Winter Whale Watching & Northern Lights Cruise: A Combo Tour from Reykjavik
4.9
10 Ratings
Reykjavík
Experience the best of winter in Iceland with a combo tour of whale watching and northern lights cruise. Spot minke whales and humpback whales during the day, and marvel at the mesmerizing northern lights in the evening.
Duration:
5 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Elding Whale Watching - On this combination tour, you will start with a Classic Whale Watching tour in the afternoon and join our Northern Lights Cruise in the evening. A package deal at a great price! This combo includes some of the most popular excursions in Reykjavík!
What's Included
- Two separate tours: 3-hour whale watching & 2-hour northern lights cruise
- Sighting guarantee - free second try if no sightings
- Expert live commentary in English
- Complimentary use of warm overalls and blankets
- Photography service by crew onboard
- Free entry to the Wildlife Exhibition
What's Not Included
- Food / Drinks (available for purchase on board)
- Pick up / Drop off (can be arranged with operator directly for a fee)
Additional Information
This superb combination excursion brings together the most sought-after winter highlights in Iceland!
Your adventure begins with a 3-hour whale-watching adventure at either 09:00 or 13:00, departing from Reykjavík’s Old Harbour. During winter in Faxaflói bay, you’ll often spot minke whales, dolphins, porpoises, and humpback whales. Don’t overlook the stunning scenery and views that shine with a unique winter radiance!
Next comes a 2-hour enchanting evening voyage at either 21:00 or 22:00 (season-dependent), which takes you to the Southern sector of Faxaflói bay - a location far removed from the city’s bright lights. Departing into the open bay beneath the immense starlit sky lends a magnificent aura, and encountering the northern lights is a spectacle you’ll definitely not want to miss!
- Children under 13 years of age are required by law to wear life-vests for the duration of the tour.
- Please note that our fleet is not completely wheelchair accessible as there are steep stairs between lower and upper decks and high thresholds to get from the decks into the saloon as well as from the saloon to the toilets.
- Wheelchair users are welcome to bring a foldable chair onboard our bigger boats, but if possible, please advise our office prior to departure as we may need to assist with boarding.
Location
Elding Whale Watching
Meet us in the ELDING ticket office located at Ægisgarður 5c by the Old Harbour district in Reykjavík. Once at the pier, simply follow the red colour to find us! Be sure to arrive at least 15 min. before departure to ensure enough time to check in and to board the boat.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(10 Ratings)
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Markws6538xc
Jul 26, 2023
A Must See - This trip is well worth the money, we got to see an humpback breach the water and the lights were also amazing.
We certainly got our moneys worth
The drinks arent too expensive and you can sit in the warm inside where it doesnt get too crowded.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sarah
Mar 4, 2023
Incredible 10/10 humpback whales and northern lights!!! - DO IT!!!! - 10/10
Absolutely amazing experience. Memories to last a life tjme. I cried happy tears. First time in my life seeing a whale in the wild and we saw not one but TWO humpback whales - and in February!!! It was a relaxing boat ride, mixed weather so prepare for anything!…
Our captain took us as close as he could get to the whales whilst also giving the whales enough space to act naturally. A tip off told him that there was a humpback whale in the harbour, so off we went and he was right. Lots of marine life, lots of sea birds and lots of very happy passengers.
To top it off, we went out on the northern lights cruise on a cloudy night, and we saw the northern lights from the boat!
The skyline of Reykjavík is beautiful at night, I highly recommend you all to do the combo experience.
The guides were brilliant, Rob was funny and Whitty and really knew his stuff in relation to the northern lights.
Thank you so much Elding - one day we will be back! Absolutely blew us away with how good both yours were.
Incredible!!…
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Frykaren
Mar 2, 2023
Great trip - Both trips were fabulous. We were lucky enough to see the northern lights and whales. Nico kept us very well informed during the trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Travelingclassy
Sep 23, 2022
Ethical Whale Watching - We did both whale watching and northern lights on the 20th September and 21st September.
The northern lights where dim but this was due to the weather and solar weather. Seeing the northern lights is very hard because of this. The tour guide helped us view the northern lights and for the people who are experienced photographers we was able to get some great photos of the northern lights. We even saw some shooting stars. To our surprise they gave us a voucher to try it again as the weather wasn’t up to the standards of the operator.
As for Whale Watching we had a fun time and spotted lots of whales! The reason I picked this operator is because it’s responsible with not trying to get too close to the whales to respect them and ensure the safety of them. The company does it’s own research into whales too and takes pride in ensuring the safety of the animals. We had a lot of fun and would highly recommend this operator.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jaysg14
Apr 18, 2022
A fantastic experience with a great tour operator - My family and I took part in both the Whale Watching and Northern Lights cruises, and thoroughly enjoyed them.
Elding tour guides are really knowledgable, and provide a great insight to the Northern Lights and the Whales which can be spotted along the coast. Very friendly, professional and polite, they were happy to take questions which tourists had, and also assisted people with setting up their cameras to ensure they were able to take the best photos of the Northern Lights.
The boat itself was spacious, plenty of hand sanitiser available, and a nice little bar which served some lights snacks and beverages.
I'd highly recommend Elding Tours to anyone visiting Reykjavik, I'd certainly go with them again when I return to Iceland.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kat
Mar 25, 2022
Amazing company! Great tours - We had a fantastic whale watching tour, finding a Minke and Humpback Whale, this was my dream come true! The Crew were amazing, great information and so kind!
Unfortunately we didn’t see the northern lights but after the day we had we were all on such a high we didn’t care and just enjoyed the harbour boat trip, we got to see the peace tower lit up which was cool. Highly recommend this company!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susana83_uk
Mar 17, 2022
Great experience - We have been to both the whale watching and the northern lights boat trips and have really enjoyed both.
The staff are very knowledgeable and friendly and we were very lucky to see whales and dolphins on our first trip and on our third attempt managed to see some of the northern lights but unfortunately it was very cloudy.
If you don’t manage to see the lights, you get a voucher valid for 2 years and can keep trying each night without a fee as you get a voucher each time you don’t manage to see the lights or whales, so it’s worth to keep trying, It is a natural event at the end of the day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laurie2405
Nov 12, 2021
Elding Northern lights excursion - Cannot recommend this trip highly enough, Estelle was a fabulous attentive guide and host and have so much information throughout the evening. The crew were patient and willing to steer the boat in whichever direction there was a glimmer of sky activity, I’m sure we were out much later than we were expecting because we saw a little activity on the way back to the harbour. As we didn’t see the lights as we would’ve wished, we were issued with complimentary tickets for a return trip and Estelle offered to email the photographs she had taken herself, I sent an email and received them less than 2 hours later.
Fabulous service, a great night even though the results were disappointing - that’s not down to the crew though!
Thank you guys for making it such a memorable experience
Laurie and Wayne X
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Flyingjens
Nov 4, 2021
Amazing - Very professional team. You do not just go out on the boat, you as well get a lot of background information and a very good guidance. If you are in fear of sea sickness, you can get free medication upon boarding. If you think, you may feel cold, there are warm overalls for free use. If you are still thinking about it, just book it, it is worth the money.
Thank you to everyone at Elding to make those two boat trips such a wonderful experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Davehy925vs
Mar 6, 2024
Great tour wrap up well, and remember you might not see a Whale. - This was a split trip on the same day and the same boat. We went out in the afternoon to try and find some Whales, sadly for us we did not see any whales but we did see lots of dolphins. I would recommend wrapping up as it can get very cold on the boat, although you can go into the main part of the boat where it is warmer and there was some warm refreshments. We then rejoined the boat later and we headed out to see the Northern lights which we did see, so win win.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
