12 Boat Tours in North Iceland That Are Worth the Daylight

1.Árskógssandur: Whale-Watching Boat Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 695 reviews · 2.5 hours · from $96Our pick

Meet at Hotel Kaldi in Árskógssandur for a 2.5-hour whale-watching cruise with North Sailing. You will ride a traditional oak boat through sheltered Eyjafjörður, with warm overalls, English commentary, hot chocolate, and a cinnamon bun. Humpback whales, dolphins, porpoises, and seabirds may appear.

“Wonderful whale watching. You always question if you’d see anything on one of these tours and whether it was the same whales or different ones, we saw about 12 sitings. Excellent!”

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2.Big Whales & Puffins RIB boat tour from Húsavík

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 501 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $203Top rated

Set out from Húsavík on a two-hour RIB ride across Skjálfandi Bay. Your captain covers ground quickly while an expert guide, such as Austin, Alessandra, or Danny, explains the whales and seabirds. The boat carries no more than 12 people, with warm suits and life jackets provided. Puffins are seasonal, usually from mid-April to August 20.

“Overall fun experience even though we took the 9am tour which was the first tour of the day hoping to see Whales, but only saw a few fins, not that exciting. Very cold, wet and rough waters getting out there so expect to get wet! They provide great gear for all. Austin our guide was great, very informative. I will say the negative was that it was also suppose to be whales & puffins, but the puffins aspect of the tour was never addressed, so not sure if what happened with that (?) overall no regrets.”

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3.Whale-Watching Cruise and Puffins Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 444 reviews · 3 hours · from $135

From Húsavík, cruise Skjálfandi Bay for roughly 3 to 3.5 hours aboard a traditional oak boat. An English-speaking guide explains whales and seabirds while you look for humpbacks, minke whales, dolphins, and puffins near Puffin Island. Warm overalls, hot chocolate, and a cinnamon bun help take the edge off the cold.

“The whale watching and puffin island trip was one of the highlights of our Iceland trip. The weather was favorable and we saw plenty of puffins at the puffin island. We were also fortunate to see a number of humpback whales and porpoises. But the biggest highlight of the trip has to be the blue whale spotting. It was such an once in a lifetime experience for us. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and shared a lot of interesting information with us. The hot chocolate at the end of the trip was just the cherry on top. Had the most amazing experience. Would recommend to everyone visiting Husavik.”

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4.Whale Watching on a Carbon Neutral Oak Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 208 reviews · 3 hours · from $132

Join North Sailing for a three-hour whale-watching cruise from Húsavík on a traditional oak boat with hybrid propulsion powered by renewable energy. A live English-speaking guide helps you scan Skjálfandi Bay for whales, dolphins, and seabirds. Warm overalls, hot chocolate, and a cinnamon bun are included, but bring sturdy shoes, gloves, and a hat.

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5.Akureyri Express Whale Watching by RIB boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 168 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $180

Meet Elding Whale Watching at Akureyri’s central pier for a two-hour RIB trip into Eyjafjordur. Your captain and guide, including guides such as Jacob, David, Agnes, or Linsey, look for humpback and minke whales, dolphins, and porpoises. The boat carries only 12 people and includes overalls, goggles, gloves, and a whale guarantee.

“Absolutely brilliant trip David our guide was very knowledgable and we got to see plenty of whales would highly recommend”

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6.Lake Mývatn and Godafoss Cruise Ship Day-Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 121 reviews · from $176

This five-hour small-group trip takes you from Akureyri port along Eyjafjörður to Goðafoss, Dimmuborgir, Námaskarð, and Lake Mývatn. You can bathe at Mývatn Nature Baths or visit Grjótagjá instead. Local guides such as Biggi, Armann, Bikir, and Oli lead the tour in English, with ship timing and port pickup carefully coordinated.

“We had a wonderful trip with Armann, the owner of Imagine Iceland. He was so knowledgeable about geology, history and folklore. He was able to keep a diverse group of child, grandchildren and old people entertained and educated. We were comfortable in his well maintained van. There were lots of flies at some of the sites, but he was thoughtful and would only stop to talk in places where the wind was blowing to keep the flies away. This was one of the highlights of our trip to Iceland. I would vigorously recommend Imagine Iceland for a great insight into this island country.Read more”

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7.Whale Watching on a Traditional Oak Sailing Ship from Husavik

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 68 reviews · from $106

Join a three-hour North Sailing cruise from Húsavík aboard the wooden schooners Haukur, Opal, or Hildur. Guides share whale and nature facts as you search Skjálfandi Bay for humpbacks, minke whales, dolphins, and puffins. Cold-weather suits, hot chocolate, cinnamon buns, and the chance to help with the ropes are included.

“The crew was very kind, helpful and professional. Unfortunately we were not very lucky. Whales were shy that day. Thank for the experience”

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8.Cruise Tour Godafoss and Myvatn Lake and Baths Small Group

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 56 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $216

From Akureyri’s cruise terminal, a small group of up to 19 follows Goðafoss to Lake Mývatn, Dimmuborgir, Grjótagjá, Hverir, and the Mývatn Nature Baths. Expect a comfortable minibus, an English-speaking guide such as Johanna or Leo, WiFi, photo stops, and a cruise ship return guarantee. Bath entry costs extra.

“Our guide was exceptional, the places we visited were breath taking. Definitely recommend! The small bus allowed us to beat the crowds.”

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9.Cruise Tour Godafoss Turf Houses and Forest Baths Small Group

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 54 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $181

Travel from Akureyri’s cruise port to Godafoss, the Laufás turf houses, and Forest Lagoon in a small group of up to 19. Guides such as Baldur add local stories, photo stops, and Icelandic horse sightings. The lagoon entry costs ISK 6,900 extra, and you’ll need swimwear and a towel.

“A perfect day! Our tour guide was exceptional. One of the best we have ever had! Fox Adventure is a great small business! The waterfall is beautiful. You can walk to the left and right of it and also walk to the base. We had a little over an hour to explore and found that to be the right amount of time. The Turf House and Church were so unique and well preserved. The docent was very informative and helpful. The setting is stunning! We stayed there about an hour also. They have a little shop with many handmade items. The staff makes many of them! The Forest Lagoon was…”

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10.Cruise Tour Godafoss and Myvatn Lake and Dettifoss Small Group

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · 7 to 9 hours (approx.) · from $279

Spend 7 to 9 hours exploring north Iceland from Akureyri with Fox Adventure. You will visit Goðafoss, Mývatn’s pseudo craters, Dimmuborgir, Grjótagjá, Hverir, Dettifoss, and the Mývatn Nature Baths. Guides such as Matti, Tina, Lena, and Johana are known for useful local explanations, photo help, and occasional extra stops.

“Fantastic day tour! Our guide took us to more stops than on the original list, including the area explaining the building of the tunnel and how they control the heat and the water. The waterfalls were breathtaking. Hint, ensure you have really good walking shoes as the jagged rocks and steep steps that make up the walk to Dettifoss are challenging - the path is not easy - and the wind whips around you. Overall, a really great experience and so many things to see!”

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11.RIB boat express: Whales, Eyjafjord and Akureyri

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 12 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $192

Join a specially trained captain and guide for a fast, two-hour RIB trip from Akureyri into Eyjafjord. With only 12 people aboard, you get close views, live commentary, and warm overalls, gloves, goggles, and life-vests. Humpback, minke, and North Atlantic bottlenose whales may appear.

“This was amazing! A huge bucket list item for us. We saw a few humpback whales and North Atlantic bottlenose whales. We watched a whale sleep, and had them wave at us. Our guides were excellent. Very informative and educational.”

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12.Boat Tours from Siglufjörður

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $102

Set out from Siglufjörður on the wooden boat Örkin for a 2.5-hour guided cruise with local stories, sea views, and possible cod fishing. Guides such as Meg and Captain Gunni share the area’s past as you pass Selvíkurviti lighthouse, Siglunes, Strákagöng, Héðinsfjörður, and Hvanndalabjarg. Food and drinks are not included.

“We live in Iceland and love boat trips, so we were really looking forward to this! The weather was lovely and seeing Siglunes and Siglufjörður from an ocean perspective on a wooden boat was amazing. Guides are an important part of any travel experience, and Meg is a really great one, warm, welcoming and knowledgeable. While the one teenager in the family loved hearing about the history of Siglufjörður, the other enjoyed the fishing part in particular and now wants to go back and do more sea angling for cod. I was hoping we would be able to go around the fjord and see Héðinsfjörður, but the sea can be…”

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