Reykjavik · WHALE WATCHING

15 Whale Watching Trips in Reykjavik Worth Booking

26 tours  ·  from $34

Good whale watching trips fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.

Reykjavík: Whale Watching and Marine Life Cruise - The ride into Faxaflói Bay
Cruises & Boat Tours, Reykjavik Whale Watching Tours, Tour Reviews, Whale Watching

Reykjavík: Whale Watching and Marine Life Cruise

1.Whale Watching and Marine Life Cruise

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

Sail from Reykjavík’s Old Harbour into Faxaflói Bay for a three-hour search for minke and humpback whales, dolphins, porpoises, and seals. Guides such as Maria, Lucky, and Gunther explain the wildlife and point out sightings. You get indoor warmth, outdoor viewing, WiFi, a café, and hotel pickup options.

“This was one of the best experiences I’ve ever done on holiday. Getting to see two humpback whales in their natural habitat was absolutely phenomenal. The boat was comfortable with many vantage points, and it had a fully stocked bar with loads of snacks and a variety of drinks to choose from. The staff were friendly and informative.”

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Reykjavík: Whale Watching Cruise on the Amelia Rose Yacht - Three decks for spotting whales and dolphins
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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, a smooth offshore yacht with three viewing decks, warm blankets, WiFi, and an indoor bar. Guides such as Lucky and Roman help you spot humpback and minke whales, dolphins, porpoises, and seabirds across Faxaflói Bay.

“The whole Team was great on the Amelia Rose Yacht. Definitely recommend.”

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The Original Classic Whale Watching from Reykjavik - The search for humpback 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’s Old Harbour into Faxaflói Bay for 2 to 3.5 hours with an expert live guide. Look for humpback and minke whales, dolphins, seals, porpoises, puffins, and seabirds. Warm overalls, blankets, WiFi, and a free return trip if no whales or dolphins appear are included.

“Absolutely loved the experience, wrap up warm! We saw Banana the humpback whale and an assortment of seabirds including puffins. After observing banana for a while we went in search of other sightings but couldn’t locate any so returned to watch banana for a little while longer. Crew were very mindful of the code of conduct so not to watch for too long or there to be too many boats surrounding him (her?). Loved the boat, crew all helpful and welcoming - well stocked bar!”

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Reykjavik: Whale Watching Tour with Expert Guide - A Guide Who Keeps You Looking in the Right Place
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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

Cruise Faxafloi Bay from Reykjavik 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. Choose the roomy Classic boat or a faster Express trip in summer.

“What a magical experience…saw humpback whales on our first trip. Absolutely surreal experience. The whole crew were amazing, one being a marine biologist, who made sure we were in the perfect position for spotting them. Wouldn’t hesitate to book again, if we ever return to Iceland x”

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Reykjavik: the Original 3-Hour Whale Watching Tour - What you may see in Faxaflói 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. A marine biologist guide points out 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 year-round choice.

“Incredible experience. We saw a pod of over 50 whales - even the skipper was surprised. What a fantastic lucky trip x”

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Whale Watching Tour with Professional Guide from Reykjavik - Faxaflói Bay and the search for whales
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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 Reykjavík’s Old Harbour into Faxaflói Bay with a professional English-speaking guide. Look for humpback and minke whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and summer puffins. Patrick and Joe are among the guides praised for lively commentary, while warm overalls and free return trips soften the risk of no sightings.

“Life changing experience. Watching the whales was an amazing experience, but even if we hadn’t seen them which can happen as nature is unpredictable, the staff made the experience very pleasant. Would definitely recommend this experience.”

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From Reykjavik: Whale Watching Tour - Kollafjörður gives the trip a calm beginning
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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 into Kollafjörður and Faxaflói Bay on a 3.5-hour whale-watching cruise. Guides such as Patrick and Lukas add sharp local insight, while warm flotation overalls, indoor cabins, WiFi, and a free return trip if sightings fail make this a practical choice.

“tour guide very informative and skipper navigated the boat to best locations to increase chance of seeing whales & dolphins”

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Reykjavik: Whale Watching and Dolphin Watching Yacht Cruise - Choosing between MY Harpa and MY Amelia Rose
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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

Sail Faxafloi Bay from Reykjavik’s Old Harbor aboard MY Harpa or MY Amelia Rose. Guides such as Lucky and Rebecca point out humpback and minke whales, dolphins, seals, porpoises, seabirds, and summer puffins. Expect three hours on the water, warm blankets, WiFi, indoor seating, and a return ticket if no wildlife appears.

“Great time! We saw humpbacks, minke whales, dolphins, and puffins.”

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Whale Watching Cruise on a Yacht in Reykjavik - Sailing past Harpa and Reykjavik’s coast
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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

Set out from Reykjavik’s Old Harbour for a three-hour cruise through Faxaflói Bay. Your English-speaking guide helps you spot minke and humpback whales, dolphins, porpoises, and perhaps orcas. The yacht has outdoor viewing areas, warm indoor seating, toilets, and a bar. If no whales appear, you can take a return cruise free.

“Long wait, 2.5hrs, 2 bays visited, Autumn/Winter is likely not a great season. We managed to only see a whale tale once, for 2 seconds (85€ sounds a bit expensive)”

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Whale-Watching Boat Tour with Expert Guide from Reykjavik - The Guides Make the Difference
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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

Meet at Reykjavik’s Old Harbor for a high-speed 2.5-hour trip or a slower 3.5-hour cruise into Faxaflói Bay. Your guide explains the wildlife while you watch for humpback and minke whales, dolphins, porpoises, and seabirds. Thermal coveralls, indoor seating, Wi-Fi, and a try-again ticket are included.

“This whale-watching tour was amazing! The guides were friendly and knowledgeable. We wore the provided overalls and stayed nice and warm. Saw puffins, a humpback whale, and minke whales. Thanks Special Tours!”

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Reykjavik: Whale Watching by RIB Speedboat - Searching among Reykjavík’s islands
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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 a small, fast RIB boat from Reykjavík’s Old Harbor for two hours among Faxaflói Bay’s islands. Guides such as Claudia, Julian, Julien, and Bianca have led trips featuring humpback and minke whales, dolphins, porpoises, and puffins. Warm suits, gloves, goggles, and a free return trip if wildlife stays away are included.

“Amazing experience once in a lifetime. The guys that run the speed boat were great friendly and knowledgeable. Would highly recommend”

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Reykjavik: Whales of Iceland Museum Entrance Ticket - Why the full-size models matter
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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, then use interactive displays and a multilingual audio guide to learn how they live. Films in the Fin Whale Theatre include Whale Wisdom, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, and Sonic Sea, narrated by Rachel McAdams.

“Interesting experience. Interactive stations. Good for knowledge on whales and cetaceans.”

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Whale Watching & Dolphin Yacht Cruise - What the guides add to the trip
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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 in Faxafloi Bay. Your guide, sometimes including Lucky, helps you spot whales, dolphins, and summer puffins. Expect open viewing decks, indoor seating, blankets, a bar, Wi-Fi, and a return trip if wildlife is not seen.

“We had such a great experience as a family (2 adults, 2 children). We have been wanting to see whales for a long time and finally got to tick them off the bucket list. So pleased we got to see a few groups of Humpback whales - amazing! I would definitely recommend this trip to others, the crew were great at tracking them and communicating with all on board. We didn't use the warm areas or bars onboard, but it was good to know that facilities were available if we needed to use them. We were too engrossed with taking the experience in on the top deck! 🐋❤️”

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Reykjavik: Whales and Puffins Express Cruise Combo Tour - Puffins on Old Skúli near Reykjavík
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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

Cruise from Reykjavík’s Old Harbor on two separate wildlife trips. The shallow-draft Old Skúli gets close to puffin islands, while the spacious Andrea searches Faxaflói Bay for minke and humpback whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Guides such as Patrick and Rebecca add facts, humor, and help spotting wildlife.

“The Whale Watching was incredible! Our guide did a great job of pointing out all the dolphins and telling us all about the animals we were seeing. They also did a great job of finding a big group of Humpback Whales and finding ways for us to observe them safely and respectfully which was great. We also loved doing our Puffin Tour and would recommend brining binoculars for anyone planning on doing this part as the puffins were much smaller than we thought.”

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Reykjavik: Whale Watching Tour by RIB Boat - Crossing Faxaflói Bay at 32 knots
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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 tour from Reykjavik’s harbor for two hours among the feeding grounds of Faxaflói Bay. Expect fast cruising, spring-mounted seats, warm flotation gear, an English-speaking guide, summer puffin sightings near Akurey, and entry to the Whales of Iceland Museum.

“It was perfect for us! The weather was great and we saw different kind of whales. Our guide Rebekka was great, she gave as good informations and was super happy to see the puffins like we! Thank you!”

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New in Whale Watching

★ 4.8Whale Watching in Reykjavik by SpeedboatFrom $20077 reviews
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★ 4.6Whale and Puffin Watching RIB Boat TourFrom $191179 reviews
★ 4.4Whale Watching Tour, Whales of Iceland ExhibitionFrom $123187 reviews

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