Description

The original whale watching tour in Reykjavík is available all year round and especially the summer season is a great time to go whale watching with the entire family from Reykjavík. The population of whales, dolphins and birdlife flourish in the long days and bright nights of the Icelandic summer. The minke whales are lively and in large numbers, along with the quick and quirky white-beaked dolphins, the cute harbour porpoises and the massive humpback whales.

With more than 23 years of guiding and operating whale watching tours in the Faxaflói bay you can be sure that we love and respect everything about whales and the wildlife in our native bay. Our whale watching tours are operated with the wellbeing of the whales in mind and we are active participants in the protection and research of whales.

The boats have outdoor viewing platforms as well as an indoor saloon with a small onboard café with light refreshments and bathrooms. We can also provide you with blankets and overalls on board to keep you warm out on the North Atlantic waters. The guides and staff on board are happy to answer any questions and a guide will comment and explain everything happening during the tour over our speaker system on board.

All our whale watching tours start from our ticket office on the Ægisgarður pier in the Old Harbour of Reykjavik. Your whale watching guide will meet you in our Whale Watching Centre, which is located on board an old fishing vessel permanently placed at the pier

Before or after the tour you can enjoy the onboard multimedia show that includes images, videos and facts about the whales and marine life in Icelandic waters.

Are you interested in a more thrilling and personal experience? Check out our "Premium" RIB boat tour that will take you closer and faster to the wildlife in Faxaflói!

Itinerary

Check-in

Meet us at our ticket office by the Old Harbour in Reykjavík at least 15 min. before scheduled departure. We are located in a double A-frame house by the pier; simply follow the red colour at the harbour to find us.

Once you have arrived at our office, we ask that you be ready to show your digital voucher to our team, so they can promptly issue your boarding card(s) and show you where to meet the crew.

Boarding

Make your way down to Fífill, a one of a kind floating Wildlife Exhibition located in a converted fishing vessel. Have a stroll through the hull to get familiar with the whales and other animals we may come across on the tour, or go directly through to the whale watching boat once you have presented your boarding card to the crew.

Whale Watching

Once you have boarded the whale watching boat, it is time to find a place to hang out. Feel free to find a seat in the heated saloon or head outside for a great view! You can purchase light refreshments at the on board bar or borrow warm overalls in the cloak room, should you need it.

When the safety speech is finished, we start making our way into the bay and look for wildlife. The most common species we encounter on our tours are humpback whales, minke whales, white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises - in addition to some other species, these can be seen all year round!

Disembarking

The total duration of the tour is about 3 hrs. from boarding to disembarking, while the duration spent with the wildlife can vary. We hope you have a pleasant time on the tour and leave with a smile on your faces, as well as ever lasting memories. Feel free to email us at elding@elding.is for feedback or photos, which our team will happily provide if they were able to take any on the tour!

Now that you're back on land, we recommend taking a stroll through the Old Harbour area, it is a small and quaint section with shops, restaurants and cafés.

Meeting points

Elding ticket office, Ægisgarður 5c, Reykjavík, 101

What's included

2,5-3 hr. whale watching tour
Use of warm overalls and blankets
Excellent live guidance in English
Complimentary WiFi on board
Access to our Wildlife Exhibition
Heated indoor saloon
Large viewing windows
Wildlife guarantee (or try again for free)
Pictures taken by crew (if any)

What's excluded

Tip / Gratuity
Hotel transfer
Refreshments

What do I need to bring

Sturdy footwear
Warm clothing (hat, gloves, scarf etc.)

Important information

This is the original whale watching tour from Reykjavík and one of the most popular attractions in Iceland! Join us for a chance to encounter the incredible whales and dolphins of Faxaflói bay.

As the weather in Iceland can be quite unpredictable, we advise you that this tour is weather dependent. In case of unfavourable conditions in the bay, the itinerary may be altered (often resulting in a slightly longer tour) or the tour could get cancelled altogether. You will be notified of any changes as soon as possible, but we suggest that you have a look at our online whale diary to check for updates on your departure.

Since this is a wildlife tour we can never predict or guarantee sightings of any kind. Additionally, abide by a Code of Conduct for responsible whale watching and thus each encounter is on the animal's terms. This means that we may manoeuvre the boat in a certain way or keep our distance to minimise potential disturbance. In the event that we don't encounter any whales or dolphins, we do not offer refunds, but instead give our passengers a complimentary ticket to use another day.

Click here for more information about whale watching from Reykjavík and get to know the cetacean you can expect to see on the tour.

Cancellation policy

Cancellation fee of 100% if cancelled 1 day or less before departure

Guided Language

English

Reykjavík: Classic Whale Watching