Whale Watching Cruise: Reykjavik Marine Life Adventure

Embark on an exciting whale-watching cruise from Reykjavik and encounter minke whales, humpbacks, and more. Choose from a Classic or Express cruise and capture Reykjavik’s native marine life in the wild.

Duration:
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights

Opt for either a relaxing 3.5-hour cruise or a swift 2.5-hour high-speed boat trip, and then head to Reykjavik’s Old Harbor to board your luxurious whale-watching vessel.
Find a cozy spot on deck and put on the provided coveralls to stay warm. Don’t forget to bring a hat, scarf, and gloves to ensure extra warmth. Listen as your guide shares information…

What's Included
  • Access to Free WiFi
  • Complimentary Sea Sickness Tablets
  • Thermal Overalls Available for Use
  • Heated Indoor Seating Areas
  • Downloadable Special Tours App (Multiple Languages)
  • Sightings Guarantee with Free Return Ticket
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drink (can be purchased on board)
  • Hotel transfers (can be added for an additional fee)
Additional Information

Embark on a whale-watching voyage from Reykjavik in search of minke whales, humpbacks, and more. Dress up in the coveralls provided, and keep an eye out for harbor porpoises, white-beaked dolphins, and whales while you navigate the tranquil waters of Faxaflói Bay. During your voyage, your knowledgeable guide will provide informative commentary about…

Location
Geirsgata 11
Geirsgata
Please make your way to the Special Tours Ticket Office, located at Geirsgata 11, 101 Reykjavik.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.1
(622 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
778magnus_
Sep 17, 2025
Valsafari with plus at the edge - The experience was amazing…. Got to see all the whales that were possible doing this season, the humpbacks were amazing to see. Had a very good guide, Rebecca, who guided us well. Can highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
J4502klmarian
Sep 16, 2025
Coolest experience ever! - The coolest experience we've ever had. We saw lots of whales and became much smarter with the most perfect speaker on the boat that showed an enthusiasm beyond the usual that just gave a mood that said spar five 😁 thank you for the coolest experience of life!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anita
Sep 12, 2025
Excellent Last Minute Excursion - We decided to do this trip at the last minute at had a fantastic time. Our guide, Joel, was extremely enthusiastic and made our whale watching adventure really worthwhile. We saw 3 different types of whale, to include humpbacks 🐋
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mathias1971
Sep 3, 2025
Super Tour - Great boat tour with nice crew and good boat. We booked the tour at 13:00 and had great weather and were able to observe 5 humpback whales and several minke whales
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Madominguez
Sep 3, 2025
Wonderful experience. Lots of whales nearby. All magnificent. - We made the whale watching excursion on Monday, August 4, on the Andrea boat from Reykjavik port, taking the tickets directly to its port office an hour before departure (departure at 1pm). The experience could not be more positive in every way and has far exceeded our expectations. First the "Guide", the Bercian of Ponferrada Carolina, from the same place curiously as Marga, my wife (how small the world is, "Bercian for the world"), deserves an 11 out of 10. Although the public address explanations (we were a pack of people) were only in English, according to what we had been informed, Carolina had the detail – knowing that there were several Spanish – to repeat in Spanish some of the parts of the explanation. The broad and very grounded and enjoyable explanations. On the way out we had doubts if we would see whales... well, yes, we saw and a lot of them, at pleasure. We recreated ourselves and even one of them, a humpback whale (Megaptera Novaeangliae), that can weigh 40 tons, had the "detail" of making a big jump, with great luck on my part to be able to capture the whole sequence with the burst camera. I put up some of the nearly 2,000 pictures I took. Each fin of this "animal" can measure up to 5 meters. In short, an indispensable in Reykjavik. We chose the excursion in view of the weather, since despite being the beginning of August, all week we have been there has not stopped raining a single day. That day he painted well and we took advantage of it in the morning. Tips: warming up well, in the sea it is cold nose, really and second advice, when you get on the boat, no attempt to take place to sit (it is in the center) or inside, directly to the bow, at the top and hold onto the railing in Titanic plan, is the best place. As the whales appear, the "seated square" ones will rise and come all, like vultures, to the bow. Don't shine and keep clinging to the railing without being overwhelmed by anyone. An absolute enjoyment, it is overwhelming to see the whales next door and if also, one of them jumps out of the water, is the bicycle relay. Inolvidable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
684markh684
Aug 30, 2025
Once in a lifetime whale watching trip! A must! - This whale watching trip with Special Tours was honestly one of the BEST experiences I’ve ever had on a holiday—I absolutely loved it! 🐋💙 We were very lucky with the weather: calm seas and sunshine all day (not always the case in Iceland!), which made the boat ride smooth and enjoyable. Even better, the bay was full of life—we saw several different whale and dolphin species, and our first humpback appeared within the hour. Even our guide, Alice, was surprised by how much activity there was that day. Alice was fantastic throughout—super knowledgeable, sharing great facts and always pointing out where to look. She also took lots of professional photos, which you can download later for free from the company’s website—so no stress if you don’t capture every moment yourself. The whole experience felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was incredible value, great service, and honestly quite emotional seeing my first whales up close. Absolutely unforgettable, and I can’t recommend it enough!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
554georgiosv
Aug 28, 2025
Amazing experience - It was a great experience; we got to see lots of minke whales, humpback whales and even some dolphins. The weather was perfect, so this may had helped. The tour guide was on spot and added a lot to the experience. Before leaving, they also shared the link with the photos the crew took from the whales we got to watch together. It was amazing, thank you guys!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
747pieterv
Aug 28, 2025
3 whales diving - I saw 3 whales divining and coming up with mouth open, time after time. The wether was fine. The guide was very enthousiant.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Traveler12828334296
Aug 29, 2025
Enjoyable tour to view whales - The ship was in decent working condition. The captain was able to locate whales for us to view and to maneuver so that we had repeated chances to view them once we were close. The guide explained what we were looking for and where to find it. We also appreciate her sharing photos taken with much higher quality equipment than we were able to bring with us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
X6758svcarlosc
Aug 27, 2025
Nice boat trip (mid-afternoon) to watch whales in Reykjavik - The whales begged to show themselves, but eventually appeared to the delight of all the passengers. There is a "guide" that offers explanations in English
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $106
up to 9 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).