The Original Classic Whale Watching from Reykjavik
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Reykjavik, Iceland
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Get the chance to see marine mammals in the wild on this whale-watching cruise from Reykjavik—whales and dolphins are seen on more than 90% of tours in both summer and winter. With a local guide, cruise the coastal curve of Iceland to marvel at whales in their natural habitat. Keep your eyes peeled for the local wildlife as you listen to your guide's fun facts about the majestic creatures.
- Perfect for fans of nature and marine biology in Reykjavik
- Learn more about the marine world from your guide than you would alone
- No spottings? No problem—you get a free ticket to come again
- Choose between morning and afternoon departures to best suit your schedule
What's Included
- Excellent live guide
- Overalls, raincoats and blankets
- Admission to Wildlife Exhibition
- Free WiFi on board
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Elding Whale WatchingÆgisgarður 5c, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
Meet us in the ELDING ticket office located at Ægisgarður 5c by the Old Harbour district in Reykjavík. Once at the pier, simply follow the red colour to find us! Be sure to arrive at least 15 min. before departure to ensure enough time to check in and to board the boat.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Passengers with limited mobility are warmly welcome. However, please note that our boats are not fully accessible, as steep stairs and high thresholds may limit access to inside areas and toilet facilities.
- Wheelchair users are welcome to bring a light-weight chair on board our larger boats. If possible, please notify us of your arrival in advance, as assistance with boarding may be required.
- If conditions in Reykjavík are unfavourable, the tour may either be cancelled or depart from an alternative harbour, which could extend the duration by 1-2 hours.
- No whales or dolphins spotted on your tour? Join us again another day for FREE!
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 196 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
NATASHA_D
We had an amazing time on our whale watching tour in Iceland! From start to finish, the crew were friendly, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about marine life. The boat was comfortable and well-equipped, and even though the North Atlantic air was chilly, the staff provided warm overalls to keep everyone cosy.
During the trip we saw several minke whales and even a couple of playful humpbacks! The guides gave fascinating commentary throughout the trip, sharing facts about the different species and Iceland’s marine ecosystem. They were also very respectful of the animals, keeping a safe distance and ensuring we didn’t disturb them.
The scenery alone was worth the trip -stunning views of the coastline, mountains, and the crisp Icelandic sea air. I’d recommend this tour to anyone visiting Iceland. Whether you’re a wildlife lover or just looking for a unique adventure, this experience was truly magical!
Reviews
4.6
based on 2,722 reviews
Julia_S, May 2026
Weather unpredictable, initially ok but became very rough. Saw a few small whales but no hump backs.
I know no one can predict weather but possibly cancel trip if bad weather predicted
Paul_M, Apr 2026
A welcoming crew on board, good quality overalls supplied, if needed, and we did. Choppy seas and a strong wind made for poor visibility in the sea so it was hard to see some of the Whales which were being identified. Great to see a couple of Minky whales. Make sure you take seasick pills before you go. Enjoyable trip as long as you realise you may not see the Whales jumping from the sea.
Nicholas_A, Apr 2026
Very knowledgeable and professional. Felt like they genuinely wanted to provide a good experience for everyone
Nancy_C, Apr 2026
Very thoughtfully organized.
Knowledgeable staff
That’s all I care to write. Why do you require more?
Sandra_T, Apr 2026
This was the perfect tour for our family. We had only a few days in Iceland and we wanted to see as much of the country as possible in our limited time. The waterfalls were beautiful and walking behind the falls breathtaking. The glacier hike was really well done. The tour guides were patient when showing us how to use crampons and just when I felt tired from hiking uphill, we stopped for photo ops and to learn more about glaciers. Our bus driver/tour guide was also great. He was very knowledgeable and entertaining. We had a great overview of southern Iceland after also taking a whale watching tour and golden circle tour. I highly recommend all three.
Ian_H, Apr 2026
Very cold, very wet. They provide water resistant overalls but still recommend putting on your most waterproof gear.
Pot luck whether you see anything. We saw a hump back whale’s tail diving which was good but it was a long 3 hours
Andrew_Y, Apr 2026
A highly organized and friendly whale watching tour crew. Multiple sightings of minke and humpback whales during our tour. Also many ocean birds, which were unexpected treats. Boat has snack bar and clean bathrooms. Crew offered complimentary motion sickness tabs and were extra helpful to those suffering from motion sickness. Ticket pickup experience was seamless. Highly recommend this tour.
Guy_G, Apr 2026
An excellent day , friendly staff who know everything about Whales
Good amount of refreshments and snacks served on board the boat
David_G, Apr 2026
Nice tour, saw some whales from pretty close up. The guide told some interesting facts during the trip!
Ryan_B, Apr 2026
What an amazing day! This was the last trip in Iceland for my wife and I and what a perfect way to finish our vacation. I think luck was on our side that day as we, according to our operator, saw 13 different whales (10 humpback, 3 Minke). As a bonus, we also saw a few porpoise and a lone puffin. Fantastic guides with a keen eye. They even provided their own photos via email, which were vastly superior to the ones I took. But just the ride outside the harbor was relaxing in itself. Such a great last excursion to remember our time in Iceland.
Jane_T, Apr 2026
No whales but a few harbor dolphins that my family caught sight of but not me. They gave us tkts to go again but that didn't help us. Very informative and lovely scenery. Rough water that day.
Jennifer_S, Apr 2026
Firstly, I want to say that my review is not at all based on the fact that we didn't see any wildlife. Of course that is a huge bummer but that can't be controlled. Secondly, my understanding is that this is one of the best companies for whale watching in Reykjavik. My review is based on our experience on this tour and the safety issues I felt were not considered and the fact that the conditions were so poor, the likeliness of seeing any animals was very low.
This was one of the worst experiences of my very long life. We were scheduled for a whale watching trip the day before this trip and it was rightfully cancelled due to weather. We rescheduled for the next day, hoping for a turn in the weather, but feeling very confident that this company would cancel if the weather wasn't right. We woke up the morning of the trip to snow blowing sideways from intense wind and a temperature between 1 - 7 Celsius. Certainly the trip would be cancelled. Early in the morning we received confirmation that the sailing was on for the afternoon. I was completely shocked. I had a bad feeling. The company had cancelled so many trips, why were they going out this afternoon when this weather looked just like the weather from the day before if not worse? I put my trust in the company and because the trip was scheduled, there would be no refund if we didn't feel comfortable going out. I like to believe that the company has their customers best interest at heart but this was a bad call to go out in these conditions in my humble opinion. We bundled up and got on the ship. It was packed as there had been so many cancellations. Standing room only, not enough space for everyone to sit. We started out to sea and again, the wind was blowing so hard that the continued snow/ice/rain mixture was soaking everyone. There was very little visibility. People that were in the inside areas were vomiting. It stunk in there. We saw barf bags being passed around. Supposedly the company offers complimentary sea sickness tablets and guidance on where to sit for comfort but none of that was communicated to us and if it was said over the speaker, no one could hear it. People trying to find a space to sit would go up to the top of the ship and have to come back down immediately because of the cold and snow and they would come down an incredibly icy pair of metal stairs where we watched multiple people slip. The stairs should have been blocked off for safety. The woman next to me was shaking and trembling from the cold. It was 2 1/2 hours of complete freezing and wet misery. Maybe seeing some wildlife would have lessened the blow a bit. But even the whales were smart enough not to go out in this weather. To make matters worse and again a considerable safety issue, whomever was talking over the loud speaker was not a clear speaker and was a quiet talker. Those of us on the outside of the ship couldn't hear or understand a word she was saying. If there was a safety issue being communicated, we would never have heard it. The staff on the ship had to know very few people on the outside could hear the announcements. We were standing right by the front controls of the ship and I communicated that we couldn't hear and no one really cared.
Because we didn't see any wildlife we were given a ticket for a re-do anytime in the next year (I believe that was the length). That was nice but was unusable for us as we left the next day.
Low visibility, freezing cold and sideways snow and wind don't seem to make for an enjoyable time on a boat. I do want to be clear that these are my personal opinions. I am not experienced in maritime safety and perhaps the issues that I thought were safety issues are not. But as an observer, they sure looked dangerous to me. I think with this company, I wouldn't book until the day of due to their refund policy (understandable) and the willingness to go out in less then ideal conditions. Booking the day of will give you the ability to determine if you are comfortable, going out in the weather conditions of the day.
Alana_O, Apr 2026
The team is fantastic (informative, fun, safe …) we had a great experience and were fortunate to have perfect conditions and to see lots of whales.
John_F, Apr 2026
We enjoyed this tour unfortunately we didn’t see any whales but we enjoyed the boat ride it was a good experience
Sue_S, Apr 2026
This was okay. We saw one minke whale in the harbor on n our return. The views of Iceland from the sea were spectacular!
Luke_A, Apr 2026
The tour was confirmed super last minute only at 7am the day we were supposed to start the tour at 9am and had to arrive 15 minutes earlier to collect the tickets. It was so probably because they were not sure that it would be a good experience for their customers but still decided to go ahead. In the end, the tour had only 2-3 sightings of blows and nothing more. One of the most terrible experience and would avoid booking it.
Alma_G, Mar 2026
Well organised, great team. Ticket pick up and boarding goes fast. Boat has everything, snacks, drinks, coffee, extra rain suits, blankets,.... small shop on the way in and out, several decks, overall a great experience and well worth the price
Tracey_R, Mar 2026
We had a great time! It is the beginning of whale watching season! We only saw 1 whale, but that's better than we expected! It was a crowded boat and I had a hard time actually seeing the whale, but we loved the boat and the customer service was great!
Natalie_S, Mar 2026
Got to see humpback whales. The water was very rough and many people got sea sick, but the experience itself was good
Brian_R, Mar 2026
The ship was nice, had a bar indoors and the bathrooms were decent. Glorious weather for March, but no whales this time. Scenery was phenomenal, though. Elding did offer a voucher that was good for up to two years to try again. Many people took them up on that, but we were all whaled out. Just remember to dress really warmly and cover your face because the wind is pretty harsh.
Nikki_M, Mar 2026
Good knowledge from the hosts and worth the trip. We took the sickness tablets which helped as it was quite choppy some times. Would recommend but wrap up warm
Julie_R, Mar 2026
This was one of the best experiences i have done. It was very cold as it was snowing but we got to see the minky whales. Fab and very enjoyable. They were well equipt for the amount of travellers on board too.
Camilla_W, Mar 2026
Excellent experience, definitely worth doing. Service was great on the boat with toilets, drinks, guides. Beautiful scenery, relaxing journey and we were lucky enough to see banana the humpback Whale.
E_R, Mar 2026
We loved this experience and had a great time. Our tour guide was excellent, he was informative and ensured we were safe the whole time. Be sure to wear shoes that support your ankle. I wore Blundstones and they were not compatible with the crampons provided. Myself and two others in our group had to rent hiking boots from the tour group. The views were incredible and learning about the glacier, volcanic ash, and climate was great!
chloe_c, Feb 2026
Definitely recommend this tour. There is loads of room on the boat for indoor and outdoor seating. The boat was massive so although other tours had cancelled on the day we went on the boat you couldn’t feel the waves. The boat was well staffed with a marine biologist providing fun and engaging commentary about the wildlife, they even took pictures and emailed them to us after the trip. We saw the whale banana and he came up to the surface so many times it was magical! 100% recommend this tour.
Janine_C, Feb 2026
Fantastic experience, booking and ticket collection was really easy, we booked the night before. The staff were friendly and commentary enjoyable. We had snacks and hot drinks from the bar (half price refills). We were so lucky to see 2 humpback whales together, the boat stayed with them for some time. Amazing bucket list trip!
Heather_H, Feb 2026
Wrap up warm. Fantastic experience amazing to see the 2 whales banana and split loving life also saw some white nosed dolphins.
Rachael_S, Feb 2026
Great boat and saw some whales! Only gave a 4 as couldn't sit down, seemed a bit overcrowded. Good overall.
Elaine_S, Feb 2026
Very well organised. Wear very warm clothing as suggested.
Enjoyed seeing the dolphins and a lot of time was spent following the whales which was great, with the boat manoeuvring to enable everyone the chance to see.
Pleased this experience went ahead after it was cancelled on our last visit 15 months ago!
Katy_J, Feb 2026
This trip was amazing. I would highly reccommend timing your trip with the sunrise, and if possible booking when you know it's going to be a clear day. We were very lucky to see the 2 humpback whales near the harbour breaching repeatedly. The crew were great, and the guide was very knowledgable talking about the wahles migratory patterns and behaviours. The boat is great, lot's of room to escape out of the wind, and little bar on board to get hot drinks and snacks.
From $105.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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