Whale-Watching Boat Tour with Expert Guide from Reykjavik

Reykjavik, Iceland

High interest

Booked 2 times today.

3 hours (approx.)
Offered in: English

Overview

Cruise Faxaflói Bay in search of humpback and minke whales during this whale-watching tour from Reykjavik. A naturalist guide talks about the biology and behavior of these magnificent marine mammals while you look for signs of their presence—if you don't see any, take a return trip for free. Stay warm and dry in provided thermal coveralls as you keep your eye out for whales, white-beaked dolphins, and harbor porpoises.

Choose a tour length that suits your schedule
Maximize your chances of seeing porpoises, dolphins, and whales
Learn about some of Iceland’s most majestic native wildlife from an onboard guide
Share photos instantly with onboard Wi-Fi

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

Two tour durations and multiple departure times make it easy to fit this excursion into your schedule.

What's Included

Free ticket to try again if nothing is seen on your tour - sightings guarantee!
Use of thermal overalls - also available in children's sizes!
Free WiFi
Heated indoor seating areas
Complimentary sea sickness tablets, if needed

Gratuities
Food and drink (can be purchased on board)
Hotel transfers (can be added for an additional fee)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Geirsgata 11, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
Please make your way to the Special Tours Ticket Office, located at Geirsgata 11, 101 Reykjavik.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Following pickup at your Reykjavik hotel (if booked directly with the supplier), you'll be transferred to the city's Old Harbor. Choose between an express 2.5-hour, high-speed tour or a 3.5-hour cruise at the time of booking.

Step aboard your comfortable boat and pull on a pair of thermal coveralls to protect you from the Icelandic elements. Find a comfortable spot on the deck and settle in for the scenic ride out into Faxaflói Bay. If at any point you get chilly, make your way into the warm indoor viewing area, where hot chocolate, tea, coffee and snacks are available for purchase.

As the boat cruises through the surf, keep your eyes open for white-beaked dolphins, minke whales, humpback whales and harbor porpoises.This company has a 90 percent whale-spotting success rate, so have your camera at the ready. As the boat cruises through the surf, keep your eyes open for white-beaked dolphins, minke whales, humpback whales and harbor porpoises. Keep your camera ready to photograph these magnificent creatures. In the unlikely event that you don't see any wildlife, you'll receive a complimentary ticket for a second whale-watching excursion.

At the conclusion of your eco-adventure, return to shore and board your land vehicle for drop-off back at your hotel (if booked).

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
German guidance available on Classic tours from May 1st - September 30th.
Stroller accessible
Operates in a variety of weather conditions, please dress appropriately
If cancelled due to unsuitable sailing conditions, you will be give the option of an alternative date or a full refund.

Hotel pick up: Available to book directly with supplier (extra fees apply).
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
Wheelchair accessible for the 3 - 3.5 hours trip
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 180 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

KatelynSchmidtmann

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!

Reviews

4.1

based on 664 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Amazing Whale Watching

Paul_F, Feb 2026

A wonderful way to spend the afternoon watching these amazing and majestic creatures in their natural habitat. Lots of information shared about the area as well as the whales made it very interesting and enjoyable.

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed watching these majestic creatures in their natural habitat. It’s great to know that our guide’s insights about the area and the whales made the tour even more interesting. We hope to welcome you on board again in the future!

An amazing experience

Clare_G, Jan 2026

A lovely boat and great experience. Even though the weather was really foggy in late December got to see a humpback whale. The commentary was factual and great. A wonderful trip which I would certainly go on again

Response from Host, Jan 2026

We’re glad to hear that, despite the weather conditions and being in the peak of the coldest month in Iceland, you still got the chance to see the whales. We hope to welcome you on board again in the future!

Host was friendly;...

Ingrid_C, Jul 2025

Host was friendly; cordial; informative; knowledgeable; passionate. Went above beyond providing a small q/a session on the return ride back to the harbor.

Last minute decision to...

JoseC_R, Jun 2025

Last minute decision to do this tour. Got to see dolphins & a couple of whales. The guide was a little hard to understand (speaker system was not good)

Once in a lifetime experience

Caitriona_M, Nov 2024

We were very lucky to have loads of sightings of humpback whales on a beautiful sunny and clear day in November The tour guide was really informative and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Wow, that was a great day for Whale Watching indeed! Thanks for the review!

Nice trip in the bay

Jennifer_L, Jun 2024

Very well organized trip. Very knowledgeable guide. Weather was not great and we still saw a couple of pods of dolphins and a lolling humpback.

Fantastic

Shirley_L, Apr 2024

Seeing multiple whales at same time, guide was very informative and her enthusiasm catching would recommend this trip

Response from Host, May 2024

Thanks for taking the time to review and for the recommendation!

Amazing experience would recommend

Sarah_W, Nov 2023

The guide was amazing and very knowledgeable, we had some fantastic sightings of the humpback whale. The only thing I would say is that quite a few times when we spotted the whale they would turn the boat so the front would have the view, we couldn’t all stand at the front so the rest of us were running side to side trying to see, if possible maybe allow other areas of the boat to get the prime view

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Hello Sarah, Thank you for your nice words and helpful comment. We will do our best to improv :)

Worth the cold!

Georgia_G, Nov 2023

Seeing humpback whales in the wild was unbelievable! The guides knew exactly where to go and were very knowledgeable

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Iceland is known for it's challenging weather and mersmerizing nature. We are glad that you could have a full Icelandic Experience with us :)

No whales but great fun!

Bob_P, Nov 2023

Even though we spotted no whales, we still had a great time and the trip was great fun. Would thoroughly recommend.

No Whales. No refund or second trip offered.

Ian_M, Oct 2023

The most memorable parts was NOT seeing any whales which we know can happen however the response from the boat staff was simply, "bad luck". No refund, partially or otherwise nor any possibility of a return trip was offered.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Hi Ian, Thank you for the review. I am sad to hear that our guide didn't offer you a return trip. In case of no sightings we always offer a try again ticket. We apologies for this and we will make sure that this wont happen again.

Super trip

Maria_M, Oct 2023

An amazing trip with knowledgeable staff. We saw a variety of animals and took loads of photos. A smooth boat trip too.

Great experience!

Charlotte_L, Oct 2023

We had a great time on the boat trip, learnt some interesting facts, the crew were very helpful and even spotted dolphins and got a brief glimpse of a minke whale!

Great trip!

Mark_P, Sep 2023

Crew was excellent and did a great job during the trip. They supplied a jump suit to keep us very warm and dry!

Good tour

Louise_S, Sep 2023

Good tour. Saw Minke whales, dolphins and porpoise..guide was very good and a nice little cafe on board to warm up with a hot drink

Great!

Julia_D, Aug 2023

Excellent trip, fantastic enthusiastic guides made it even better. Lucky to see some minky whales and dolphins

A Wildlife Cornucopia

Robin_L, Aug 2023

We had an amazing experience on this tour. Although there are obviously no guarantees that you'll see wildlife, we were very fortunate to see Humpback whales, Minke whales and Harbour porpoises. It was really incredible! Amongst the birds were puffins as well. Would definitely do it again!

Awesome!

Tara_K, Jun 2023

We saw whales and dolphins and the tour guide was so nice and personable. Would go again; 10/10. Loved it!!!

Great whale cruise

Everett_B, Jun 2023

The ship is an old ferry boat, so it was large and comfortable, but also a bit slow. Be prepared for a 3 hour cruise, which is about 1 hour traveling out to the feeding grounds, 1 hour looking for/at whales, then 1 hour traveling back... that's what any whale watch is like. We saw 3 different kinds of whales on our cruise. It was the highlight of our trip!

Refund

David_B, May 2023

They canceled it three days in a row can I please get a refund? The weather was too bad to do tour please give a refund

Response from Host, May 2023

Hi David, If we cancel a tour due to bad weather you are of course entitled to a refund. You can send a refund request through Viator or contact us directly at info@specialtours.is if you need any further assistance. Thank you.

A whale of an experience!

Eleni_H, May 2023

The whole thing! We were fortunate to see 4-5 different whales being active. Our guide was very informative and chatted with us afterward and answered many of our whale questions.

Well worth it

Rachel_M, Mar 2023

Amazing, stunning, exillerating experience. Fantastic food. Great for families too. Expensive so make sure you have spare money off and family to babysit if you want to do some of the experiences

Spectacular.

Lorraine_F, Mar 2023

We saw a humpback before we even got on the boat. There was one rolling around in the harbour. After watching it for a while the boat headed out to sea which gave us a chance to enjoy waffles and hot chocolate, before returning to the harbour and enjoying it once more.

Whales

Scott_B, Feb 2023

When they said " conditions are rough " they weren't joking... we were given the chance to defer but declined.. we were ok but many folk were feeding the fish their breakfast ... but we did see 3 x humpback whales and a seal plus many species of birdlife

Great

Stephen_S, Dec 2022

Seeing a whale for first time tour guide new his shakes and was funny too the boat and crew were polite and helped out with sick passengers as it was a roug trip weather wise

Only one side of the boat...

Andrea_R, Oct 2022

Only one side of the boat could consistently see the animals because they kept turning the boat toward it rather than letting the animals pass on the sides.

Great experience!

KatelynSchmidtmann, Aug 2022

Great experience!!

Daniel_V, Aug 2022

What a fun experience. We saw a handful of minke whales surface, puffins flying around, and a hump back whale hung out and slapped its tail on the water. The staff was great and knowledgeable.

Great experience!

slapshak, Aug 2022

This trip was perfect! The staff and boat guide were friendly and informative. We went on an afternoon excursion on a sunny July day, however that did not stop us from utilizing the warm overalls they provide because it gets quite chilly on the open air deck. We sat indoors on the lower deck while trekking out to sea. You can hear the guide speaking though a speaker system even when indoors. We spotted a couple whales that were being very playful and showing off for us with flapping its tail in the air quite a bit. It was so exciting when a whale would jump out of the water (even if not fully out). Really an enjoyable outdoor experience that doesn't happen just anywhere. Also there were decent bathrooms on the boat and drinks and snacks for purchase if you chose.