Iceland Super Saver: Northern Lights Cruise plus Whale-Watching Tour from Reykjavik

Reykjavik’s Faxaflói Bay gives you two very different chances at Icelandic nature: humpback whales and dolphins by day, then the Northern Lights over dark water at night. The combo price of $186.74 is useful if you already plan to take both boat trips.

I like the flexibility. You can schedule the tours on the same day or spread them across your stay, and the boats provide thermal overalls, heated indoor seating, WiFi, and sea-sickness tablets. I also like the free chance to try again if nothing is seen, though you need enough time left in Iceland to use it.

The main drawback is simple: nature decides the outcome. Rough seas can cancel the lights cruise or make the whale trip miserable, and even calm water does not promise whales or clear skies. Bring warm clothes and keep your schedule flexible.

Key points to know before you book

• Two separate boat trips: The package includes a 2.5-hour Northern Lights cruise and a 3.5-hour whale-watching trip from Reykjavik’s Old Harbour.
• Flexible scheduling: Take both tours on one day or choose separate dates during your Iceland stay.
• Wildlife possibilities: Faxaflói Bay may produce humpback or minke whales, harbor porpoises, white-beaked dolphins, or seals.
• Helpful onboard comforts: Thermal overalls, heated indoor spaces, WiFi, and complimentary sea-sickness tablets are included.
• Weather matters: The Northern Lights cruise needs clear enough skies and safe sea conditions, while whale sightings are never guaranteed.
• Hotel pickup costs extra: Pickup can be arranged, but it is not included in the advertised price and costs 1,100 ISK per person per trip.

Two Iceland highlights from one Reykjavik harbor

This package links two of Iceland’s most popular sea experiences without making you book them separately. The whale trip gives you daylight, open water, and the possibility of seeing animals surface beside the boat. The evening cruise replaces wildlife with darkness, stars, and the chance of catching green or white light moving across the sky.

The trips are not really one continuous five-and-a-half-hour outing. They are separate cruises, each with its own departure time and meeting arrangements. That matters when you plan your day, especially if you want time for meals, a museum visit, or a good night’s sleep.

The advertised price is $186.74 per person. I see it as fair value if you genuinely want both experiences, since the package is sold at a discount compared with booking two activities separately. It is less attractive if you are mainly interested in the Northern Lights and would only take the whale cruise because it is bundled.

You also need to account for extras. Hotel or cruise-port pickup is available for 1,100 ISK per person on each trip, food and drinks are not included, and any second attempt depends on your remaining time in Iceland.

Starting at Geirsgata 11 in the Old Harbour

Both trips begin at Special Tours, at Geirsgata 11 in Reykjavik. The harbor location is the practical center of the outing, so you should confirm the exact departure time with the operator before setting off. The voucher contains the reconfirmation details.

Pickup is optional rather than automatic. If you add it, collection from your hotel starts about 60 minutes before departure. That can save you a walk in cold or wet weather, but the fee applies separately to each cruise. If you make your own way to the harbor, leave enough time to find the meeting point without rushing.

The Northern Lights cruise usually leaves at either 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., depending on the season. Iceland’s daylight hours change sharply through the year, so the later departure does not always mean the darker experience you might expect. Confirm the time for your date rather than relying on a general schedule.

The tours can be taken on the same day. That gives you an efficient pairing, but it also creates a long day with a late night. Taking them on separate days is the better choice if you want room to adjust around weather or recover after a rough crossing.

The 3.5-hour whale-watching trip

The daytime whale cruise heads from the Old Harbour into Faxaflói Bay. The bay is home to several marine species, and your guide helps you watch for the movement that gives an animal away: a blow, a fin, a back, or a sudden splash.

Possible sightings include humpback whales, minke whales, harbor porpoises, and white-beaked dolphins. Seals may also appear. You should keep your camera ready, but do not spend the whole trip looking through a screen. Wildlife can surface briefly, and the person watching the water often spots it first.

The strongest wildlife experiences can be memorable. One guide, Iga, is especially praised for her sharp spotting skills, with three humpback whales seen playing near the boat during one outing. Other successful trips included five minke whales, dolphins, porpoises, and whales seen across the bay.

That said, you may see very little. Some trips produce only seals and dolphins, while others produce no whales at all. The company offers a free ticket to try again if nothing is seen, but that help is useful only if you have another day in Iceland and the sea conditions cooperate.

The boat trip lasts about three and a half hours, which is long enough to improve your chances but long enough to feel uncomfortable in rough water. One especially difficult outing left an entire party seasick after seeing no whales. Sea-sickness tablets are available at no charge, and you can use the heated indoor seating areas, but neither changes the fact that a rolling sea can dominate the experience.

I would take the sea-sickness warning seriously. Use the tablets if you need them, wear the thermal overalls, and do not assume a calm harbor means calm water farther out in Faxaflói Bay. If conditions are poor, ask about the operator’s weather decision and your options before departure.

The 2.5-hour Northern Lights cruise

The evening cruise heads into Faxaflói Bay in search of the aurora. Your guide explains the natural causes behind the lights and shares Icelandic myths connected with the phenomenon. That combination works well: you get some science, some local storytelling, and time outside watching the sky.

The boat offers heated indoor seating, which gives you a place to warm up between checks of the night sky. Thermal overalls are included, with children’s sizes available. You should still wear warm layers, a hat, and gloves, since you will want to step outside when activity appears.

No cruise can guarantee the Northern Lights. You need suitable cloud conditions, enough solar activity, and a safe sea state. Several successful outings saw the lights, including one night when coach trips were canceled because of bad weather. Other departures were canceled because the sea was too rough, while some ran without a display because cloud stayed in place.

The setting on the water can be excellent for the experience, since you are away from much of Reykjavik’s city lighting. But a cruise is not automatically better than a land-based search. On a boat, you accept the chance of motion and cold in exchange for open views in several directions.

The quality of the guiding can vary. Some guides have given clear explanations that passengers could hear across the decks, while one outing was hurt by a dull presentation and limited information. The company has entertainment on the Northern Lights boat, but it may feel a little gimmicky if your main goal is quiet sky watching.

Photography also needs realistic expectations. The lights can appear far stronger in a camera than they look to your eyes. If you see only a faint glow, that still counts as a real sighting, but it may not resemble the dramatic photographs used to sell Iceland in winter.

Comfort on board, and what you still need to bring

The included thermal overalls are one of the package’s most useful features. They are available in children’s sizes, so families do not need to bring specialized sailing gear. Still, wear your own warm clothes underneath, because the sea air can cut through ordinary city clothing.

Heated indoor seating is helpful during long periods of waiting. On a whale trip, you may spend time watching an empty patch of water before an animal surfaces. On the Northern Lights cruise, you may move inside while clouds pass and step out again when the sky begins to clear.

WiFi is included, and the Special Tours app is available in English, German, French, Spanish, and Chinese. Complimentary sea-sickness tablets are also available. Food and drinks are not part of the price, though you can buy them on board.

The maximum group size is 198 people. That is a fairly large boat outing, not a private wildlife expedition. The size gives you access to several viewing areas and indoor space, but you should expect other people around you when a whale or light display appears.

The boats have service-animal access, and the activity is near public transportation. Most people can take part, though rough seas, cold weather, and long periods on your feet can make the trip demanding.

Taking both tours on the same day

The same-day option is efficient. You might spend the day on the whale cruise, return to Reykjavik, eat, and then head back to the harbor for the Northern Lights departure. It lets you fit two major activities into one part of your vacation.

The cost is energy. A three-and-a-half-hour whale trip followed by a late evening cruise can feel tiring, especially if the boat moves heavily. You also lose some flexibility if conditions shift, since both outings are already tied to the same date.

I prefer separate days when the schedule allows. If the whale trip is canceled or produces no wildlife, you have a better chance of rescheduling. If the Northern Lights forecast improves, you can choose the stronger night rather than committing both activities to one weather window.

The package does allow this flexibility, but you need to make the arrangements carefully and reconfirm both cruise times. Do not assume that buying the combo automatically creates a perfect timetable.

Weather, cancellations, and the free second chance

Weather is the central condition of this experience. The company can cancel an outing because of poor weather and offer a different date or a full refund. The reports of canceled Northern Lights cruises due to rough sea show why this rule matters.

If nothing is seen on your tour, you receive a free ticket to try again. This is a useful policy for a whale trip with no wildlife and for a Northern Lights cruise with poor conditions. It is not a guarantee that your second attempt will succeed, and it may not help if you leave Iceland the next morning.

The cancellation terms are straightforward. Cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time for a full refund. Changes or cancellations made inside 24 hours are not accepted for a refund, unless the operator cancels because of weather.

I would avoid placing either cruise on the final day of your trip. Give yourself enough time to use a replacement ticket or move a canceled departure. This is especially important if seeing whales or the aurora is a major reason for booking.

Who will get the most from this package

I recommend the package for first-time visitors who want two classic Iceland experiences from one convenient base. Families benefit from the children’s thermal overalls and indoor seating, while couples and photographers get two very different chances to see nature in open water.

It also suits anyone willing to accept uncertainty. The strongest outings involved humpback whales close to the boat or a clear aurora after other excursions were canceled. The weakest involved rough seas, no whales, poor visibility, or a cruise that went ahead without the Northern Lights appearing.

You should think twice if you are highly prone to motion sickness, have only one free day, or need guaranteed results. A whale-watching cruise is not an aquarium visit, and an aurora cruise is not a scheduled light show.

Is the $186.74 price good value?

The price makes sense when you want both tours and can stay flexible. You receive two outings, thermal gear, indoor shelter, WiFi, and a possible second attempt if nature gives you nothing the first time. Guides have also been praised for clear commentary and strong wildlife spotting, with Iga a particularly memorable name on the whale side.

The value weakens once you add two hotel transfers at 1,100 ISK per person per trip, along with food and drinks. It also weakens if you cannot use the free retry because your departure is the next day.

At $186.74, I would treat the package as a practical bet on Iceland’s weather and wildlife, not as a promise of two postcard moments. The 4.5 rating from 31 ratings reflects that mix: many excellent outings, but also a few hard misses caused by sea conditions, cloud, or poor sightings.

Should you book this Reykjavik combo?

Book it if you want both a whale cruise and a Northern Lights search, have at least a little spare time, and accept that the natural world controls the result. The included thermal overalls, heated spaces, free retry policy, and flexible scheduling make the package easier to manage than two completely separate bookings.

I would book the tours on separate days if possible, confirm the times directly, and avoid the final night of your stay. Choose this experience for the chance of humpback whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and aurora light over Faxaflói Bay, not for certainty. If that sounds like a fair bargain, this is a sensible addition to a Reykjavik visit.

FAQ

Where does the tour start?

Both trips start at Special Tours, Geirsgata 11, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland. The activity ends back at the meeting point.

Can I take the two tours on different days?

Yes. You can take the Northern Lights cruise and whale-watching trip on the same day or schedule them across separate days during your Iceland stay.

Is hotel pickup included?

No. Hotel and cruise-port pickup can be added for an extra 1,100 ISK per person per trip. Pickup begins about 60 minutes before departure when selected.

What wildlife might I see?

The bay may produce humpback whales, minke whales, harbor porpoises, white-beaked dolphins, and seals. Sightings are not guaranteed.

What happens if I see nothing?

A free ticket is provided to try again if nothing is seen on your tour. You need enough time remaining in Iceland to use the additional trip.

What is included on the boats?

The tours include WiFi, thermal overalls including children’s sizes, heated indoor seating, complimentary sea-sickness tablets, and access to the Special Tours app. Food and drinks cost extra.