Whale and Puffin Watching Tour
About this activity
Highlights
- Spot majestic humpback whales
- Observe playful minke whales
- See adorable puffin colonies
- Enjoy panoramic ocean views
- Learn from expert naturalist guides
Full description
Included / Excluded
- Guided boat tour from Reykjavik harbor
- Expert naturalist guide
- Warm overalls and blankets
- Food and beverages
Itinerary
Pass by: Book this tour for a chance to encounter whales in the wild and puffins in their natural habitat! This deal includes two separate tours; a 1 hour puffin watching tour on a smaller boat and a 3 hour whale watching tour on a larger boat.
Puffin Watching: We will take you out on one of our smaller passenger boats and sail up to one of three islands that are home to thousands of Puffins during breeding season. Borrow our binoculars or bring a zoom camera to get a good view!
Between the two tours, you will have a couple of hours free time. We suggest spending lunch at one of the many restaurants at the charming Old Harbour. Ask our staff for recommendations!
Whale Watching: Sailing out into the biggest bay in Iceland, Faxaflói, we will search for minke whales, humpback whales, porpoises and dolphins. Our tour has a sighting guarantee, which means that in the unlikely event that you don't see cetacean on our tour, you can try again another day free of charge!
Meeting point
Start Location
Elding Whale Watching, Ægisgarður 5c, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
Important information
Know before you book
- Tours operate from April to October; check availability
- Children under 6 years old may not be permitted on the tour
- Booking in advance is recommended due to limited availability
Know before you go
- Dress in layers to stay warm during the tour
- Bring a camera to capture the wildlife and scenery
- Be prepared for potential sea spray and wind
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Accessibility
- Stroller Accessible
- Service Animals Allowed
- Easy Public Transport
Good to know
- Children under 13 years are required by law to wear life-vests for the duration of the tour.
Traveler reviews
Fantastic experience.
These two back to back tours with time for lunch in the middle were fabulous. The guides were informative and friendly. The best bit, after seeing puffins, killer whales and a hump back whale was knowing that the guide was taking photographs which freed us to just sit back and enjoy the whole experience. We learned so much from the guides and enjoyed every minute.
Whales puffins and a bar ( on the whaler).
Like any whale spotting exhibition you tend to rate it based on successful sightings. We were lucky enough to have several. But apart from this the guide was informative and very good at spotting the whales. We did 2 separate tours -a one hour puffin tour flowed by a 90 min break then a 3 hour whale tour. Unless you’re mad keen on puffins I’d consider just taking the whale tour -it’s cheaper and you get to see some puffins. We enjoyed both segments though.
No Puffins - No Whales
This is 2 separate tours with a 2 hour break between. This was a surprise to me but worked out alright. The weather was rough and no puffins or whales were seen. The tour folks were great.
Company did find both for us to see and they really had to work at it.
We toured mid August and while we did see some puffins (not a lot of them tho), and they were at such a distance in the water or flying. The pictures the tour company provided were nice, because it was difficult to see them. Wasn't really impressed with the puffin tour. Maybe another date when more are actually there. We did see puffins at the top of the Reynisdrangar Sea Stacks on the Reynisfjara Beach and you could actually see them. I'm really glad we saw them there. As for the whale watching tour... again not really impressed, we did see a humpback and followed it around for a bit, but don't blink or you'd miss the nano second it was visible. With that said, I really feel it was late in the season to see either the puffins and/or whales. The company itself was great and they did work hard at finding both the puffins and following the whale for quite awhile. It was just that you really didn't get to see much. Staff was very friendly. Company and tour was organized. I do recommend the company, but hope for the right time of the season. Usually Aug would be fine, but it was not so good this year.
Great Two-In-One Whale and Puffin tour
We had wonderful time with Two-in-0ne: Whale and Puffin tour with Elding Whale Watching. The boat is clean, friendly staff and we saw puffins and a lot of whales. Had puffing tour in the morning, break for lunch for about 1.5 hour then 3 hr whale watching tour. We were not sure if we will see any but we saw a lot of whales. We had some rain but we watched from inside and did not get wet. We did not try to take pictures since we learned that the Elding staff will send pictures. We enjoyed the tour and had a great time. Highly recommend this. Thanks for the pictures.