Whale Watching Tickets and Tours

Boats sail from Reykjavik in every month of the year, but the odds and the comfort are not the same in every month. The operators put the peak season at April to October, when the bay is busiest with feeding whales and the sea is calmer. July and August give you the longest days and the warmest deck, which matters more than you think three hours into a cruise.

Winter sailings still run and still find whales, and they have one advantage the summer cannot match: you can pair an afternoon on the water with an evening northern lights tour on the same day.

Sightings are wild animals, not a timetable. Treat the table as odds, not a promise. If you want the honest verdict on whether to book at all, read Is whale watching in Iceland worth it?

Iceland has two whale-watching bases and it pays to know which one you are booking. Husavik in the north, on Skjalfandi Bay, has the older reputation as the country's whale capital, but it is a serious drive from the capital and only makes sense if you are already touring the north or flying to Akureyri.

Reykjavik is where almost every visitor actually goes whale watching, and it is where all five tours on this page sail from. Boats leave the Old Harbour, a ten-minute walk from the city centre, and head into Faxafloi Bay, where the currents create some of the best feeding conditions in the country. Check-in is at the harbour: the marine life cruise checks in at the Old Harbour House on Aegisgardur, and the Elding tour checks in at the red ticket office on the same harbour.

The practical upshot: you do not need a car, you do not need to move hotels, and you can be back in town for dinner. That is why whale watching is one of the easiest additions to a Reykjavik trip.

The big cruise boats are the sensible choice with children or in cold weather: they have heated indoor cabins, toilets, a cafe and outdoor decks, and the marine life cruise runs between 2.5 and 3.5 hours depending on how far out the whales are. The RIBs are wetter, faster and more thrilling, and they cost roughly 50% more.

No honest operator guarantees a sighting, and any site that claims otherwise is selling you something. What the Reykjavik operators do offer is a second chance, and the terms differ:

• Elding, which runs the Original 3-Hour Whale Watching Tour, lists a sighting guarantee on its GetYourGuide page: if you do not see whales, you can try again for free. It also states that whales are seen on more than 90% of its tours throughout the year.
• Sea Trips Reykjavik, which runs the Marine Life Cruise, is explicit that sightings cannot be predicted or guaranteed. If there are no sightings it does not refund, but it gives a free return ticket valid for up to three years, subject to availability.
• The RIB speedboat tour states that if you do not get lucky with wildlife sightings on the day, you receive a complimentary ticket to try again another day.

Always read the "know before you go" section on the option you actually book, because the policy belongs to the operator, not to us.

One more practical note: it is far colder on the water than on the quayside. Bring warm, weather-appropriate layers and comfortable shoes. The Elding tour includes the use of warm overalls, and both RIB tours include warm overalls, gloves and goggles. On the Marine Life Cruise you dress yourself.