Whale Safari and Puffin Island Tour from Reykjavik

Reykjavik, Iceland

If you're in Reykjavik, you're in exactly the right place to spot whales and seabirds! Sail on Faxafloi bay - home to a unique variety of the Minke whale, the Humpback, Harbor Porpoise and the White-beaked Dolphins.You will also have the opportunity to observe the diverse local bird life on this thrilling boat tour from Reykjavik.

Sail on Faxafloi bay and keep your eye out for one of this area's giant locals. The bay is home to a unique variety of the Minke whale as well as the Humpback, Harbor Porpoise and the White-beaked Dolphins - all common sights on this tour. The Local bird life is also diverse, including such birds as the Puffin, Arctic tern, Gannet and many varieties of Gull.

After the tour you can explore the Whale Exhibition Room that enables you to witness the mystery of the ocean. It is situated in an old capelin-fishing vessel "Fífill" which was transformed into an exhibition and information center on whales and seabirds.

USD $72.78

Review by: Wes	March 2012
Although we didn't see any whales, it was a great trip and the staff did their absolute best in the freezing cold!! Will be back again..

Review by: SUSAN H	March 2012
We were out for 3 hours, but saw absolutely nothing. They did offer a voucher to go for free again within 2 years, but will probably not be going back to Iceland. Was extremely cold too-even indoors.

Review by: Adrienne Q	December 2011
I didn't get to see any puffins but we did get to see dolphins and Minke whales! It was extremely cold with the sea winds so definitely wear warm clothes

Review by: Alastair	September 2011
Interesting tour. Although the weather was horrible, wet and very windy. It felt being on the set of a "perfect storm". The only highlight was watching people unable to control their sea sickness. No Whales or Puffins (apparently Puffins vanish after August)!!

Review by: Samantha S	September 2011
Great to see some whales, but sadly, no puffins this time of year. I would still recommend this trip, although be sure to bring warm clothes.

Review by: Nancy Guzman L. G	August 2011
It was very dissapointing. When you sell the idea to the Whale Safari and Pufin Island, you show the same photo of a Puffin like if we where going to see them these near. When we went to the island , the boat stopped about 300 yards or more away. The tour guide just kept screaming , "you see those little black spots over ther? well...there are Puffins... wow! and wow...you see those spots over the....wlll there are Puffins and seagulls...so we just had to take his word for it. I NEVER SAW A PUFFIN I only saw black spots... The same with the whales.... they were about 500 yards away and you could only look at the fins and take the tour´s guide word that it was a blue whale or whatever. Deception. Besides that, I didn¨t get sea sick.

Review by: Jennifer I	October 2010
Be careful when you book this tour, depending on your goals. We booked to see puffins, not knowing they leave Iceland mid-August. Others we talked to saw wales, I didn't.

Review by: Amanda C	September 2010
Word of caution that by September the puffins have migrated so there was no Puffin Island Tour. Also most Whales have swam to warmer waters. Did see two pods of dolphins so was enjoyable. Top tip - best to do this trip during summer months.

Review by: Peter B	September 2010
Excellent trip. Perfect weather. Saw lots of whales - mainly Minke. Friendly, helpful staff. Good commentary. Puffin Island tour didn't happen - presumably because it's out of season. Included free pick-up from hotel which was particularly convenient. Thoroughly recommended.

Review by: Kris L	August 2010
Whale watching without seeing any whales, except for 2 minke whales that some of us saw for a fraction of a second. Perhaps the Icelanders have eaten all the whales.

Review by: Andrew G	August 2010
The tour was very nice, though a little cold at sea. The only thing I will say is that the host was a bit too excitable. As we looked carefully into the water the female host kept shouting out "Quick, quick, nine o'clock minky minky minky!". I can only think that mink whales well used to being harpooned off the Icelandic shores would only be scared off if they hear a woman shouting from a boat. Therefore we only saw three brief glimpses of a whale. I get the feeling had she been a bit quieter we may have seen more whales and for longer!

Review by: Kirsty H	July 2010
Has to be done, but be wary if you are prone to seasickness. i'm not but there were a lot of sick people around me on a very sunny clear day. If in doubt take seasick tablets.

Review by: Anonymous	July 2010
A brilliant tour - we got to see Minke whales, puffins and dolphins and the tour guide was very informative. We'd definitely recommend it!

Review by: Kelly G, Canada	April 2010
Unfortunately I spent most of this trip with seasickness, which I have never experienced before. From what I could hear, we did have some sightings of minke whales. The guide was fantastic, and the lady behind the bar was extremely sweet to me as she knew how awful I felt. Even though I was so sick, I'm still giving it 5 stars because of how amazing the crew was.

Review by: SHAMBHAVI K	April 2010
This trip would be more fruitful if taken from May onwards. Due to the climate and the breeding habits of the wildlife, we did not get to see any whales or puffins and feel that this trip should not be on offer until May.

Review by: Melissa G, United Kingdom	August 2009
This trip was good, but unfortunately we didn't really see any whales. It was probably the time of year! The tour guide on board was great!

Review by: John H, United Kingdom	May 2009
The uncertainty of the weather makes a pre-booking for this trip a poor option. My day was a well-organised experience of the elements and an opportunity to regain my sea legs after too many years on dry land. However, it was not a pleasurable opportunity for observing nature.

Review by: Kara B, Canada	May 2009
This was very disappointing! Weather was terrible, had to take seasickness tablets provided by the tour company, and saw no whales or puffins! It was an experience, and I would do it again in the hope of seeing something. I would recommend not booking this one in advance until you see what the weather is like that day!

Review by: Anonymous, Canada	September 2008
Worth seeing!

Review by: Steven U, United States of America	September 2008
The ship's crew did its best, it was just that we visited in early September when there were no whales, dolphins or puffins (oh my!) to be spotted. We were given a rain check, but unfortunately were unable to use it.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	August 2008
We were lucky to have good weather, calm seas and loads of sightings of Minke whales. The puffins are cute but without binoculars you can't see much really.

Review by: Jo O, United Kingdom	June 2008
Well-organised tour; unfortunately, we didn't see any whales, but the tour guides knew they were being elusive on the day we went out, so they made extra efforts to try and find them. I liked how those people who were staying on in Iceland were offered another trip to try and ensure they saw some whales. My advice - take some warm clothing!!

Review by: Sarah B, United Kingdom	June 2008
We felt like it was rare to see any whales from what they said.

Review by: Kelly G, United States of America	October 2007
We had a great time on this cruise! We saw a few whales and quite a few dolphins; the guide was quick to point them out and was very knowledgeable about all the marine life around Reykjavik. The puffins were super cute, that might have been my favorite part of the tour. Bring a jacket - it gets cold out on the boat!