The Original Classic Whale Watching from Reykjavik
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Reykjavik, Iceland
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
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
Supplied by
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 2,700 reviews
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.
Louis_G, Feb 2026
Great way to see Reykjavík from the harbor and experience the wildlife of Iceland up close. Great viewing from inside the boat or outside. We saw several humpback whales and different species of birds. Don’t worry about taking photos and just enjoy the experience as they provide photos by email of all the sightings from your actual tour
Andrea_S, Feb 2026
We saw a lot of humpback whales and tolerated the winter wind well. We struggled to hear the tour guide over the speakers in most parts of the boat. I recommend improving the audio equipment. Other than that, the excursion was awesome!
Nadia_S, Feb 2026
We went for a whale watching tour today and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was on our bucket list to see the whales in their wild habitat and we did! Thank you so much for such an amazing day out!
Rebecca_C, Feb 2026
Great tour, great guide. The cafe area was good respite from the cold and the tour wasn't too crowded. We managed to see a pair of Humpbacks in Feb. Well worth it
Natalie_F, Feb 2026
The boat was comfortable, the spotter was telling people where to look. We were lucky in that we spotted two humpback whales very quickly into the trip. We stayed for a while, went elsewhere in the harbour and came back again.
It is very cold on the boat with the added wind, the boat did have some overalls for people incase they were struggling.
An enjoyable morning.
Kayley_W, Feb 2026
Fantastic! Spent a good amount of time out at sea. 2 humpback spotted quickly and we managed to see them for a long time! Great experience!
Carol_K, Feb 2026
It was great. Friendly and knowledgeable crew. A bit chilly so wrap up warm. And yes, we did see the whales and some seals too
Cody_P, Feb 2026
We had a fantastic time on this tour. We saw humpback whales and seals, and the whales even treated us with almost an hour of breaching, which was totally incredible.
The staff was super friendly, and very knowledgeable. We had an absolute blast.
steve_j, Feb 2026
We had around three hours in the bay and located a pair of humpback whales early on. The tour guide was a marine biologist and gave us excellent commentary. It was also good that the boat respected the whales and did not spend the whole trip following them around
Rachel_K, Feb 2026
100% would recommend. Wrap up warm but well worth it . Guide was helpful and knowledgeable. Cafe on board with hot drinks.
It is a must to do in Reykjavik.
Donna_B, Feb 2026
We really enjoyed our day whale watching, staff were amazing and knew lots of information we managed to see 2 whales and lots of seals would highly recommend this tour
Donna_N, Feb 2026
The boat left on time, and we were fortunate to see two humpback whales, 3 seals and a dolphin! Fabulous experience. The only problem was often the nose of the ship was pointing at the whales, meaning that only those at the front could see.
Alicia_E, Feb 2026
Banana was awesome
Saw seals that was a great addition.
Would love it to be longer with seeing the whales
From $105.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
The Original Classic Whale Watching from Reykjavik
2,699
3 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$105.00
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Explore Similar Things to Do
- Sporting Events
- Shore Excursions
- Extreme Sports
- Nature and Wildlife Tours
- Full-day Tours
- 4WD Tours
- Walking Tours
- Historical Tours
- Tickets & Passes
- Day Trips
- Outdoor Activities
- Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises
- On the Ground
- Private Sightseeing Tours
- Cultural Tours
- Reykjavik
- Sporting Events - Heimaey Island
- Extreme Sports - Heimaey Island
- 4WD Tours - Heimaey Island
- Historical Tours - Heimaey Island
- Sporting Events - Vik
- Shore Excursions - Vik
- Extreme Sports - Vik
- Nature and Wildlife Tours - Vik
- Full-day Tours - Vik
- 4WD Tours - Vik
- Walking Tours - Vik
- Historical Tours - Vik
Attractions in Reykjavik, Iceland
- Hveragerdi Tours & Tickets
- Thor's Woods (Thórsmörk) Tours & Tickets
- Glymur Tours & Tickets
- Vatnajokull National Park Tours & Tickets
- Akurey Island (Puffin Island) Tours & Tickets
- Thrihnukagigur Volcano Tours & Tickets
- Snaefellsjokull National Park Tours & Tickets
- Eyjafjallajökull Volcano Tours & Tickets
- Hofdi House Tours & Tickets
- Reykjavík Art Museum Hafnarhús Tours & Tickets
- Seljalandsfoss Tours & Tickets
- Hallgrímskirkja Tours & Tickets
- Thingvellir National Park Tours & Tickets
- National Gallery of Iceland Tours & Tickets