As far as touristy activities goes, Reykjavik is a city which has a lot to offer visitors. As the sun makes more frequent appearances in this time of year that locals like to refer to as ‘Summer’, I am doing my best to experience some of the activities available at my doorstep (quite literally, I live behind a tourist office). One of my recent ‘tourist days‘, was spent out to see on one of the cities Whale Watching tours.

Did you know that we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the oceans and its inhabitants? It’s true. The depths of the ocean is home to creatures that man is yet to discover, but we do know of one hefty creature that calls the ocean home, and I think most people can appreciate the sheer beauty of these kings of the sea. 

Elding Whale watching gives visitors (and the occasional local) in Reykjavik, the opportunity to get up close and personal with the magnificent whales that live just a short boat trip out of the city. Conveniently located in Reykjavik’s Old Harbour, you can take a three hour wildlife excursion with the company, where you can expect to admire the playful behaviour of whales from the comfort of one of Elding’s lovely boats.

The company has a 95% sighting rate in summer and a 80% sighting rate in winter, so you can be pretty sure that you will be an eye witness to the mysterious and complex behaviours, that continue to baffle the experts that spend their lives trying to understand the creatures. The tours common sightings include: minke and humpback whales, white-beaked dolphins, harbour porpoises and various sea birds such as puffins, gannets, guillemots, gulls, kittiwakes, arctic terns and many more depending on the season.

It was incredibly sunny and pleasant outside on the day I joined the tour and I had a really great time on board, desperately trying to spot the creatures as our lovely guide directed us in spotting ‘humpy’ and his friends. There is a lot of quick moving around the boat as you try and spot the creatures popping up at random in the surrounding seas. There apparently were some puffin sightings too, but I was on the wrong side of the ship at the time, so I am still yet to see those ridiculously cute birds.

Before you enter the boat there is a floating information centre at the port where you can read about the creatures before you go out searching for them. There is also a documentary playing downstairs about freeing Willy, probably one of the most famous whales in the world. The documentary gives you the opportunity to appreciate the importance of respecting these beautiful mammals It took me a while to realise it wasn’t a comedy because I starting watching  just as one of the Icelandic divers involved in the project talk extensively about how certain he was that he would pee himself when the time came to swim with Willy. I didn’t watch long enough to hear about whether or not his predictions became a reality…

I must admit, I can be prone to sea-sickness so I was slightly hesitant towards the idea of an afternoon on a boat but with complimentary sea-sickness tablets available at the well-stocked cafe on board there is no need to spend the trip hanging over the side of the ship heaving your guts out to sea. Although I didn’t need to take a pill, I appreciate the companies concern for passengers well-being (I guess it saves them a bit of nasty cleaning too).

There are many other facilities on board, including restrooms, an indoor saloon where you can warm up and enjoy refreshments and snacks from the cafe. The company also provide warm, floatable overalls, raincoats and/or blankets for our passengers during the tour, so you can admire whales in the comfort of warm, waterproof gear when necessary. (I was particularly impressed by how warm the overalls were, it felt like I was wearing summer).

Elding Whale Watching
Ægisgardur 5
Reykjavik’s Old Harbour

Tel: +(354) 519 5000
Email: elding@elding.is

Adults 8,500 ISK / €53 
Children (7-15 years) 4,250 ISK / €25 
Children (0-6 years) travel for free