Reykjavik

Whale-Watching Tour from Reykjavik

Reykjavík, Iceland

From $88.17

Select Date and Travelers

Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance.
Reykjavik Tours
All Reykjavik Tours
Audio Guides
Kid-Friendly
Likely To Sell Out
Private and Luxury
Unique Experiences
  • 3 hours
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Cruise Faxaflói Bay in search of humpback and minke whales during this whale-watching tour from Reykjavik. A naturalist guide talks about the biology and behavior of these magnificent marine mammals while you look for signs of their presence. Stay warm and dry in provided thermal coveralls as you keep your eye out for whales, white-beaked dolphins and harbor porpoises. Choose from a 2.5-hour, high-speed express boat option or a full, 3.5-hour tour.
  • Faxaflói Bay whale-watching cruise from Reykjavik
  • Watch out for harbor porpoises, white-beaked dolphins, minke whales and humpbacks
  • Learn about some of Iceland’s most majestic native wildlife from an onboard guide
  • Choose between a 3.5-hour whale-watching cruise, or a 2.5-hour high-speed boat version

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

A choice of two tour durations and multiple departure times means you can tailor this excursion to your schedule. Indoor/outdoor viewing areas and provided thermal coveralls let you decide your threshold for exposure to the Icelandic elements while you scan for local marine life.

What's Included

  • Free ticket to try again if nothing is seen on your tour - sightings guarantee!
  • Use of thermal overalls - also available in children's sizes!
  • Free WiFi
  • Heated indoor seating areas
  • Complimentary sea sickness tablets, if needed
  • NEW - Special Tours App (available in English, German, French, Spanish, and Chinese)
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drink (can be purchased on board)
  • Hotel transfers (can be added for an additional fee)

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

  • Geirsgata 11
    Geirsgata 11, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland

    Please make your way to the Special Tours Ticket Office, located at Geirsgata 11, 101 Reykjavik.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Following pickup at your Reykjavik hotel (if booked directly with the supplier), you'll be transferred to the city's Old Harbor. Choose between an express 2.5-hour, high-speed tour or a 3.5-hour cruise at the time of booking.

Step aboard your comfortable boat and pull on a pair of thermal coveralls to protect you from the Icelandic elements. Find a comfortable spot on the deck and settle in for the scenic ride out into Faxaflói Bay. If at any point you get chilly, make your way into the warm indoor viewing area, where hot chocolate, tea, coffee and snacks are available for purchase. 

As the boat cruises through the surf, keep your eyes open for white-beaked dolphins, minke whales, humpback whales and harbor porpoises.This company has a 90 percent whale-spotting success rate, so have your camera at the ready. As the boat cruises through the surf, keep your eyes open for white-beaked dolphins, minke whales, humpback whales and harbor porpoises. Keep your camera ready to photograph these magnificent creatures. In the unlikely event that you don't see any wildlife, you'll receive a complimentary ticket for a second whale-watching excursion. 

At the conclusion of your eco-adventure, return to shore and board your land vehicle for drop-off back at your hotel (if booked).

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • German guidance available on Classic tours from May 1st - September 30th.
  • Stroller accessible
  • Operates in a variety of weather conditions, please dress appropriately
  • If cancelled due to unsuitable sailing conditions, you will be give the option of an alternative date or a full refund.
  • Hotel pick up: Available to book directly with supplier (extra fees apply).
  • Near public transportation
  • Most travelers can participate
  • Wheelchair accessible for the 3 - 3.5 hours trip
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 180 travelers

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.
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

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Featured review
Julia_D
Excellent trip, fantastic enthusiastic guides made it even better. Lucky to see some minky whales and dolphins

Reviews

4.0
512 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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0
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 512 reviews
Good tour
Louise_S, Sep 2023
Good tour. Saw Minke whales, dolphins and porpoise..guide was very good and a nice little cafe on board to warm up with a hot drink
Great!
Julia_D, Aug 2023
Excellent trip, fantastic enthusiastic guides made it even better. Lucky to see some minky whales and dolphins
A Wildlife Cornucopia
Robin_L, Aug 2023
We had an amazing experience on this tour. Although there are obviously no guarantees that you'll see wildlife, we were very fortunate to see Humpback whales, Minke whales and Harbour porpoises. It was really incredible! Amongst the birds were puffins as well. Would definitely do it again!
Awesome!
Tara_K, Jun 2023
We saw whales and dolphins and the tour guide was so nice and personable. Would go again; 10/10. Loved it!!!
Great whale cruise
Everett_B, Jun 2023
The ship is an old ferry boat, so it was large and comfortable, but also a bit slow. Be prepared for a 3 hour cruise, which is about 1 hour traveling out to the feeding grounds, 1 hour looking for/at whales, then 1 hour traveling back... that's what any whale watch is like. We saw 3 different kinds of whales on our cruise. It was the highlight of our trip!
Refund
David_B, May 2023
They canceled it three days in a row can I please get a refund? The weather was too bad to do tour please give a refund
Response from Host, May 2023
Hi David, If we cancel a tour due to bad weather you are of course entitled to a refund. You can send a refund request through Viator or contact us directly at info@specialtours.is if you need any further assistance. Thank you.
A whale of an experience!
Eleni_H, May 2023
The whole thing! We were fortunate to see 4-5 different whales being active. Our guide was very informative and chatted with us afterward and answered many of our whale questions.
Well worth it
Rachel_M, Mar 2023
Amazing, stunning, exillerating experience. Fantastic food. Great for families too. Expensive so make sure you have spare money off and family to babysit if you want to do some of the experiences
Spectacular.
Lorraine_F, Mar 2023
We saw a humpback before we even got on the boat. There was one rolling around in the harbour. After watching it for a while the boat headed out to sea which gave us a chance to enjoy waffles and hot chocolate, before returning to the harbour and enjoying it once more.
Whales
Scott_B, Feb 2023
When they said " conditions are rough " they weren't joking... we were given the chance to defer but declined.. we were ok but many folk were feeding the fish their breakfast ... but we did see 3 x humpback whales and a seal plus many species of birdlife
Great
Stephen_S, Dec 2022
Seeing a whale for first time tour guide new his shakes and was funny too the boat and crew were polite and helped out with sick passengers as it was a roug trip weather wise
Only one side of the boat...
Andrea_R, Oct 2022
Only one side of the boat could consistently see the animals because they kept turning the boat toward it rather than letting the animals pass on the sides.
Great experience!
KatelynSchmidtmann, Aug 2022
This whale-watching tour was amazing! The guides were friendly and knowledgeable. We wore the provided overalls and stayed nice and warm. Saw puffins, a humpback whale, and minke whales. Thanks Special Tours!
Great experience!!
Daniel_V, Aug 2022
What a fun experience. We saw a handful of minke whales surface, puffins flying around, and a hump back whale hung out and slapped its tail on the water. The staff was great and knowledgeable.
Great experience!
slapshak, Aug 2022
This trip was perfect! The staff and boat guide were friendly and informative. We went on an afternoon excursion on a sunny July day, however that did not stop us from utilizing the warm overalls they provide because it gets quite chilly on the open air deck. We sat indoors on the lower deck while trekking out to sea. You can hear the guide speaking though a speaker system even when indoors. We spotted a couple whales that were being very playful and showing off for us with flapping its tail in the air quite a bit. It was so exciting when a whale would jump out of the water (even if not fully out). Really an enjoyable outdoor experience that doesn't happen just anywhere. Also there were decent bathrooms on the boat and drinks and snacks for purchase if you chose.
Recommended!
simona_t, Jul 2022
Great experience. Professional tourist guide and capitan. I managed to see quite a few whales. The trip lasted around 2 hours
Great experience!!! We saw some beautiful whales.
STERGIOS_C, Jul 2022
Great experience, we saw some beautiful whales all around us. I definitely recommend it to anyone who visit Iceland.
A great experience
Eileen_F, Apr 2022
Watching dolphins swimming by the boat learnt a lot about whales an experience not to be missed even though we didn’t see a whale,
The trip was cancelled...
EdwardDTaylor_T, Apr 2022
The trip was cancelled for the second time this week so we never got to see whales or dolphins on our Iceland visit
Whales Tail
Alyssa_S, Mar 2022
It was a cool experience to see the whales in the water. I only got to see the whales fluke and tail when I was hoping to see the whale breach or jump. Upon research, Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo because there was never an opportunity where the boat wasn’t rocking.
...

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