Húsavík Original Whale Watching

by North Sailing · Whale watching · North Iceland

4.60(388) · tour · TripAdvisor4.60(2,315) · operator on Google

Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at North Sailing'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 Húsavík Original Whale Watching

Húsavík, the whale watching capitalHello humpback!Humpback whale divingWooden oak boat next to humpback whalesTwo humpback whales diving

9 photos from North Sailing. Tap any one for the full-size original.

  • Duration

    3 hours

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Season

    All year

  • Starts in

    Húsavík

  • Meeting

    Meet on location

  • Languages

    EN, DE, IS, IT, FR, ES

  • Departs

    08:30, 09:00, 09:30, 10:00 …

  • Cancellation

    Free until 24h before

About this experience

Experience the Original Húsavík Whale Watching tour that has built a reputation for the town of Húsavík as the capital of whale watching in Iceland.

Description from the operator, North Sailing. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Included

Light refreshments
Live commentary on board
Professional guide

Not included

Pick-up
Shoes

Good to know

  • Warm clothes
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Not stroller accessible
  • No public transportation nearby
  • Infant seats unavailable
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Pick up your boarding card at North Sailing’s Whale Watching Centre 30 minutes prior to departure. The Whale Watching Centre is the brown glass building located in the centre of Húsavík, opposite the Húsavík Church.

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. 1North Sailing 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 →

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.

Why we list it

North Sailing 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 North Sailing

Read all 2,315 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.6/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

  • Janette Gaunt

    ★★★★★ · a month ago

    We opted for the Original Whale Watching tour which was 3 hours long. You check in at the office and collect a ticket that you show when you board. Parking outside the office is paid apparently, but couldn’t see any signs to say this! There’s plenty of free parking behind the church (and Hérna cafe is en route for a delicious light lunch before an afternoon sailing!). Waterproof suits are allocated on board but sizes given are on the larger side! I was in a M on the Zodiac RIB and was given an XL on this boat which was generous to say the least!!! There are loads of different sizes of suits below deck so they’re bound to have one to fit you. The guide was a marine biologist and she was really informative telling us loads of facts about whales and their breeding habits, puffins and other birds. We were really lucky that we encountered our first humpback whale before we’d even left the harbour! We saw several humpbacks, a minke and then a pod of white beaked dolphins put in an appearance when we were being served our hot chocolate and cinnamon biscuits. There were puffins, arctic terns and other seabirds galore too. We were incredibly lucky with the weather and the wildlife that graced us with their presence. We pre-booked this trip months before we travelled, but the free cancellation policy meant doing so was almost risk-free.

  • Luksss

    ★★★★★ · a month ago

    A very cool and unique experience. We got to see 2 humpback whales, a few minke whales, a lot of white-beaked dolphins, a ton of puffins and of course the views were incredible. Be prepared for a freezing adventure as the temperatures drop very low when you're at sea. The crew were also very professional and contributed a lot to the overall experience.

  • Kai Jacobson

    ★★★★★ · 3 months ago

    Such a fantastic experience. Did this with wife and two kids (ages 6 and 3). They promise whales and didn't disappoint with whales identified almost immediately upon leaving the harbor. Eco friendly and make point out of it. Provides coveralls and raincoats as well to help keep you warm and dry if you come unprepared. Staff is friendly and patient. Experience is educational as well with question answering and hands on with baleen plates for people to see and touch. Saw lots of puffins as well! Our crew did a great job of finding whales in locations where the other boats weren't so it felt like the experience was just for us even though there were 4 other boats on the bay giving tours. We were on the Dagfari. Finally at the end when returning to harbor they gave out hot chocolate and cinnamon cookies which were delicious! Would absolutely repeat again!

  • Tassie travellers

    ★★★★★ · 3 months ago

    Great fun. The overalls that were had to dress is made you feel warm and cosy. We saw two types of whales, minkie and humped back. And we saw many puffins. Our guide was very informative and could spot a whale from a great distance. She knew her stuff.

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

Everything here goes into the same basket and the same single payment, however many operators it comes from.

from

€101 per person

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