Traditional Oak Ship Whale Watching Tour From Husavik: The Original Húsavík Tour

Discover the authentic Húsavík Whale Watching tour that has earned the town of Húsavík the title of ‘Whale Watching Capital of Iceland’.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • North Sailing - Húsavík Whale Watching - Experience the Original Husavik Whale Watching tour that has built a reputation for the town of Husavik as the Whale Watching Capital of Iceland.
    Discover the magnificent nature of Skjálfandi bay Húsavík where you can see whales, dolphins and sea birds in their natural habitat. Our professional and highly qualified crew will guide you and take you along on a smooth sailing in a traditional Icelandic oak boat to explore the home of the whales. Can you imagine a nicer day at sea?

Recommended by thousands of satisfied travellers worldwide, the Original Husavik Whale Watching tour is an authentic wildlife adventure by North Sailing the pioneers of whale watching in Iceland.

What's Included
  • Light refreshments
  • Professional guide
  • Live commentary on board
What's Not Included
  • Pick-up
  • Shoes
Additional Information
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
Location
North Sailing - Húsavík Whale Watching
Garðarsbraut
Meeting point is at North Sailing ticket office in Husavik at least 30 minutes before departure. Just look for a brown glass building with whale drawings and green letters on top saying Whale Watching Centre. Across the street from the Husavik Church.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.5
(393 Ratings)
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Amanda_w
Aug 29, 2024
We had a great time with... - We had a great time with Jess telling us about all the different whales and other species in the ocean around Iceland. The hot chocolate and cinnamon buns were a nice snack. We got to see a very active humpback whale and it was great.
Review provided by Viator
Paradise30333188171
Aug 8, 2024
Beautiful whale tour - Competent employees who do not move the whales too much on the fur, keep their distance nicely, let them drift and sometimes the whales came quite close to the boat while eating. Sometimes change sides so that both sides could have good visibility. We saw at least four different humpback whales, one identified as “Kirk”, using a special app. Plus a minke whale, some dolphins and puffins.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Villu_s
Jul 23, 2024
Very nice - Saw many whales and it was awesome. Crew was great and hot chocolate was good on this trip. Weather in the sea was better then on land.
Review provided by Viator
Hrafnkellingi_j
Jul 15, 2024
A much thing to do in Husavik Iceland - The trip was amazing. We saw allot of whales. The crew was very friendly and professional. I would highly recommend this activity.
Review provided by Viator
Christoph_m
Jul 14, 2024
A must see in Husavik. Great team and crew. A guarantee for a perfect experience! - We had an outstanding experience due to a lot of humpbacks showing up. The crew was super friendly and they know where the sweet spots are! Plenty of time to make photos. The ship is great. And the final hot chocolate and cinnamon buns were just the icing on the cake!
Review provided by Viator
432rishaans
Jul 12, 2024
A "Whale' of an adventure! - What an adventure! I wish I remembered the name of the crew as they were so sweet, educating on the wildlife and providing us with cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate! We saw 3 humpbacks and well as dolphins and porpoises and it was truly breathtaking. Do note however that the ship does rock a decent amount, which can cause someone (like me) to feel seasick, so make sure to carry medication. Other than that, amazing experience, again big thanks to the crew, they deserve all the credit (as well as the whale that waved to us :))
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rmayhew16
Aug 28, 2024
Success but too crowded - We got to see a whale! While you go on a whale watching excursion to see whales I did not expect to see one. To see 2 humpbacks in the same place was incredible. Unfortunately the boat was positioned such that the whale was best viewed from the front of the ship where only 15 standing spots were possible. This led to some frustrating views and people hanging over the side of the ship to get their money shot. Considering we were watching the whales for about an hour the position of the ship alongside the whale would have been ideal. That said I am not sure if this would be against some regulation. I would have paid more for a less crowded ship happily ultimately. They did have chocolate and cinnamon rolls which were enjoyable after.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anonymous
Aug 21, 2024
Unique experience - Being able to see whales at least three times. Eating a cinnamon roll and drinking hot chocolate at the end.
Review provided by Viator
Alnus
Aug 18, 2024
Overall good experience, highly recommend North Sailing - There are many whale watching options from Husavik. I was very happy we went with North Sailing. We chose the whales and puffins tour and our boat was the wooden Bjossi Sor (see the website for pictures of the boat styles). The team was extremely knowledgeable and really emphasized environmental issues affecting the whales, weaving that into the information about the whale migration, different species, the general marine ecology of the area, the whaling industry and more. We chose the traditional oak boat, not the RIB/Zodiac style boat since I was worried about seasickness in the smaller boat and the cold, since the RIBs go faster and are closer to the spray of the water. However, there was some seasickness on our boat regardless, and it was also pretty chilly. We were provided with thick coveralls that were good for your body warmth, but make sure you have a hat and warm (moderate to thick) gloves. We had a cloudy day with some light intermittent rain which made things worse. We started by heading to the puffin rock and learned a lot about Puffins while we watch them flying and diving around us, though you won't get great pictures of them on the rock island unless you have a high end camera since we had to keep some distance. We then ventured out much further into the bay hoping to see a whale. Things weren't looking good even though the crew was trying hard and even extended our trip to get out a little further in the bay. They finally spied an area where 2-3 other boats were congregated and we headed there to find a beautiful humpback whom we watched for about 15 minutes. We then had to head back in. The hot chocolate on the way back was especially welcome. If you are cold or hungry after the tour, stop at the Gamli Baukur Restaurant (end of the dock) afterwards--it really hit the spot. Looking back on the experience, I think I should have chosen the RIB boat whale only (no puffins) tour for 2 reasons. 1. We had several other opportunities to see puffins on our vacation (including the awesome Borgarfjorourr Eystri nesting area in the Eastern Fjords), that provided much better overall viewing of the puffins. This would have allowed us a tour that was just focused on the whale sightings--probably 60 minutes of our time was getting to and watching the puffins. 2. I don't think there was much difference in the cold or seasickness between RIB and larger slower wooden boats. And the RIBs are faster so they can get out further and move around more efficiently, potentially giving more opportunity for whale sightings. But as our guide said, we are there to see whales, but they aren't trying to see us--so there's no guarantee of seeing any whales and we did feel fortunate to see one. Fortunately, all of these tour options (with our without puffins, RIB or wooden boat) are also offered by North Sailing and we were really pleased with their operations, environmental focus, and crew.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marli_k
Aug 4, 2024
Fun morning in the Bay - The hot chocolate and cinnamon bun at the end were a delicious treat! The guide’s commentary was informative and just the right amount of talking. The waterproof suits were warm and greatly appreciated.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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