A fantastic experience on a rib. The power and agility of the boat expertly driven enabled us to respond to sightings quickly. [...] A once in a lifetime opportunity, dramatic steely grey seascape with the stunning backdrop of landfall. AMAZING!
Visited in October
This is the way to go. Totally extreme, but totally safe. I got some of the best photos of my trip on this excursion. Loved it.
Visited in August
Had a nice long trip around the bay, our captain was incredible at his job and our guide was the same both very knowledgeable and easy to talk to and ask questions. We saw dolphins, whale and loads of puffin. Really was a fantastic experience
Visited in August
best boat tour for whale watching (you can see the big boat passengers and they are not having as much fun as you!) the speed boat is the coolest (especially if you sit in the front), the staff is very friendly and know a lot, the warm clothes they provide are very good. Would recommend completely!
Visited in July
We had so much fun! We did the super fast zodiac in September, and saw whales, dolphins, and puffins. The boat was surprisingly comfortable, and went really quick. Great views of the buildings around the harbour near the end, including a great view of Harpa. Guides were knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Would definitely recommend.
Visited in October
The boat is quicker so for your time you have longer on the water because it takes less time to get back. We were one of many boats in the harbour last Sunday. I remember thinking that if I was on one of the bigger boats I would be looking at the Whale Safari boat and thinking - man, I wish I was on that
Visited in September
Wonderful to go out in the small boat, a very fun ride. The porpoises actually swam around the boat. Saw whales as well (2 kinds). Excellent guide, was able to spot the whales and knew where to stop. Saw a lot of puffins as well. Worth the money.
Visited in August
Great day spent on the ocean, saw many whales. Had a blast speeding along in a RIB. Also got a great view of the city as we came back into port. Highly recommend.
Visited in August
This trip was one of our highlights when we visited Iceland. Suitably kitted out in warm clothing we headed out to see. We had dolphins escorting us at the front of the rib and puffins flying so close we could hear their wings flapping. We saw minke whales and humpback whaies close up. Have done a similar trip from a boat before but being on the rib was even better. You are able to get much closer and can quickly get to where you need to be. It was also an adrenalin rush doing the fast ride back and around the bay.
Visited in August
In Iceland you have two choices for Whale Watching, either you go on the larger boats (cheaper) or you go on the small rib boats (a lot more expensive). This company operates both. I went on the smaller rib tour and I was SO happy with this decision;
Firstly the tour is only 2 hours instead of the 3 or 4 hours on the larger boats.
Secondly, you get a thrilling high speed ride through the ocean surrounded by amazing scenery before reaching the whale hotspots. This for me was worth the money alone, it was amazing, so much fun and a real thrill.
Thirdly when we were in the right places to spot whales etc, being on the smaller rib boat means you are dramatically closer to the animals, which means a more amazing experience, and also more amazing photos. While the large boats seemed to stay still and turn on the spot we were zipping in between them, going off to other areas and following pods of dolphins, looking for birdlife that might indicate a whale and then trying to follow the whales progress.
It was brilliant from start to finish, the staff were great, really knowledgeable and fun, they kit you out properly to keep you warm and dry. I would 100% recommend this tour with this company especially above the big whale boats, It's worth the extra cash.
Visited September
This was an incredible afternoon out on the sea. Initially we were in two minds whether to try the more expensive tour in the RIB boat as it is double the price of the normal whale tour. In hindsight I am so glad we did pay the extra money and took the RIB boat.
It's a fantastic opportunity to get closer to the whales and other marine wildlife. On our trip we saw porpoises, Minke whales and had a very, very active display from a pod of dolphins....we were literally within a foot of them.
Our guide for the trip was Tommy, he was great. Great sense of humour, knew what he was talking about and encouraged people to ask questions. Hopefully you'll be lucky enough to have him as a guide.
I appreciate not everyone has the budgets available to do the more expensive tours however if you do get the chance and you're debating whether it's worth it.....IT IS!
Visited in September
We booked the Whale, Puffin and Reykjavik tour at the tourist information shop. A whale watching trip was at the top of my list of things I had to do while visiting Reykjavik and this did not disappoint. Clearly you have to take your chances as to whether you will see any whales or not, but we were so lucky. We saw 2 humpback whales together, a synchronised dive no less, numerous minke sightings, and two dolphins - it was amazing and all the better on the RIB boat - you felt much closer to the action than I would imagine on one of the bigger boats. On the way back into Reykjavik it was one of the most thrilling boat trips I have ever been on, really exciting, the weather had turned slightly and the waves were something else & we were very glad to have our suits and goggles on - although still ended up a bit soggy! Then to top it all off, we stopped at the puffin island, we had seen a few puffins while on our way to see the whales, but I have never seen anything like this - they were everywhere, and we had a perfect view from the boat. Can't recommend this trip enough.
Visited in July
Whichever trip you take to search for marine life, there is no guarantee you will see these sometimes allusive creatures so travelling on a RIB is by far the best and most assured way of finding them. Once a whale has been spotted, you are able to get up close and thanks to the size and layout of these crafts, everyone on board can view and photograph them.
We are "older" travellers who fancied some adventure and this trip definitely supplied it - from the exciting ride on the RIB to spotting pods of dolphins, Minke whales and entertaining puffins.
The team at Whale safari are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and if anyone is going to find you a whale to watch, these people will. Our guide, Tommy is a born entertainer let alone excellent guide, and his amusing commentary helped make the experience even more enjoyable.
The team supplies (at no extra cost) hats, gloves, goggles, suits and life jackets so you don't need to worry about wearing inappropriate kit.
Whatever your age, you will not find a better whale-watching experience than this one. If it can make two grumpy old people grin like Cheshire cats then it must be good...we're still grinning at the memory of it. Highly recommended.
Visited July
What a rush out on the boat! After packing on the gear (suit, hat, goggles, gloves, life jacket), our two small groups got on the boat. I was able to sit in the front seat, and we ripped through the ocean water to make our way near wildlife. I suggest moving your body up and down like you're riding a wave runner on a lake instead of holding on tight as you go fast across the water. We had mild waves, so it wasnt too bad, but I was holding on like I was on a wave runner/jet ski. I was disappointed that we did not see any whales while out on the water, we did see some dolphins though. There were also lots of puffins. When our time was up, we made a very small loop along the coast of town and got close to the Harpa. Overall, it was worth the extra money to go whale watching on the small boat instead of the bigger boats just wished we seen whales! Staff was also very friendly, however I could not hear them from the front of the boat when we were out in the middle of the water.
Visited in June