Discover Iceland’s aquatic wildlife on a relaxing cruise aboard a spacious yacht. Board your vessel at Reykjavik’s Old Harbor and venture out to Faxafloi Bay, keeping your eyes peeled for whales, dolphins, and, during the summer months, puffins. While you sail, admire the coastline dotted with mountains, Reykjavik landmarks, and small islands.

Learn about local wildlife from your onboard guide
Enjoy uninterrupted views from the observation deck
Share live photos and stay connected with onboard Wi-Fi
Warm up with cozy blankets provided by the crew

What's Included

Free WiFi
Warm blankets
In case of no sightings, a complimentary ticket to try again free of charge.

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Harpa Yachts | Snekkjan ehf.
Ægisgarður 5G Reykjavík Old Harbour, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
Harpa Yachts sales office is on the Old Harbor in Reykjavik on AEgisgardur pier, no. 5 G From hotels in 101 it´s only few minutes walk to the harbor. Taxi is also very easy and affordable choice. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before departure.

Start time

01:15 PM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 95 travelers

Operated by Harpa Yachts

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

247 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 247 reviews

Any ship in Port

gail_m, Mar 2023

Having lived on the ocean and seeing whales, all winter for about 15 years previously, we did not believe this time of year would've had many whale sightings. All we saw was a killer whale maybe in a couple of dolphins. My main entrance was just simply be out on the open Sea.. however, we bought the super yacht and he wound up on an older craft with a beautiful, vintage interior. Still, we were not informed of the change until we arrived. Everyone on the ship was waiting for us, because they had not notified us of the change of watercraft.. therefore, we did not receive the trip we bought.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Dear gail_m. Thank you for takin time to write a review. This winter we have had a great success with the sighting, seeing Humpback whales and White beaked dolphins on most of our tours. Regarding our yachts, we have two and we use them both equally. The smaller one is a 35 passengers newly renovated and the bigger one is 95 passengers, old style, but very nice. We are sorry if that did not fit your ideas of a super yacht. We ask our passengers to come to our sales office no later than 15 minutes before departure. If the yacht had to wait for you, you simply checked in to late and you most certainly got the trip you bought. We wish you all the best. Team Harpa Yachts.

Good boat and experienced, informative crew but disappointed on this occasion

JuliA_E, Feb 2023

Very cold boat trip so wrap up! Boat was lovely with a bar and plenty of indoor seating plus outdoor seating. Tour guide was very informative and we managed to see some dolphins. The whales had been spotted in an area but the problem is then you get loads of boats all rushing to the same area in order to spot them and whilst the majority of boats are very respectful and keep their distance, one particular boat sped up to the whale and around it which frightened it off. Our boat did their best but it was a long, cold nearly 4 hour trip just to see one whale and a few dolphins. i do understand every day is different and I couldnt fault the tour but we were disappointed.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thank you for your elaborate review and kind words. Team Harpa Yachts

No whales or dolphins !

Rajni_S, Jan 2023

There were no whales or dolphins sighted in previous days that week, as stated by the owners of the yacht. We too did not see any of them. Apparently it is not the season to watch them. Although the yacht travelled a fair distance, just as a show, nothing was sighted. Expensive trip not worth the money paid

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you for your opinion. We emphasise at the onset that nature is unpredictable. But we stay postive and take you to the best locations and offer you good service on board. Your disappointment should not reflect in a bad review, knowing you can come with us free again. Pleae read other reviews to understand about the our service and season too. Team Harpa Yachts

It was an amazing...

Shirls, Dec 2022

It was an amazing experience even though the tours were cancelled due to bad weather it was rescheduled for free and we actually saw the hump back .

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Yes, Capt Einar is known to conjure amazing experiences each and every time he takes guests into the Faxafloi Bay. We appreciate your feedback. Team Harpa Yachts

Fantastic experience!

Tricia_L, Dec 2022

My husband and I booked this trip last minute when our other planned tour was cancelled due to weather. We couldn’t have been happier with this experience! We saw whales within a half an hour and had sightings throughout the trip. The yacht was clean, the crew was friendly and the views would have been amazing even if there were no sightings!

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thank you! We admire your frank admission. Yes, there are a few those who come aboard yacht Harpa and are happy even with a brief sighting of the smallest whales -- the experience and service seems good enough :) Do take back wonderful memories. Team Harpa Yachts

Hit or miss

N_M, Nov 2022

We did not see anything. Not sure if there is some radar control over that but this is way too expensive to not see a whale or a dolphin.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Thank you for your opinion. Yes, we are sometimes helpless, when nature is concerned, even though we have a high percentage of success. Please be informed in cases like these you are welcome to join us again free of cost. Team Harpa Yachts

Whale watching in comfort!

Denise_W, Nov 2022

We saw a whale within 10 minutes of leaving the dock! Then, a harbor porpoise and a seal. There had been a sighting of another whale earlier that day, and the crew worked hard, but the whale never appeared. The crew was knowledgeable and excited to see marine life! I was worried about seasickness, but the yacht was perfectly sized for us; big enough to be comfortable with 3 levels of seating, but no so big as to make it feel crowded. I'd definitely use Harpa yachts again!

Response from Host, Nov 2022

And we certainly want you to be back with Harpa Yachts again :) Thank you for all the good things you mentioned in your lovely review. Team Harpa Yachts

The man in the office was...

Amanda_T, Nov 2022

The man in the office was very nice at booking in and was pleasant when talking you through the tanoid system giving you information, good trip worth seeing but don't build your hopes up of seeing anything we were lucky and saw 1 whale no dolphins

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Thank you for the compliments. Our staff endeavour to please and ensure that the booking process is smooth. Team Harpa Yachts

Definitely not worth the...

Michelle_H, Nov 2022

Definitely not worth the £200 we paid for the 3 of us! And a complete waste of a day in Iceland! I would not recommend. I wisb i'd cancelledand got mt koney back!

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Sorry, but we are not sure what you're unhappy about? Was it poor service, bad guides, poor yacht quality, overcrowdedness, lack of mini-bar or restroom facilities, not abiding by prescrbed time etc, because we can proudly say we have none of that aboard yacht Harpa. Of course, if you did not see whales, dolphin or harbour porpoise, we hope you understand that's beyond our control. And in rare circumstances of no sighting, we welcome you again, free of charge. So if you don't say we cannot further improve our service for our esteemed guests (we're sure you also know about our excellent cancellation policy). Thank you, Team Harpa Yachts

Incredible!!

Emily_C, Nov 2022

The best tour we’ve done in Iceland! Luxurious boat and exactly how described! So warm and cosy inside but close to the water with great view points outside! Fairly smooth ride and not too choppy! Tour guide was great - very informative and tried their hardest to find as much wildlife as we could. We were very lucky and saw whales and dolphins!! Apparently 95% of tours are successful! Would 100% do this again!

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Thank you for your "incredible" revew! Also appreciate your effort at highlighting our "success" rate. Hope you come back again :) Team Harpa Yachts

The trip was cancelled...

Pat_K, Nov 2022

The trip was cancelled but didn’t let us know until we got there. Wasted a whole day. We could have planned something else

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Unfortunately various factors contribute to the cancellation of tours and the weather plays a big part. So while we try to ensure that everybody is happy and try our best to please all and see if the tour can go on, this is not possible everytime. We are forced to cancel the tour to ensure the safety of our guests. Unfortunately on rare occasions this is done a few hours before the tour due to our sheer optimism. Kindly do try to understand our perspective (nobody likes cancellations)

Great time

Judith_N, Nov 2022

It was a great experience overall. The accommodations were beautiful and the Captain worked hard to make sure we saw Dolphins.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Thank you for your review! We are glad you had a wonderful experience aboard yacht Harpa. Team Harpa Yachts

May have been better at a different time of year

karen_r, Nov 2022

Whilst we enjoyed the trip, the sighting of whales was minimal, and brief. The boat was lovely and the crew were great. I think the trip advertisments ought to be more honest about what you are likely to see at different times of the year. Many of the photos on the website depict whales in closer proximity and more active.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Thank you for your review and compliments about the yacht and the crew. To be honest it is difficult to predict what we see, when and where (though we nearly always seem to find them ). And even though Nature is unpredicatable, our "strike rate" is pretty high and more often than not we see different kinds of whales in the Faxafloi Bay. And of course photos don't lie...please scroll through our 5-STAR reviews and you'll see what people have said about how close the whales come. Team Harpa Yachts

Amazing experience

Rochie1508, Nov 2022

Amazing experience, we saw humpback whales and white beak dolphins. The yacht was beautiful and comfortable with very knowledgeable guides. Blankets are provided but be sure to wrap up warm also. Would highly recommend this tour 😁

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Thank you for your beautiful words of appreciation and or highly recommending us. Team Harpa Yachts

We had such an amazing...

Kym_B, Oct 2022

We had such an amazing day whale watching with Lucky keeping us up to date from up the top! And the baileys hot choc was delicious. An incredible bucket list experience.

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Thank you! We're happy to see you happy :) Team Harpa Yachts

Wow, wow wow!

Mark_Y, Oct 2022

What an amazing experience! Boarded a lovely luxurious boat (with comfy, stylish indoors- even had a bar!) and plenty of outdoor viewing space. The tour prides itself on keeping numbers low which made it feel more intimate. Lovely knowledgable guides led us and we were totally overwhelmed to see humpback whales and dolphins. Couldn’t have asked for more! Definitely worth every penny and would certainly recommend!

Response from Host, Oct 2022

WOW! We feel humbled as well as inspired to serve better. Thank you, Team Harpa Yachts

Everything what it says

Gareth_H, Oct 2022

Dolphins and whales were plentiful Crew were really friendly We had great weather conditions which made it even better

Response from Host, Oct 2022

And we enjoyed reading everything you said :) Thank you for your wonderful feedback. Team Harpa Yachts

Fabulous day out for...

Edward_D, Oct 2022

Fabulous day out for everyone .Would recommend.Not to be missed.Lovely boat and very informative crew.

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Thank you for your kind words and for recommending us. Team Harpa Yachts

Nice experience

Hilit_Z, Oct 2022

Not what we expected but still saw the back of the humpback whale. Totally understand that you can’t expect what and how many you can see. Hope next time we can see more :)

Response from Host, Oct 2022

How kind of you to understand our perspective (some reviews reveal how insensitive a few are to our genuine efforts). You're certainly welcome to come again :) Thank you Team Harpa Yachts

Super fun!

Ashley_R, Oct 2022

Office was easy to find. Yacht was super nice and clean. There’s a bar with snacks and drinks on board. Nice, clean bathrooms. Lots of spaces to sit and watch for whales and dolphins. Captain was very nice and funny. The views were spectacular. We got to see dolphins playing, some jellyfish, and a few whales. Definitely a fun experience for the whole family. PSA: if you get easily sea sick, take medicine or this trip may not be for you.

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Amazing review! We say this is a "super fun" review when wonderful guests, like you, point out the finer aspects of being aboard yacht Harpa. Your simple, yet amazing style of presentation will certainly help others. :) We enjoyed the manner in which all aspects were highlighted beautifully. And you got it right, Capt Einar is an entertainer, so full of information and funny. We hope you join us again :) Thank you, Team Harpa Yachts

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