Reykjavik: Whales and Puffins Express Cruise Combo Tour

Faxaflói Bay is Iceland’s wildlife theater, and this combo gives you two very different seats. Old Skúli is a small, shallow-draft boat that can approach the puffin islands, while the large Andrea carries you farther out in comfort to search for humpbacks, minkes, dolphins, and porpoises.

I like the two-boat format, since each vessel suits its job. I also like the warm overalls, indoor seating, loaner binoculars, and free whale-watching retry if the sea gives you no sightings. The catch is simple: whales are wild animals, the bay can turn rough, and puffins are smaller than many first-time visitors expect.

Key points to know before you book

• Two separate cruises: You return to Reykjavik’s Old Harbor between the puffin and whale trips, so check the timing carefully.
• Old Skúli gets near the islands: Its shallow draft is useful for viewing puffin colonies and other seabirds.
• Choose classic or express whale watching: The Andrea takes about 3 to 3.5 hours, while the faster option takes 2 to 2.5 hours and reaches the viewing area sooner.
• Warm clothing is still essential: The crew supplies overalls and indoor seating, but bring your own warm, comfortable layers.
• Sightings are seasonal: Whale watching is strongest from April through September, with lower odds at other times.
• The free retry has real value: If no whales appear, you receive another whale-watching ticket at no charge.

Two wildlife cruises, two very different boats

This is not one long cruise with a quick puffin stop. It is a pair of separate trips run from Special Tours Iceland’s office at Reykjavik’s Old Harbor.

That distinction matters. You may begin with puffins and finish with whales, or reverse the order. The boats, guides, pace, and wildlife are different enough that I think of this as two compact excursions sold together, not one blended outing.

The puffin cruise uses Skúlaskeið, better known as Old Skúli. This little boat has a shallow draft, meaning it can get close to the small islands where puffins breed. The ride to the island area is about 15 minutes according to the supplied trip details, and the full puffin outing lasts about an hour.

The whale cruise uses the Andrea, described as Iceland’s largest whale-watching boat, or a faster boat for the express option. Andrea has plenty of indoor space, a cafeteria, and an educational, interactive style. The express boat cuts down travel time to the viewing area, which is useful if you dislike spending much of a wildlife trip simply getting there.

You are not promised a show. You are promised a well-planned search in a bay where common sightings include minke whales, humpback whales, white-beaked dolphins, and harbor porpoises.

Puffin watching aboard Old Skúli

Puffin Express is often the more dependable half of the day. The birds live on islands, so the crew knows where to look, even though their activity still changes with weather and season.

Old Skúli’s shallow hull is the key feature. The boat can approach the islands more closely than a large vessel, giving you a better chance to see puffins flying, resting on the water, or gathering around the colony. You are viewing birds in the wild, not walking up to them, so do not expect every puffin to fill your camera frame.

Borrow the binoculars. This is one of the most useful touches on the trip. Puffins can look wonderfully close from the boat and still appear surprisingly small, especially when they sit on rocky ground. Binoculars also help you pick out black guillemots and other bird life around the islands.

The guide supplies facts about the birds and their surroundings. Patrick, also known for his playful Pirate Puffin style, has been especially good at mixing jokes with solid explanations. The tone can suit families, but the information is not only for children. You get a clearer idea of how the colony lives, why the islands matter, and how much noise and motion comes from a busy seabird site.

The puffin trip is usually gentle compared with the whale cruise, though no boat ride is guaranteed to feel calm. If your main goal is to see puffins, this portion gives you a better odds-to-effort ratio than whale watching. It is also shorter, so it works well for children or anyone who wants a wildlife outing without spending several hours offshore.

Searching Faxaflói Bay for whales

The whale trip is the larger commitment and the more uncertain one. From the harbor, the boat heads into Faxaflói Bay, a broad stretch of water where the crew searches for signs of marine life.

On the classic tour, Andrea takes about 3 to 3.5 hours. Its size gives you room to move around, seek an outdoor viewing spot, or retreat indoors. The warm interior and cafeteria are practical, not decorative extras. Icelandic wind can make a sunny day feel cold on the water, and a place to sit inside can make the difference between staying alert and counting the minutes until return.

The express tour uses a faster boat. It takes about 2 to 2.5 hours overall, but the important point is that you spend the same amount of time in the whale-watching area. You simply spend less time reaching it. I would choose express if you value efficiency, have a tight Reykjavik schedule, or prefer not to spend as long in transit.

The crew looks for minke whales, humpback whales, white-beaked dolphins, and harbor porpoises. The animals may surface once and vanish, travel in pairs, or remain just beyond the best camera angle. A good guide helps by pointing out blows, tails, dorsal fins, and splashes before they disappear.

The strongest outings can produce several species. Some trips have included humpbacks, minkes, dolphins, and even pairs of adults and young whales. Other days bring only a few distant blows or brief tail sightings. That range is not a flaw in the operation. It is the basic bargain of wildlife watching.

One especially useful policy is the free retry if no whales are spotted. It does not guarantee a dramatic encounter, but it reduces the sting of a blank trip. If you have another day in Reykjavik, keep enough flexibility to use the extra ticket.

Picking the best departure order

The published departure choices are important, and they do not all follow the same pattern:

• The 9:00 AM departure begins with Classic Whale Watching, followed by Puffin Express at 12:30 PM.
• The 10:00 AM departure uses Express Whale Watching, followed by Puffin Express at 12:30 PM.
• The 12:30 PM departure begins with Puffin Express, followed by Express Whale Watching at 2:00 PM.

This is a case where you should check the exact schedule before paying. The stated activity duration is four hours, but the listed departure combinations and the separate cruise lengths create different blocks of time. You will return to the harbor between tours, rather than transferring directly at sea.

I like starting with puffins if you want a calmer introduction. The short Old Skúli ride gets you into the wildlife mindset quickly, and you can then spend the longer stretch looking for whales. Starting with whales may suit you better if they are the main reason you booked, especially since morning and early-day sea conditions can vary.

The 10:00 AM express combination is attractive for a compact day. You reach the whale area faster, then move on to puffins at 12:30 PM. Still, do not book another timed activity immediately after the advertised end. Sea conditions and wildlife operations are not as predictable as a museum entry slot.

Staying warm when the bay turns cold

The crew supplies warm overalls, and you have warm indoor seating on the whale boat. These are major comforts, but they do not replace your own clothing.

Bring warm layers, comfortable clothes, and protection from wet weather. A waterproof outer layer is a smart addition, since spray and wind can make the deck unpleasant even when the harbor feels mild. One practical warning from the trip itself: wear the wet-weather gear rather than keeping it folded under your seat.

You can buy hot drinks and refreshments onboard, but they are not included. If you are prone to seasickness, prepare before leaving the harbor. One outing had a choppy ride out, and several people felt ill before the boat slowed near the wildlife area. The operator may offer motion-sickness pills when conditions call for them, but you should not depend on that as your only plan.

The large Andrea gives you a place to recover indoors. The express boat is faster, but the quicker schedule does not remove the possibility of motion on the water. If a rolling sea is a serious concern, ask about conditions and the available boat choice before departure.

How good is the value at $148?

At $148 per person, this is not a cheap add-on. Icelandic activities can be costly, so the right question is what you are buying for the price.

You get two guided boat trips, two kinds of wildlife, loaner binoculars for the puffin outing, warm overalls, indoor seating, and access to an English-language app with extra information in English, German, French, Spanish, and Chinese. You also get a free whale-watching retry if nothing is spotted.

The value is strongest if you want both puffins and whales and would otherwise book them separately. The package also saves you from arranging two different operators and makes the Old Harbor your base for both outings.

The value is weaker if you have already seen puffins elsewhere or only care about whales. The puffin cruise is short, and the birds may still look small from the boat. One sensible way to judge it is this: pay for the combo if seeing both species is part of your Iceland plan, not simply because the word combo sounds like a bargain.

The whale guarantee improves the calculation. A whale trip with no sightings can feel disappointing, but the free return ticket gives you another chance if your schedule allows it. It does not help much if you are leaving Reykjavik the same day, so check your plans before assuming you can use it.

What the guides add to the day

A wildlife cruise depends heavily on the crew. The animals may be scarce, but a good guide can still make the ride worthwhile by explaining what you are seeing and helping you understand why a brief surfacing matters.

This operation places a strong emphasis on facts and interaction. Guides point out birds, whales, dolphins, and landmarks while answering questions. Patrick has brought plenty of humor to the puffin trip, and Rebecca has been singled out for clear whale information. Guide names can change, but the overall approach is built around explanation rather than a silent boat ride.

The best guides also model respectful viewing. The crew works to give you a safe look without treating the animals like performers. That matters when a humpback appears close to the boat, or when a pod of dolphins moves through the area and everyone wants the same patch of water.

You should also reset your expectations before boarding. Wildlife photography from a moving boat is difficult. The person with the longest lens may get the clearest tail photo, while you may see the animal more clearly with your eyes than through a phone screen.

Who will enjoy this combo most?

I would recommend it to families, first-time whale watchers, bird lovers, and anyone who wants a full marine-wildlife day without leaving Reykjavik. The large boat, indoor seating, overalls, and family-friendly teaching style make the whale portion approachable.

It also suits people who like variety. Puffins offer quick, busy bird activity around the islands. Whales require patience and luck. Switching from Old Skúli to Andrea gives you a real change of pace.

You should think twice if you dislike boats, have a very tight schedule, or need guaranteed wildlife sightings. The puffins are more predictable, but the whale search is still subject to weather and animal behavior. If you are visiting outside April through September, lower whale-sighting odds make the free retry policy more important.

Bring binoculars if you have them, even though loaners are provided on the puffin tour. Wear the supplied overalls, keep your warm layers on hand, and leave room in your day for a possible schedule shift caused by sea conditions.

Should you book the Reykjavik whale and puffin combo?

Book it if you want both puffins and whales, have at least a little schedule flexibility, and accept that nature sets the timetable. The puffin cruise is a charming, focused outing, while the whale trip offers the larger payoff when conditions and animal behavior cooperate.

I especially like the express option for visitors who want to spend more of the day exploring Reykjavik. Choose the classic Andrea trip if space, indoor comfort, and a cafeteria matter more than speed.

Do not book this expecting documentary-style breaches on demand. Book it for skilled searching, lively guides, seabirds near their island home, and the chance to see whales, dolphins, or porpoises in their own waters. At $148, it earns its price best when you make full use of both cruises and the free whale retry if needed.

FAQ

Where does the tour begin and end?

Both cruises begin at the Special Tours office in Reykjavik’s Old Harbor. The activity ends back at the same meeting point.

Are the puffin and whale trips separate tours?

Yes. You return to the harbor between the two cruises, and you do not have to take them on the same day.

What animals might I see?

Common whale-watching sightings in Faxaflói Bay include minke whales, humpback whales, white-beaked dolphins, and harbor porpoises. The puffin trip focuses on puffins and can also include other seabirds such as black guillemots.

Which whale boat can I take?

The included classic whale-watching trip operates on Andrea and lasts about 3 to 3.5 hours. You can also choose the express trip on a faster boat, which takes about 2 to 2.5 hours and reaches the whale-watching area sooner.

What happens if no whales appear?

You receive a free ticket for another whale-watching trip if no whales are spotted. Whale sightings are less likely outside the main season of April through September.

What should I bring?

Bring warm clothing and comfortable clothes. Wet-weather gear is also sensible, since wind and spray can make the boat feel cold. The crew supplies warm overalls, and binoculars are available for the puffin tour.