Whale watching in Reykjavík: RIB or yacht

Take the yacht, unless you are fit, like speed and clear the height limit. A yacht gives you three hours or more, a heated cabin and a toilet, for about €88 to €106. A RIB gives you two hours, a bumpy ride and a closer view for €139 to €179. Most people are happier on the yacht, and we say that as sellers of both.

What you are actually choosing between

The whales don’t care. Both leave from the Old Harbour and search Faxaflói bay, where the usual sightings are minke and humpback whales, white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises. What changes is how you spend the time.

A yacht or cruise boat is a slow, stable platform with a cabin, so you can be warm, sit down and go inside when the wind gets up. A RIB, short for rigid inflatable boat, is an open speedboat. You sit astride a bench in a borrowed overall and hold on.

The yacht and cruise boats

Iceland Discover’s Whale Watching Cruise on a Yacht from €88 is three hours on the Amelia Rose. Sea Trips Reykjavík sells the same boat as the Whale Watching Cruise from Reykjavík from €99, and that one runs three and a half hours. Same vessel, different seller and a slightly longer slot, so check the departure times and pick whichever suits your day.

The extra step up is Elding’s Reykjavík Classic Whale Watching from €106, three hours with naturalists from a marine biology background on board. Elding is the long-established operator in the harbour. If you care about the explanation more than the speed, pay the extra €7 to €18.

The downside of all three is size. With a full boat you queue for the rail, and it can feel like a ferry. Go early in the departure list, when the boat is often less full.

The RIB tours

The smaller boats are a different trip. Iceland Discover’s RIB Speedboat tour from €139 is up to two hours in a 12-seater, and the listing includes overalls, gloves and goggles. Sea Trips Reykjavík’s RIB from Downtown from €157 is the same format. Reykjavik Sailors’ RIB Whale Expedition from €179 uses a 12-metre boat with suspension seats and, in summer, adds a pass by the puffin island of Akurey.

The upside is speed and position. You cover more water in two hours and sit low, close to the surface. The downside is real. The tour we checked has an age limit of 10, a height limit of 145 cm, and says it is not recommended for pregnancy or back problems. It’s also not wheelchair or stroller accessible. Check these on whichever listing you choose, because they differ.

Another honest point: two hours is short. If the whales are far out, a yacht has more time to find them. The RIB gets there faster, but there is less margin if the first search comes up empty.

Which one for whom

Families with children under ten, older travellers, anyone prone to seasickness and anyone who wants a hot drink halfway: yacht. The cabin matters in winter, and it matters in a breeze in July too.

Teenagers, adults who like a roller coaster, and people who hate crowds: RIB. Dress in layers anyway. Even in August it is colder on the water than on the quay.

Seasickness is the thing people underestimate. A yacht in bay swell is mild for most. A RIB in the same swell is not. If you are unsure, don’t take the RIB.

Booking notes

Whale watching runs all year from Reykjavík, so there is no wrong month, but sightings vary. If the sea is too rough, operators cancel and you get a new date or a refund. Leave a spare day. Many sellers offer a free second trip if you see nothing, so check that on the listing before you pay, since it varies.

Our honest take

Book the yacht. For €88 to €106 you get more time, more comfort and the same bay. Choose the RIB only if you meet the height and age limits, are comfortable on the water, and want speed more than hours aboard. Neither guarantees whales, and we won’t pretend one does. If you can only do one, the three-hour yacht is the safer choice for almost everyone.