Iceland · WHALE WATCHING IN REYKJAVIK

The 15 Best Whale Watching Tours in Reykjavik

58 tours  ·  from $34

15 whale watching tours in Reykjavik, each with its price, its running time and the weather it needs. Start at number one and work down.

Reykjavík: Whale Watching and Marine Life Cruise - Searching for whales with a trained guide
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Reykjavík: Whale Watching and Marine Life Cruise

1.Whale Watching and Marine Life Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 9,838 reviews · 3 hours · from $87Our pick

Spend about three hours on Faxaflói Bay from Reykjavík, watching for humpback and minke whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and seabirds. Guides such as Maria and Lucky explain animal behavior and point out sightings. The boat has indoor and outdoor seating, heated cabins, toilets, WiFi, and a café selling hot drinks and snacks.

“We did lots of activities in Iceland and this was by far the best! Maria was absolutely amazing in explaining all about the whales, aswell as seabirds/seals. It was a smooth sailing experience with a bar and indoor areas to ge warm. The boat wasn’t too full so everyone was able to see the whales and they came so close to us! It was amazing and I would recommend this trip to anyone and everyone!”

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Reykjavík: Whale Watching Cruise on the Amelia Rose Yacht - The search for minke and humpback whales
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Reykjavík: Whale Watching Cruise on the Amelia Rose Yacht

2.Whale Watching Cruise on the Amelia Rose Yacht

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,911 reviews · 3 hours · from $107

Sail from Reykjavík’s Old Harbor aboard the Amelia Rose for about three hours of whale watching in Faxaflói Bay. Guides such as Lucky and Roman point out minke and humpback whales, dolphins, porpoises, birds, and coastal sights. The yacht has three panoramic decks, a warm lounge, bar, WiFi, blankets, and optional hotel pickup.

“Our whale watching was a wonderful experience. We opted for the hotel pickup, and we were picked up by the captain! The Amelia Rose is a beautiful boat with indoor seating, a bar and gorgeous hand-carved wood throughout. A very nice place to sit, if you want to get out of the wind for a little. We were informed from the beginning that we may not see whales, but they would try their best. Well - their best was great. We were fortunate enough to see 2 humpback whale breach at the same time! Everyone on the boat was thrilled.”

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The Original Classic Whale Watching from Reykjavik - Searching the bay for humpbacks and minke whales
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The Original Classic Whale Watching from Reykjavik

3.The Original Classic Whale Watching from Reykjavik

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,626 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $105

Sail from Reykjavik into Faxaflói Bay for about three hours with Elding’s live guide, watching for humpback and minke whales, dolphins, seals, porpoises, and seabirds. The crew provides warm overalls, raincoats, blankets, WiFi, and a free return ticket if no whales or dolphins appear. Morning and afternoon departures are available.

“was great seeing the Whales, staff friendly. My only criticism is the whole trip was 2 hrs, so not much value for money when advertised as 3hrs and other companies was still out as we started back.”

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Reykjavik: Whale Watching Tour with Expert Guide - The Crew Works Hard, But Nature Makes the Rules
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Reykjavik: Whale Watching Tour with Expert Guide

4.Whale Watching Tour with Expert Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 2,307 reviews · from $90

Join Special Tours from Reykjavík’s Old Harbour for a 2 to 3 hour cruise aboard Andrea, Iceland’s largest whale watching ship. Your English-speaking guide helps you spot minke and humpback whales, dolphins, porpoises, and the occasional orca. Enjoy heated seating, warm overalls, WiFi, a café, and a free return trip if no wildlife appears.

“Booking with get your guide was easy and all information provided. The guide was brilliant with information and where to look as she sat at the front. We were so lucky on our tour that we managed to see over 40 whales. The guide said this was unusual to see this many, and sounded just as excited as us. It made it easier for viewing as not everyone had to be one side of the boat trying to capture a glimpse as the whales were all around us. Ypu can buy some snacks and drinks onboard and wasn't expensive. Was an amazing experience and both me and my teenager daugter…”

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Reykjavik: the Original 3-Hour Whale Watching Tour - What you might see in the bay
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Reykjavik: the Original 3-Hour Whale Watching Tour

5.the Original 3-Hour Whale Watching Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 908 reviews · 3 hours · from $108

Cruise from Reykjavik’s Old Harbour into Faxaflói bay with Elding Adventure at Sea. Marine guides such as Emily, Sam, Pedro, Mila, and Lasse have led lively trips featuring humpbacks, minkes, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and seabirds. Warm overalls, onboard WiFi, hot drinks, and a free return trip if no whales are seen make this a practical choice.

“It was a great experience! We were very lucky because we saw not just the dolphins and minke whales but the humpback whale as well, the entire time we were at sea! Very lucky indeed and the kids enjoyed it.”

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Whale Watching Tour with Professional Guide from Reykjavik - Mount Esja, Harpa, and the open-water views
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Whale Watching Tour with Professional Guide from Reykjavik

6.Whale Watching Tour with Professional Guide from Reykjavik

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 744 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $97

Sail from Reykjavik’s Old Harbour into Faxaflói Bay for about three and a half hours with a professional English-speaking guide. Watch for humpback and minke whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and summer puffins. Patrick and Joe have earned special praise for lively commentary. Warm overalls, indoor cabins, WiFi, and a free return trip if no whales appear are included.

“What started as a bleak, rainy, windy day turned into a wonderful experience. There are complementary waterproof outfits you can use for this type of weather. I wasn't expecting to see anything but we persevered and the sun came out then so did the minky whale and humpback whales. Our guide was informative and kept us updated throughout. She also took pictures on her long lens camera which she uploaded onto the website for us as, try as we might, photos on mobile phones are a bit hit and miss.”

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From Reykjavik: Whale Watching Tour - Kollafjörður, birds, and the first views
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From Reykjavik: Whale Watching Tour

7.Whale Watching Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 711 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $103

Sail from Reykjavik’s Old Harbour to Kollafjörður and Faxaflói Bay for a 3.5-hour search for humpback and minke whales, dolphins, seals, and seabirds. English-speaking guides, warm flotation overalls, indoor cabins, WiFi, seasickness tablets, and a free return trip if no wildlife is spotted are included.

“We got really lucky with everything. Beautiful weather, sighting of one or two humpback whales and some seals!! It was pretty sick seeing the other ships out on the sea and trying to catch a glimpse of the whales. Lovely experience with super nice guides. Very informative and kind.”

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Reykjavik: Whale Watching and Dolphin Watching Yacht Cruise - The first stretch across Faxafloi Bay
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Reykjavik: Whale Watching and Dolphin Watching Yacht Cruise

8.Whale Watching and Dolphin Watching Yacht Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 707 reviews · 3 hours · from $106

Set out from Reykjavik Old Harbor aboard MY Harpa or MY Amelia Rose for three hours in Faxafloi Bay. Guides such as Lucky and Rebecca point out humpback and minke whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, seabirds, and summer puffins. You get indoor seating, outside decks, blankets, WiFi, a bar, and a return ticket if no wildlife appears.

“Everything was perfect but the parking instructions. We saw many whales and dolphins as well as puffins. We got the big yatch but was not too overcrowded so we could spot everything with no issues :)”

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Whale Watching Cruise on a Yacht in Reykjavik - Searching Faxaflói Bay for whales
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Whale Watching Cruise on a Yacht in Reykjavik

9.Whale Watching Cruise on a Yacht in Reykjavik

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 684 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $102

Sail from Reykjavik’s Old Harbour through Faxaflói Bay aboard a whale-watching yacht for about three hours. An onboard guide explains whale behavior while the crew searches for minke and humpback whales, dolphins, porpoises, and sometimes orcas. You also see Harpa, Engey, Lundey, and Viðey from the water. A free return cruise is offered if no whales appear.

“There wasn’t a bad view on the boat as it wasn’t too packed in. We got to see three humpback whales multiple times and the tour guide was full of great information and stories about whales and Iceland. Even though we were out on a milder winter day, spending hours on the viewing decks will require you to dress quite warmly. Lots of layers! And don’t forget your gloves like I did. Even if you forget something, there is a little bar with alcohol and non alcoholic warm beverages if you need. The inner cabin spaces are also cozy and warm.”

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Whale-Watching Boat Tour with Expert Guide from Reykjavik - Choosing between 2.5 and 3.5 hours
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Whale-Watching Boat Tour with Expert Guide from Reykjavik

10.Whale-Watching Boat Tour with Expert Guide from Reykjavik

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 651 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $86

From Reykjavik’s Old Harbor, cruise Faxaflói Bay on a 2.5-hour express trip or a 3.5-hour classic tour. Your naturalist guide helps spot minke and humpback whales, dolphins, porpoises, puffins, and other sea life. Thermal coveralls, heated indoor seating, Wi-Fi, and a free return ticket if nothing appears make this a practical choice in Iceland’s changeable weather.

“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”

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Reykjavik: Whale Watching by RIB Speedboat - The RIB ride is exciting before the whales appear
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Reykjavik: Whale Watching by RIB Speedboat

11.Whale Watching by RIB Speedboat

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 621 reviews · 2 hours · from $200

Join Sea Trips Reykjavík at the Old Harbor for a two-hour RIB ride through Faxaflói Bay. With guides such as Julian, Klaudia, and Claudia, you search for humpbacks, minke whales, dolphins, porpoises, and puffins among Engey and Lundey. The small boat is fast and exciting, but expect wind, spray, and a bumpy ride.

“Very good Whale-Watching tour. Did see Dolphins, Puffins and various Humpback Whales up close. Would definitiely recommend. We were only 4/12 people on the tour but they still went out and didn't cancel. Cudos to that for sure!”

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Reykjavik: Whales of Iceland Museum Entrance Ticket - A useful route through the exhibition hall
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Reykjavik: Whales of Iceland Museum Entrance Ticket

12.Whales of Iceland Museum Entrance Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 493 reviews · 1 day · from $34Best value

Walk among life-size models of 23 whale species found in Icelandic waters, including the blue whale and sperm whale. Explore anatomy and conservation displays, listen to an audio guide in 17 languages, and watch films in the Fin Whale Theatre, including Whale Wisdom narrated by Sir David Attenborough and Sonic Sea narrated by Rachel McAdams.

“An interesting visit about the giants of the Ocean. The museum give informations about lot of whales thanks to the panels and audioguide available in many languages. I loved this experience !”

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Whale Watching & Dolphin Yacht Cruise - The search for whales, dolphins, and porpoises
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Whale Watching & Dolphin Yacht Cruise

13.Whale Watching & Dolphin Yacht Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 488 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $108

Sail from Reykjavik’s Old Harbor aboard Harpa or Amelia Rose for about three hours on Faxafloi Bay. An English-speaking guide, open observation decks, indoor seating, blankets, Wi-Fi, a bar, and free seasickness tablets make the trip comfortable. Watch for humpback and minke whales, dolphins, porpoises, and summer puffins.

“Excellent observation decks at multiple levels. The indoor decks and bar were appreciated for warming up”

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Reykjavik: Whales and Puffins Express Cruise Combo Tour - Getting close to puffins on Old Skúli
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Reykjavik: Whales and Puffins Express Cruise Combo Tour

14.Whales and Puffins Express Cruise Combo Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 442 reviews · from $148

You’ll take two separate cruises from Reykjavík’s Old Harbor: a close-range puffin trip on the shallow-draft Old Skúli, then a whale search aboard the spacious Andrea or a faster boat. Guides such as Patrick and Rebecca add humor and solid wildlife facts. Choose classic or express whale watching, and leave time for weather and sea conditions.

“The combination offered by Special Tours was a really good choice, especially choosing the faster tour for the whale watching. Less time travelling to the area, same amount of time to spot the whales, perfect! Going to watch puffins afterwards was great. Good explanations on both tours, a downloadable app with more info, binoculars to borrow for free to spot the puffins, everything was great! Also, despite the many tourists they have every day, they remembered me and gave me a discount for booking a second tour with them to go sea angling, lovely.Read more”

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Reykjavik: Whale Watching Tour by RIB Boat - Searching the whale feeding grounds
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Reykjavik: Whale Watching Tour by RIB Boat

15.Whale Watching Tour by RIB Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 393 reviews · 2 hours · from $194

Join a small-group RIB boat tour from Reykjavik’s harbor and search Faxaflói Bay for minke and humpback whales, dolphins, porpoises, and summer puffins. You get suspension seats, warm flotation suits, gloves, goggles, an English-speaking guide, and entry to the Whales of Iceland Museum. The ride is fast, open-air, and sometimes bumpy.

“Honestly such a cool experience! We’ve whale watched a few times, but always by bigger boats. Highly recommend giving the RIB a try, it’s honestly so cool to be that close to whales and puffins! We even saw some dolphins on our trip. Highly recommend!”

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New in Whale Watching in Reykjavik

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