Reykjavík Whales & ATV

by Elding Adventure at Sea · Whale watching · ATV & buggy · Reykjavík

3.0(6) · tour · TripAdvisor4.50(2,403) · operator on Google
Reykjavík Whales & ATV — Elding Adventure at Sea

Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at Elding Adventure at Sea's own price and take our commission from them, not from you. What you get here is one checkout across operators, one confirmation, and one place to change or cancel it. If you ever find it cheaper on their own site, tell us and we will match it or explain why we cannot.

More photos of Reykjavík Whales & ATV

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12 photos from Elding Adventure at Sea. Tap any one for the full-size original.

  • Duration

    8 hours

  • Difficulty

    Very easy

  • Season

    All year

  • Starts in

    Reykjavík

  • Languages

    EN, DE, SV, IS, FR, PL, ES

  • Departs

    09:00

  • Minimum age

    6

  • Cancellation

    Free until 24h before

About this experience

This combo brings together some of the most popular activities in Reykjavík. After riding between lava fields and black sands, up and down the mountains admiring the view of the city and whale watching area its fantastic to spend the afternoon at sea exploring the wonders of the whales and sea and the view of Reykjavík from a unique angle.

Available: All year
Time: 09:00-16:00
Difficulty: Easy

Mountain Safari ATV
You will be picked up from your hotel or designated bus stop by Safari Quads shuttle bus starting at 9:00, taking you to their base camp in Úlfarsárdalur. The Mountain Safari tour starts at 09:30 and total riding time is 1 hr. including short stops. Your quad bike tour takes you on a route along the lovely Lake Hafravatn and a variety of terrains to have fun on. Then it’s onwards and upwards as you bike to the top of Hafrafell mountain – the high point of our journey. Breathtaking views of Reykjavik and the surrounding mountains await. Note that passengers need to have a valid driving licence to operate the bikes but children can ride on the back of the bike. 

Please select "solo atv" for each person that wishes to ride alone, or "sharing atv" for anyone that wishes to share a bike. If you are alone and choose "sharing atv", we might pair you with another rider or ask that you upgrade to "solo" on arrival.

Whale Watching
After the tour tour you will be driven to Reykjavík's Old Harbour where you can visit our Whale Watching Centre and walk around the harbour area before the whale watching tour which starts at 13:00. You can expect to see Reykjavík from a different angle, the surrounding areas and towns of Faxaflói bay, Snæfellsnes glacier and volcano and whales and dolphins such as minke whales, humpback whales, white-beaked dolphins and porpoises. After exploring the wonders of the whales and seabirds Faxaflói offers you return to the harbour around 16:00 and hop onto our bus as we take you back to your hotel or designated bus stop.

Please note that as both tours are subject to decent weather conditions they could get cancelled on short notice.

Description from the operator, Elding Adventure at Sea. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Included

  • Guided tours in English
  • Transfers to and from your hotel
  • All necessary equipment for ATV bikes
  • Overalls to wear on both tours

Good to know

Driving licence, good shoes, warm clothing

Please always use the 'Adults - Solo ATV' option when booking odd numbers.

To operate the ATV, you must possess a valid driving license from your home country. While you do not need to have the physical license with you, you will be required to sign a liability form affirming that you hold such a license.

Cancellation for this tour

Free cancellation until 24 hours before departure; no refund after that. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.

If the weather cancels this tour

Iceland's weather is real. What usually stops this one is sea state — the skipper decides an hour or two before departure; in winter this happens often. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.

  1. 1Elding Adventure at Sea decides, and tells us. Operators cancel when it is unsafe or pointless, and we back that call every time — we do not ask them to run anyway.
  2. 2We contact you by email, and by phone if your tour is the same or next day. You choose: another date if there is one you can make, or a full refund. There is no fee and nothing to argue.
  3. 3The refund goes back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, usually visible within a few working days. If this tour was one of several in your booking, the others are untouched.

What you do not get is the day back. If this is the only free day in your plan, put a spare day next to it — the planner leaves days free with the rest-day option. And if you want out because the forecast looks bad, that is your own cancellation: free until 1 day before departure, the operator's policy after that.

Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →

Why this one and not the cheaper one?

The nearest cheaper Húsavík Whale Museum Ticket from Húsavík Whale Museum is €19 — €327 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

Elding Adventure at Sea · €346Húsavík Whale Museum · €19
How long it runs8 hours1 hour
Changing your mindFree until 24 h beforeNot stated
How hard it isVery easyEasy

The €327 buys you 7 more hours out and free cancellation up to 24 h before. Whether that is worth it is your call — but that is what the difference is.

Sold out on your date?

Seats come back — a cancellation, or the operator adding a vehicle. Tell us the date and we will check once a day and email you if one opens. One email, then we delete the address; nothing else is ever sent to it.

Who this is not for

  • Children under 6 cannot join this one.

Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.

Why we list it

Elding Adventure at Sea is one of 154 operators we work with — chosen for reliability, honest descriptions and how they treat guests when weather changes plans. We don't list everything; we list what we'd book ourselves. The six checks every operator passes →

What travellers say about Elding Adventure at Sea

Read all 2,403 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.5/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

  • Iola Wilson

    ★★★★★ · a month ago

    We had an incredible sunset whale watching trip. From the beginning, every member of staff was attentive and helpful. Our guide shared lots of info on the wildlife we spotted - birds and whales. We were blessed with beautiful weather and the boat wasn't busy so we had room to move around and spot wildlife. Lots of tips on how to spot whales were shared. We saw a minke whale and then in the distance the sprays from several humpbacks.We made our way towards these and then stayed with one for ages - it was magical! The captain was very generous with time - because our encounter was quite far out, our trip was over 3.5 hours, we were not rushed back because time was running out! We saw lots of different bird species too. The sunset was stunning and we were able to enjoy this on the way back and also get some beautiful pictures of Reykjavik as we approached. We were also impressed with the way Elding respect the wildlife. Our 9 year old learned so much about whale spotting and ga been putting it to use on our cruise - spotting minkes and humpbacks from the ship! Thank you so much, Elding, for a truly memorable and magical evening!

  • Emily A

    ★★★★★ · a month ago

    Our whale watching tour was so special. I will start with the whales: we definitely saw them! We found a couple of humpbacks busy feeding and out guide did a great job of pointing them out and describing the behaviors we were seeing. It was truly amazing. The crew has the skills and experience to find what’s in the area. Additionally, they provided us with pictures of the whales and a journal entry about our voyage. We heard from someone else on the boat that if you go out and do not see any wildlife, they will provide you with a voucher to come out again another time (this family was on their re-do but your mileage may vary as I didn’t hear or read about this.) But of course, one cannot control the outcome, and still I would recommend this trip. It was such a fun way to see the city of Reykjavik and the surrounding mountains. We had a beautiful day with a bit of wind and they provided motion-sickness tablets for free, but remaining outside I did not experience much malaise. I also want to say that the company was very accommodating. We had booked a morning tour that we couldn’t get to due to travel disruptions and they were very willing to honor our reservation at a later time slot.

  • Casey Phifer

    ★★★★★ · 2 months ago

    Booking excursions through Elding was seamless, and I really appreciated their ecological focus. I first took their free ferry to Viðey with my Reykjavík City Pass, then enjoyed the experience so much that I booked both their classic whale watching and puffin tours. Everything felt easy and well organized, from the cold weather gear to the books, wildlife guides, and knowledgeable experts who narrated the tours and answered questions along the way. These excursions gave me some of my favorite memories of Iceland while getting to learn. about the wildlife and explore Faxaflói Bay. Highly recommend!

  • Olivia Yip

    ★★★★★ · a month ago

    Classic puffin tour was 1 of 2 pricier tourist attractions we did (other being Hvammsvík) and this one was SO WORTH THE MONEY. Cute puffins, fun boat tour, knowledgeable staff, binoculars provided, loved every second of it, you get even more pics from them after, and it was guaranteed you see puffins since they take you to an island with a whole colony!! Definitely recommend as a todo activity in Iceland! And it’s cheaper than driving down to the westman islands and taking the ferry and using up 9 hours of your day to see the puffin colony there!

Reviews from Google · updated 13 Sept 2026

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Reviews from our travellers

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No reviews yet from our travellers on this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.

Whale watching — questions people ask

When is the best time for whale watching in Iceland?

April to October, with June to August the most reliable. Humpbacks and minke whales feed in Faxaflói off Reykjavík and in the northern fjords all summer, and white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises turn up on most trips. Winter boats still sail from Reykjavík, but sightings drop and the sea is rougher. If whales are the point of your trip, come in summer and book an early departure; seas are usually calmer in the morning.

Can you see whales from Reykjavík in December?

Sometimes. Boats run from the Old Harbour all year, and winter trips do find whales, mostly humpbacks and the occasional orca. But December means short daylight, cold wind and a higher chance the operator cancels for weather. Sightings are noticeably less frequent than in summer. If you are here in winter, go anyway, but treat it as a sea trip with a chance of whales rather than a whale trip. Most operators offer a free second trip if nothing shows.

Is Húsavík or Reykjavík better for whale watching?

Húsavík, if you can get there. Skjálfandi Bay in the north sees humpbacks close to shore from May to September, and the small family-run boats like Friends of Moby Dick (/experience/752602/) keep group sizes down. Reykjavík is more convenient: boats leave the Old Harbour five minutes from most hotels and run all year. Akureyri and Dalvík in Eyjafjörður are also strong. If you are only in Reykjavík, go from Reykjavík and do not feel short-changed.

Will I get seasick on a whale watching tour?

You might. Faxaflói is open sea and the boats roll, especially in wind. Take a tablet an hour before departure, stay on deck in fresh air and watch the horizon rather than your phone. Morning trips tend to be calmer than afternoon ones. If you know you suffer badly, a two-hour RIB trip (/experience/155331/) is faster and bumpier but shorter, or pick a northern fjord like Eyjafjörður, which is more sheltered than the bay off Reykjavík.

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Pairs well with

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from

€346 per person

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