Set off in search of minke whales, humpbacks and more on this whale-watching cruise from Reykjavik. Pull on a pair of provided coveralls and then stay on the lookout for harbor porpoises, white-beaked dolphins and whales as you cut through the still waters of Faxaflói Bay. Throughout your cruise, listen to the knowledgeable guide’s insightful commentary, and have your camera ready to capture Reykjavik’s native marine life in the wild. Choose from a 3.5-hour cruise or an express 2.5-hour high-speed boat version — perfect if you’re short on time.
Choose from a leisurely 3.5-hour cruise or an express 2.5-hour high-speed boat version, and then make your own way to Reykjavik’s Old Harbor, where you’ll board your luxurious, whale-watching boat.
Find a comfortable spot on deck and pull on a pair of provided coveralls to keep you warm. Remember to also bring a hat, scarf and gloves with you to keep you extra toasty. Then, listen as your guide explains what species of marine life you can expect to see, and hear interesting facts and old sea stories about these magnificent mammals. As your boat slips away from the harbor, scan the water for porpoises, white-beaked dolphins, minke whales and humpbacks whales. Make sure you have your camera ready — with up to 90% whale-spotting success, this Faxaflói Bay cruise provides a fantastic chance to see whales. In the unlikely event that you don’t spot a whale, you will receive a complimentary ticket for another boat ride. If you feel cold during your cruise, warm yourself up inside the cozy viewing area, where coffee, tea, hot chocolate and light refreshments (own expense) are available. After 2.5 or 3.5 hours, your experience ends with a drop-off back at your hotel.
Great Tour! We got to watch two hump back whales. I wish we saw it a little more up close. My cell phone camera was not able to capture a good photo from the distance. Great tour though. I would recommend getting the shorter one which was 2.5 hours.
Review by: Heather M, May 2018
The tours was amazing and we got to see whale and dolphins from the deck of the catamaran along with puffins diving through the waves catching fish, although the weather wasn't great it was still a great experience. Top marks for the tour guides who certainty new there stuff.
Review by: Domino, April 2018
We didn't get to see any whales, unfortunately, even though the boat did try to find them it just never happened. It was a nice and friendly tour, my only comment is the overalls they give you for the cold. They are extremely old and dirty, could definitely use some new ones!
Review by: Yiorgos C, March 2018
We saw many whales Orca and Humpback the tour was excellent, we enjoyed it very much, it lasted 6 hours totally
Review by: Albert G, March 2018
The trip was lovely and we were able to see a few humpback whales, though only briefly. The guide was very knowledgeable and friendly, and the crew onboard were also excellent.
Review by: Erica A, March 2018
Unfortunately didn't see any animals. But it's still a nice boat trip (tip 1: put on an overall, it gets extremely cold). Best thing is, that you can join again at any time at no additional costs if no animals are seen (tip 2: best book tour at the beginning of your stay to go again if necessary).
Review by: Derek T, February 2018
WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE ACCURATE TO DESCRIBE IT AS A TRIP ROUND THE LIGHTHOUSE AT THE TIME OF YEAR THAT WENT._br/_ APPARENTLY WHALES ONLY APPEAR AT CERTAIN TMES OF YEAR AND SO THIS SHOULD BE MADE CLEAR AS ICELAND IS A FANTASTIC DESTINATION BUT VERY EXPENSIVE SO EVERY POUND COUNTS.
Review by: juliette m, February 2018
Ok
Review by: Heather B, January 2018
A great way to spend an afternoon. We did not see any whales - but we did see a pod of dolphins.
Review by: Christopher E, January 2018
Brilliant trip, well looked after by the tour guides. Warm clothes provided and the ship was brilliant. Really liked the fact that all the tours talk to each other when at sea so when one sees some whales/Dolphins we all head over.
Review by: David W, January 2018
like any trip, it would have been great if we had seen any whales, unfortunately we did not, so we can only say it was a nice boat trip !!!!!
Review by: ALLAN A, January 2018
Fantastic, we didn't see any whales but the tour was informative and we were offered to go again free of charge within a 2 year period
Review by: DOLORES F, December 2017
this tour was within walking distance from out hotel....we arrived and the crew were super on answering our questions and telling us what was available to us in case of sickness....Put on a pair of coveralls to keep your warm which in it's self was an experience...lol Didn't see any whales or any other sea life but all in all the adventure was well worth the experience,,,,
Review by: Iain P, December 2017
although we didn't see any whales they did try their very best to locate some. In the end we saw some dolphins and the sunset over the ocean was fantastic._br/_ They did email us some pictures of the dolphins as well.
Review by: kingadele, December 2017
Sadly no sign of whales but an amazing display put on by a school of dolphins. Crew knowledgeable and seemed determined to give everyone a memorable trip for which they suceeded
Review by: brock, December 2017
Boat was very crowded. Difficult to get to the railings to see the couple of whales that were spotted.
Review by: Katja, November 2017
I really enjoyed this tour and was very glad we managed to see a couple of Minke whales and a plenty of dolphins close up although it apparently wasn't the main whale watching season. Our guide was very knowledgeable and shared some fascinating facts about the whale species you can spot in Iceland, what they feed on, how and where to best spot them and more. It was also a unique experience to see Reykjavik cityscape and seafront from the freezing sea! We were also given warm overalls for the trip, which was very useful as it got very cold out on the sea.
Review by: revans, November 2017
I absolutely loved this tour! We saw a couple of whales and lots of dolphins and it was just great to be out on the water in Iceland. It was an extremely cold day but they give you really warm overalls and they sell hot drinks on board to keep you warm. They also give a presentation at the end about the whales and dolphin species you've seen on that tour, and the guide seemed really knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this tour!
Review by: Fatemeh A, November 2017
Ok! Did not see any wkale, but was lucky with clear blue sky and fabulous sunshine.
Review by: Jackie, November 2017
Didn't see much
Review by: phillippennant, November 2017
Amazing tour! the guide was very charismatic and informative, we saw around 15-20 dolphins in pods of around 4/5 each time, and also got treated to some very close views of Minke whales. All in all, a great trip and definitely good value for money. I will recommend this tour to anybody going to Iceland
Review by: Nicole L, November 2017
Great tour knowledgable guide and warm clothimg and we saw dolphins and minky whales.
Review by: Nicole F, November 2017
Great tour knowledgable guide and warm clothimg and we saw dolphins and minky whales.
Review by: Agnes M, October 2017
Didn't see any whales :
Review by: Richard W, October 2017
This was an awesome tour. Jonathan, the guide was incredibly knowledgeable and very well spoken. We saw a minke whale about 2 or 3 meters off of the side of the boat. It was incredible!
Review by: Caz, October 2017
Tour were amazing so easy to use love the warm suits they give you. They also email you some pictures at the end if you leave your enail with them.
Review by: Anna H, October 2017
The trip was a very fun way for us to celebrate our 47th wedding anniversary! We saw a Menke ? whale, dozens of porpoises, some white nosed. After searching for, but nor finding a Humpback, our Captain had to get us back to port. Amazingly, as we were about to enter the harbor we did see a Humpback which apparently is a rare sighting that close to shore! FANTASTIC!!
Review by: rchens1, October 2017
Johnathon our guide did an OUTSTANDING job!!!
Review by: Madison S, October 2017
I saw plenty of whales on the tour, which was great. However, on nearby boats, I noticed that the guides were giving extensive information about the whales present, the ecology of the area, whale behavior, etc... while our guides were basically silent, only occasionally pointing out the whales.
Review by: JONATHAN R, September 2017
The tour was very well organised from the hotel pick up to being dropped back after. Although we did not see any of the larger whales we did see some minky whales and some porpoises. The guide on the boat was very good in giving plenty of information without being overpowering. I would definitely recommend this tour.
Review by: nxtgen, August 2017
We had an exceptionally good whale-watching day, with a lot of porpoises, dolphins, and puffins as well. The guide was excellent at informing us of the best spots to catch a glimpse of the wildlife. We highly recommend this tour.
Review by: Karin S, August 2017
It was quite cold, and we didn't see any whales. But, the company did offer a repeat tour for free at any point in the future. Boat was clean and staff was professional.
Review by: Amelia D, August 2017
Good Tour but unlucky that we did not get to see any whales but obviously not down to the tour company. would recommend.
Review by: Anita R, August 2017
I was expecting a lot more from this trip. We saw only one minke whale and a shark and both from a far distance. I know it's not the fault of the operator since you're looking for something out in the wild. I just think Reykjavik is not the best spot for whale watching.
Review by: Patricia M, August 2017
Although, I and my grandson are accustomed to boating and took a fabulous white water rafting trip while in Iceland, this particular tour should have been cancelled. As we boarded, the Captain said, It's a little rough out there today.' Both my grandson and I felt that we could handle a little rough. It was so rough that all the whales were smart enough to stay deep in the water and there was not one sighting. That is the least of it, but of course, that is what we paid to see. Many people had trouble walking while on the boat out at sea. I couldn't move from my seat on the upper deck without feeling that I would fall down. Other people were trying to move around also and could not without help from a family member or friend. The children were told that if they felt seasick there was ginger candy downstairs for them to settle their stomachs. My 10-year-old grandson went down below and vomited 3x on his way down and again when he reached the area to get the candy. He sat there awhile and I couldn't get to him, because of the heavy winds at sea. He managed to get back to me, and he helped me to the staircase. We both sat on mid-deck then, where it was a little more protected, not as windy or cold, until the end of this torture tour. I believe this trip should have been cancelled and another date set for anyone who wanted to make the change. Or, there should be an option to get our money back, if weather conditions keep whales away and make people feel ill. Any chance of reimbursement? I have been more than satisfied with previous Viator tours. Thank you.
Review by: Hoi hong L, August 2017
arrangement is good, instruction on board is clear, and the guide find the whale very hard, although there are not much to observed
Review by: Lisbeth T, August 2017
Dejlig tur
Review by: schneider-forrer, August 2017
Everything was fine, except... we saw only 1 whale during 2 seconds...!! Thanks a lot to the guide who was excellent !
Review by: Dean S, August 2017
First trip was terrible weather and we didn't see anything but they faced us a free retry and a couple of days later we went back and saw tons of Dolphins! So close to the boat and jumping through the air, amazing!
Review by: Leslie W C, May 2017
Great tour and amazing sites. The boat was large and comfortable. Lots of snacks available to purchase. The only problem was that the guide was difficult to hear/understand over the PA. We didn and #39;t have great success the day we were there. We saw three pods of common dolphins, no larger whales.
Review by: richo.deb, May 2017
We booked this trip online. It was very well organised and ran to time. The boat we went on was quite big with more than enough deck space which promised good views wherever we stood. Unfortunately we saw no whales, just sea birds. The sea was quite rough which made potential sightings difficult. Despite seeing no whales there was good commentary and the captain said we could do the trip again free of charge anytime in the future, even if we didn't return for ten years or more. I only gave four stars because we saw no whales but we will definitely try again if we return to Iceland.
Review by: VANESSA K, April 2017
Saw a couple of whales and dolphins.
Review by: Andersontuma, April 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: marshanpurnell, April 2017
This was another great excursions perfect for doing if you arrive at 7 am get to your hotel and drop your bags at 9am and I was picked up at noon on the dot!!!!! We saw a humpback whale and several dolphins - the day was sunny and breezy though as i just did this excursion 3/31 - my only complaint was that we were not offered the coveralls - maybe because it was sunny and unseasonably warm at 42 degrees lol but once you got on the water with the wind and all it did not feel like 42 ha ha. I opted to not have them take me back to my hotel but to stay and walk the old and new marina areas then have dinner right there on the harbor at a place I already had a reservation at at 6pm.
Review by: Elaine A, March 2017
I'm giving this 4 stars because it really was an excellent trip very well-organised. Not 5 stars because we didn't see any whales at all but not from lack of trying. It was late December that and we experienced the full spectrum of weather - dense fog, heavy snow and sunshine. The views were spectacular when the fog cleared - although we didn't leave from Reykjavik harbour because of the weather so it was a little different from usual. Staff all very friendly - and heavy duty waterproof suits provided.
Review by: Tom, March 2017
At first we spotted pods of dolphins which were amazing and it seemed like we were heading back although we was going to another location where we then saw whales jumping of the water! We were really lucky to see this happen and are very thankful to the tour guides for making it happen!
Review by: richard c, March 2017
We didn't see any whales, but we did see lots of dolphins. The weather was sunny and the ocean was calm. It was a very relaxing, enjoyable day, would totally recommend this tour!
Review by: Pablo R, February 2017
Great!
Review by: Andrew M, February 2017
Lovely views of the mountains and Reykjavik, but unfortunately we saw no whales at all. The guide however was very knowledgeable and also said that we are entitled to a free trip as we did not see any whales, which I shall be using next time I return to Iceland.
Review by: Rosalia S, February 2017
My girlfriend and I had a great time!! The guide was great. Very energetic. She was just as excited to see the whales as we were!
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