Whale Watching and Northern Lights Half-Day Combo Tour
Badge of Excellence
Reykjavik, Iceland
- 6 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Many northern lights tours turn west to Iceland’s interior—but this one sails out of Reykjavik Harbor for a combination whale and northern lights spotting sea journey. It’s a great way to (hopefully) see two of Iceland’s most beautiful offerings, and you’ll travel on a boat with viewing platforms, an indoor bar, and free Wi-Fi. Viewings of whales or the lights cannot be guaranteed, but trips can be rebooked without an extra charge.
- Combine whale watching with northern lights spotting
- Don’t worry about not finding the northern lights: you can reschedule your trip if you need to
- Your boat has heated cabins and you’ll receive warm overalls and sea sickness tablets if you would like
- Spot whales and other marine animals including harbor porpoises and white-beaked dolphins
What's Included
- Experienced and professional guides
- Free ticket to join again in case of no sightings
- Warm flotation overalls
- Free WiFi on board
- Heated indoor cabins and toilets on board
- Complimentary seasickness tablets available
- Snacks and beverages sold on board
- Pickup is available for extra charge
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Geirsgata 11, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
Meet us at Geirsgata 11, Special Tours ticket office, for your upcoming tour. Please arrive 30 minutes early at the meeting point.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Geirsgata 11
Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- NOTE: You should schedule to be at our departure point at least 30 minutes before scheduled departure.
- Please, check our DAILY DIARY before you come for the tour, all the important daily information of all our tours will be notified on our website.
- If you have a boat tour booked, please check your email before the tour as all important daily information will be notified via email.
- We recommend wearing good footwear and warm clothing. Don´t forget to bring your camera to take amazing photos!
- Kindly notify us if you require wheelchair access, as not all of our boats are equipped for accessibility.
- Please note that in case of cancellation of the whale watching tour, the price of the entire ticket will not be refunded, only the whale watching part. The ticket to the museum is open, meaning you can freely choose when you want to go. This does not have to happen on the same day that your whale watching tour is scheduled.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 198 travelers
Supplied by
Frequently Asked Question (1)
Q:What time does the Northern Lights portion of the Half-Day Whale Watching and Northern Lights Tour begin?
A:The Northern Lights portion of the tour starts between 9pm - 10pm and lasts approximately 2-3 hours.
Aug 2023
The answers provided are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
simone_s
The Tour was lovely and we saw a humphback whale and some seals. Our guide was really friendly and had alot of knowledge :)
Reviews
4.3
based on 44 reviews
simone_s, Jan 2026
The Tour was lovely and we saw a humphback whale and some seals. Our guide was really friendly and had alot of knowledge :)
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Hello,
Thank you for sharing your experience. We’re so pleased you had a great time on the water and were able to spot wildlife along the way. It’s also wonderful to hear that the guiding made the trip even more enjoyable.
We truly appreciate your feedback.
Best regards,
Reykjavik Sailors Team
Mr_G, Jan 2025
Amazing experience watching the whales. The weather was fairly rough but this added to the enjoyment.
The lights were cancelled, in the evening, but easily rearranged within our visit. This was another great experience with a great crew.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Hello,
Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience! We're thrilled to hear that watching the whales was so enjoyable, even with the added thrill of the rough weather. It’s great to know that the evening lights experience was smoothly rearranged and still turned out to be a highlight of your visit. Our crew takes pride in ensuring every part of your trip is memorable, and your kind words mean a lot to us. We hope to welcome you back for more adventures in the future!
Best regards
Reykjavik Sailors Team
Andrew_H, Dec 2024
A great trip and very well organised the people were very nice and gave a great commentary about the whole trip. Excellent. We were very lucky to see a whale breach of which the person told us had not happened since summer.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Hello,
Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the trip and found everything well organized. It’s wonderful that you were able to witness the rare whale breach—it must have been an incredible moment! We're glad the commentary helped enhance your experience.
We appreciate your feedback and hope to see you again on another adventure soon!
Best regards
Reykjavik Sailors
Susan_L, Mar 2024
Was lucky enough to visit Iceland March 2024 with 4 other family members. We had a great time on this tour and were right next to a humpback whale! When we came back for part 2 of the tour we were also able to see the Northern Lights! Definitely a Bucket List worthy trip, would love to go back and see the country side when it's a lush green.
Philip_R, Feb 2024
Sadly weather prevented the northern lights part of the tour but the whale watching tour was amazing! Crew was super knowledgeable and very friendly. I would definitely recommend this cruise to anyone.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Hello,
Thank you for being a valued patron and for sharing your experience with us. Your loyalty means a lot to us. We're delighted that you had a memorable time at our tour. We can't wait to welcome you back for another fantastic visit.
Best regards
Reykjavik Sailors team
Vernisha_F, Feb 2024
I enjoyed the whale watching session, the boat was a little packed on deck so was sometimes difficult to find a space for clear viewing if the whales. The American tour guide was entertaining .
It’s a pity we didn’t get to see the northern lights they didn’t want to appear
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Hello
Thank you for your rating. We are truly happy that you enjoyed your experience with The Reykjavik Sailors.
Best regards
Reykjavik Sailors team
Daphene_N, Dec 2023
We only learnt that the tour was full until we arrived the pier ready to be on board. There was no phone call from the service provider but just an email. What is worse is that my booking showed “completed” on Viator platform and I am not sure how to request a refund. Why could customers book a tour if it was full?
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Hello,
We sincerely apologize that your booking was processed through the system, even though we were fully booked. Regrettably, such occurrences can happen in the digital realm where human control is not always guaranteed.
Best regards
Reykjavik Sailors team
Mae_H, Nov 2023
We had a great time and would definitely recommend the combo whale-watching and northern lights tour. For the whale watching, we were pretty lucky and were able to see whales close to the harbor in the calmer waters. They did have some complimentary motion sickness tablets for those who were still feeling sick. Our guide was super knowledgeable about the whales and some took good pictures. They also had some complimentary warm overalls in various sizes that you could wear if you got too cold outside; there were plenty available for both the whale watching and lights.
For Northern Lights we were able to see some throughout the night. It was never very bright, but I certainly can't hold that against the tour. It was very nice to be able to step into the warmth and grab a drink or snack when the lights weren't too active. The guide always announced when there was activity so you knew to come out. Our guide was knowledgeable about the lights and stars and would often point out constellations and different variations of the northern lights. We would definitely recommend this over a bus tour to see the lights.
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Hello,
Thank you for being a valued patron and for sharing your experience with us. Your loyalty means a lot to us. We're delighted that you had a memorable time at our tour. We can't wait to welcome you back for another fantastic visit.
Best regards
Reykjavik Sailors team
Jan_W, Apr 2023
We saw whales and Northern Lights. Nothing is guaranteed and we were so very lucky to experience both amazing spectacles.
Response from Host, Apr 2023
Hello
Thank you so much for your review. We love getting our guest feedback. Glad to hear that you enjoyed your tours with us.
Best regards
Reykjavik Sailors team
Beverly_N, Feb 2023
Saw whales but kept turning boat which interrupted sighting. Ok but not great use of boat. Tried to share st wrong times.
Response from Host, Feb 2023
Hello
Thank you for your rating. We are truly happy that you enjoyed your experience with The Reykjavik Sailors.
Best regards
Reykjavik Sailors team
peter_o, Feb 2023
The trip as a whole was great but it did not state anywhere on the booking confirmation or ticket that it was in fact two totally separate trips with about 3 or 4 hours in-between the trips. This would have been good to know so as to arrange a dinner before the evening cruise. But the cruise in the evening did not go ahead anyways due to poor weather conditions.
Response from Host, Feb 2023
Hello
Thank you for your rating. We are truly happy that you enjoyed your experience with The Reykjavik Sailors.
Best regards
Reykjavik Sailors team
Grainne_C, Jan 2023
Saw a humpback whale. Northern lights not as expected. We saw them but you don't see all the colours just a very light green hue.
Response from Host, Jan 2023
Hello,
Thank you so much for your great review, such a pleasure to hear that you enjoyed your time with us.
Best regards
Reykjavik Sailors team
Jonathan_B, Sep 2022
Incredible trip with great tour guides…especially Jonathan on the lights portion. He was incredibly helpful with cameras, information, and very knowledgeable. Highly recommend tour.
Response from Host, Sep 2022
Hello
Thank you so much for your review, we are truly delighted to hear that you enjoyed your tour with us, and we hope to see you again sometime in the future.
Best regards
Reykjavik Sailors team
Jacqueline_S, Apr 2018
Great tour, our guide was very informative about which whales we were seeing and was able to take us to where the action was. There was a good presentation at the end. Unfortunately the northern lights tour was cancelled so can't comment on that part.
roser_g, Jan 2025
El staff del tour ha hecho la excursion muy amena, hemos tenido mucha suerte en poder ver ballenas durante un buen rato y culminamos la noche con el baile de las auroras boreales. Nos salio el dia redondo, gracias al tour a sido una experiencia muy bonita
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Hello,
We're thrilled to read your review and appreciate your kind words about our tour. We take pride in delivering quality experiences. Your feedback motivates us to continue improving.
We can't wait to have the pleasure of serving you again.
Best regards
Reykjavik Sailors team
Ramon_C, Feb 2023
Es una experiencia que no puede perderse, cuando se visita Islandia. El ver de cerca ballenas en su habitat es inolvidable y lo mismo con las auroras boreales.
Response from Host, Feb 2023
Hello
Thank you so much for your review, we are truly delighted to hear that you enjoyed your tour with us, and we hope to see you again sometime in the future.
Best regards
Reykjavik Sailors team
From $176.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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