The essentials
- The Original Big Whale Safari & Puffins by Speedboat runs 2 hours from Húsavík harbour and is rated 4.73 from 1,423 reviews.[1]
- Larger boats run 3-hour whale watching trips, with listings from US$85 up to US$99.[2][3]
- Lundey in Skjálfandi Bay is described as a nesting ground for around 36,500 active breeding pairs of puffins.[4]
- GeoSea entrance is from US$60, with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.[5]
- The sun never fully sets in Iceland from May through August, and summer sea temperatures in Skjálfandi Bay average 8.8 C.[6][7]
- Top choice Big Whale Safari & Puffins from US$171 Duration2 hours[1]Rating4.73 from 1,423 reviews[1]StopsHusavik, Puffin Island, Skjálfandi[1]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours[1] Check availability
- Big Whales & Puffin Island from US$164 Duration2 hours[8]Rating4.83 from 1,059 reviews[8]StopsHusavik, Puffin Island, Skjálfandi[8]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours[8] See this tour
- Family-Run Whale Watching from US$85 Duration3 hours[2]Rating4.70 from 1,987 reviews[2]StopsSkjálfandi[2]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours[2] See this tour
To provide realistic expectations to spot whales, we have gathered data of sightings in Skjálfandi Bay from every tour since the beginning of whale watching in 1995 in Húsavík. The results are truly impressive, with a 97% success rate of overall sightings!
Is the speedboat safari worth it?
Things to check
- Prices shown here are from-prices in US dollars, never a fixed rate for every date.
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance on the tours listed here.[1]
- Reserve now and pay later is offered on these GetYourGuide tour listings.
- Summer sailings fill up, so reserve speedboat seats as early as you can.
On the water
- The sun never fully sets from May through August, so evenings stay bright.[6]
- Sea water in Skjálfandi Bay averages 8.8 C in summer, so dress warmly.[7]
- A waterproof outer layer, a hat and gloves make a speedboat ride much more comfortable.
- Several Húsavík whale watching tours listed here are wheelchair accessible.
Why Húsavík Became Iceland's Whale Watching Town
Húsavík sits on the eastern shore of Skjálfandi Bay in north Iceland, a compact town of brightly painted houses, a wooden church above the harbour and a fleet of boats that head out most days in summer. Commercial whale watching in Iceland began here in 1995, and the town has been bound up with the industry ever since.[9] The bay is broad and rich, at its widest about 28 km and about 25 km long.[10] The population is roughly 2,500.[11] Harbour, shops and museums all sit within a short walk of one another.
The name goes back a long way. According to the Settlement Book, Garðar and Náttfari set up their winter camp in Skjálfandi Bay and built a house in Húsavík, which means 'the house bay'.[12] Today that story sits easily alongside a working harbour, where guided boats leave from a wooden pier a few minutes from the town centre. Wander down in the evening and watch the light change over the water. The church, the harbour and the whale museum are among the things to see in Húsavík on foot.
The Original Big Whale Safari and Puffins
The tour booked from this site is the Húsavík: Original Big Whale Safari & Puffins by Speedboat. It runs for 2 hours, and its listed stops are Husavik, Puffin Island and Skjálfandi.[1] It is listed from US$171 and rated 4.73 from 1,423 reviews, with breakdown scores of 4.8 for the guide, 4.9 for transportation and 4.5 for value for money.[1] A live guide speaks English on board, and the listing offers reserve now and pay later, a full refund option and free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.[1]
A speedboat changes the feel of the day. You sit low and close to the water, the hull cuts through the swell, and the bay opens up around you fast. One RIB working these waters, the RIB Express, has a comfortable cruising speed of 32 knots.[13] The run out is quick, and much of the trip is spent moving slowly among the whales with the engine idling. Wear the flotation suit and life jacket you are given, keep your phone in a dry pocket, and hold the rail when the driver opens the throttle on the way home.
A humpback fluke lifts clear of the water with snowy mountains behind the bay.
Classic Whale Watching on a Bigger Boat
If you would rather have a steadier deck, Húsavík has plenty of larger boats. The Whale Watching Tour with Guide runs 3 hours, is listed from US$99 and is rated 4.63 from 2,958 reviews, and it is wheelchair accessible.[3] The Traditional Whale Watching Tour also runs 3 hours, from US$98, rated 4.62 from 2,336 reviews.[14] A family-run option with indoor seats runs 3 hours from US$85, rated 4.70 from 1,987 reviews, and its listed stop is Skjálfandi.[2]
Two more sit in the same range. All of these listings offer reserve now and pay later and free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.[2][3][14] On a bigger boat there is usually a heated saloon, indoor seating and hot drinks, which count for a lot when the wind picks up.
Puffins on Lundey, the Puffin Island
Puffin Island lies in Skjálfandi Bay within easy reach of the harbour, and both speedboat listings in this guide call there. Lundey is described as a nesting ground for around 36,500 active breeding pairs of puffins.[4] In summer the low, grassy island fills with small birds whirring in from the sea, beaks packed with sandeels, before they drop into their burrows. Boats hold offshore and slow right down so that everyone can watch the colony without pushing the birds off their nests.
Bring a longer lens if you have one, and keep a firm grip on it. From the water the colony can look like a speckled carpet, and the best pictures often come from the outer edge, where puffins circle before landing. Stay seated while the boat is moving and follow the guide's instructions about where to stand. In the evening light the cliffs glow orange, and the run back to Húsavík is often the quiet highlight of the whole trip.
from US$171
The Original Big Whale Safari & Puffins by Speedboat runs 2 hours and is rated 4.73 from 1,423 reviews.[1]
Whales and Wildlife You Might Meet
North Sailing, one of the operators running from Húsavík, says there is a chance to encounter up to 11 different cetacean species on its tours.[15] The same company reports a 97% overall whale sighting success rate for its Húsavík whale watching tours, based on sightings in Skjálfandi Bay since 1995.[15] Humpbacks are the headline animal here: those in the Northern Hemisphere average 49 to 52 feet long, and mature adults weigh 50,000 to 80,000 pounds.[16]
Nothing is guaranteed on a single sailing, and a patient hour on deck often beats racing between sightings. Watch for a puff of spray, a dark back rolling through a swell, or a knot of feeding birds over the water. Scanning from shore, one of the best ways to find marine mammals is to look for other people who are watching them, especially stopped boats.[17] The cliff path above town and the harbour wall both give a wide view across the bay, and both cost nothing.
GeoSea Baths and the Whale Museum
GeoSea Geothermal Sea Baths stands on the cliffs just outside town, where infinity pools are filled with seawater from geothermal boreholes kept at 38 to 39 °C year-round.[18] Entrance is from US$60, the baths are wheelchair accessible, the ticket is valid on the selected date and you enter at your selected time.[5] It is rated 4.72 from 760 reviews.[5] The water is warm, salty and chemical free, and the view over Skjálfandi Bay from the pool edge is what keeps people in until their fingers wrinkle.
In town, the Húsavík Whale Museum was founded in 1997, and its foremost aim is to provide detailed and interesting information about whales and their habitat.[19] Museum tickets are not bookable through this site, so check the museum's own opening hours before you go. If you are wondering what to do in Húsavík on a wet afternoon, skeletons and whale biology displays fill the halls, and the building is an easy indoor stop.
How to Plan Your Húsavík Day
The season shapes the day. In summer, the average sea water temperature in Skjálfandi Bay rises to 8.8 C.[7] That is cold enough that gloves, a hat and a windproof outer layer earn their place even on a bright afternoon, and the flotation suits handed out on speedboats add a lot. In Iceland the sun never fully sets from May through August, and the midnight sun peaks around the summer solstice in June, so the nights stay bright right across the island.[6]
Book the dates you care about early, and keep a backup time in mind in case the forecast turns. The listing for the Big Whale Safari offers reserve now and pay later, a full refund option and free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.[1] Aim to reach the harbour well before departure, because boats leave on schedule and parking near the pier gets busy. A morning on the water followed by an afternoon at GeoSea or the whale museum makes a full, unhurried day.
From-prices of Húsavík whale watching and wildlife tours
From-prices in US dollars for Húsavík tour listings:[1][2][3][8][14]
Compare from-prices per person
US dollar from-prices of tour listings. Child rates are not given in these listings, so both columns show the same from-price:[1][2][3][8][14]
When to go and when to book
Plan your Húsavík day
Choose your boat
Speedboats do the trip in 2 hours; the larger boats take 3 hours and have indoor seating.[1][3]
Book before you arrive
Summer sailings fill up. Listings here offer reserve now and pay later and free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.[1]
Dress for cold water
Summer sea water in Skjálfandi Bay averages 8.8 C, so pack a hat, gloves and a windproof layer.[7]
Reach the harbour early
Boats leave on time and the area around the pier gets busy, so allow extra minutes for parking and check-in.
Add a soak or a museum
GeoSea is from US$60, and with the whale museum it makes an easy pair with a morning on the water.[5]
Ride a speedboat out to the big whales and Puffin Island
from US$172Reserve now & pay later
