks and wood paths. The hike to the bird mountain is suitable for most people with good health in all ages and walks of life.

Photographing the birds.

The Atlantic Puffin comes to Runde to breed. The breeding season for the Atlantic Puffin lasts from april to the end of August. The best time of day to see the birds are usually from early afternoon and trough the evening. I recomend beeing ready by the view point at about 18.00, the time they come in often varies so be ready to do som waiting and bring warm cloths, especially if you are going in April and early May. The birds can come pretty close, so you can photograph them with a phone or pocket camera, but i highly recomend bringing a mirrorless or DSLR camera with a telephoto lens for the best possible result.

simple tips to photograph the Atlantic puffin

Fast shutter speed

low f. Stopp nr

auto iso

contnious autofocus

Telephoto lens

Hiking gear and photography equipent

Hiking gear
I would recomend wearing good hikingboots. Wear comfertable cloths and dress after the weather. The north Atlantic ocean can be quite moody, even in the middel of summer. I would also recomend bringing a back pack with some extra cloths, something to drink/ eat and camera equipment.

Camera equipment
i would recomend bringing a mirrorless camera with a good autofocus system and a telephoto lens. All lenses from 200mm will work fine. If you are looking for a new camera or lenses.

4 places to spend the night near Runde.

Goksøyr camping is the campground right at the start of the hike to the bird mountain in Run

In Runde ,10 min from the start of the Hike, you can stay at Runde milijøsenter

Maybe the most exclusive place to spend the night in Runde is at the light house, its a hour and a half hike from the car park and about a hour from the Puffin breeding ground. Read more about Runde light house

In Fosnavåg about a half hour drive from Runde you can Stay at Thon hotel