North Sailing is the company that started Icelandic whale watching: it put the first organized trip out of Skjálfandi Bay in 1995, and it is the reason Húsavík calls itself the whale capital. It is also the only operator in the country that will take you to a whale on battery power or under sail. The flagship three-hour tour costs 12,990 ISK direct and runs from March to November — the longest published season in town.
What the company actually is
A family business working out of Húsavík harbor, with a fleet of restored Icelandic oak ships, three schooners and two electric vessels. It also runs the Húsavík shipyard where those hulls are maintained, owns the driftwood-built Gamli Baukur restaurant on the quay, and took part in developing the GeoSea sea baths on the cliff above town. In summer it runs a second base at Árskógssandur in Eyjafjörður, the fjord that Akureyri sits on, and in autumn its schooners sail week-long expeditions in Scoresbysund, East Greenland.
The credentials are real and dated: the Environmental Award of the Icelandic Tourist Board in 1996 and again in 2015, a World Responsible Tourism Silver Award for carbon-reduction innovation in 2015, a Tourism for Tomorrow finalist place in 2016, and certification by the World Cetacean Alliance as a Responsible Whale Watching Operator. Vessels are inspected by the Icelandic Maritime Administration and classed with Lloyd's Register.
Boats, seasons and how they differ
The flagship is the three-hour oak-boat tour, sold as Húsavík Original Whale Watching: wide viewing decks, a guide narrating throughout, warm overalls and rain coats handed out, and hot chocolate with a cinnamon cookie on the run home. Daily, 1 March to 30 November.
The Silent Whale Watching tour is the one that sets this operator apart. It sails on Andvari, a battery-electric boat charged on Icelandic grid power, which means you approach a whale without engine noise and can hear a humpback's blow from a long way off. Three hours, 1 June to 30 September, 14,490 ISK.
The schooners Hildur, Haukur and the hybrid-electric Opal add sail power and let passengers help hoist the canvas. Opal's electric system, inaugurated in Húsavík in 2015, was the first of its kind on a whale-watching vessel anywhere; Andvari joined a year later.
The whales-and-puffins tour adds thirty minutes and a circuit of Lundey, where the company says more than 200,000 puffins nest between April and August. Note that the rival operator on the same quay puts that colony at about 100,000 — both figures are estimates, published by commercial operators rather than by a survey.
The logbooks, and why they matter
Almost every whale operator quotes a success rate. This one publishes the underlying record: a season-by-season logbook of sightings going back to its first year of operation, one page per season, free to read before you book. If you want to know whether blue whales showed up in Skjálfandi in the week you are traveling, the answer is on the company's own site rather than in a marketing line.
The same instinct shows in the fleet listing, which names every hull with its history, and in the plain FAQ answer that a wild whale can never be guaranteed in the way an aquarium animal can. Read the logbook for the month you are going and set your expectations from it.
What it costs and what the guarantee means
Adults pay 12,990 ISK on the flagship tour, 6,990 ISK for children 7–15, free under 7; 14,490 ISK on the electric boat; 16,490 ISK for whales and puffins. All rates include 11% VAT and are checked regularly; the flagship tour is also sold through GetYourGuide, and the archived listing page names the activity provider as North Sailing, so the one below is the company's own. The other Húsavík whale listings in the feed are not: their provider lines name the rival on the same quay. Boarding passes carry discounts of 10–20% at the Húsavík Whale Museum, GeoSea, the Gamli Baukur restaurant and the local taproom.
Sighting guarantee
No sightings means another trip free of charge — the company does not offer refunds, and does not pretend the odds are certainty.
- The clause
- "In the unlikely event that you don't see whales on your trip, we'll offer you another trip free of charge."
- The honest bit
- "Seeing whales out in the wild can therefore never be guaranteed in the same sense as seeing whales or dolphins in a water park or an enclosed area."
- Published odds
- "Over 97% average success rate of whale sightings in the last three decades" on the flagship tour, and "98.6% success rate last summer" in the FAQ.
- The evidence
- Unusually, the company publishes a season-by-season sightings logbook going back to its first year, so the claim can be checked.
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure; if the captain cancels for weather, ask the booking office to transfer you to the next sailing.
The exact wording sits on the operator's own FAQ; a platform listing may set a different cancellation window.
The practical detail
Dress warmly and skip sandals — the company is blunt that three hours at sea in the north is cold even in July, and it provides overalls and rain coats rather than expecting you to arrive prepared. It cannot sell seasickness tablets; there is a pharmacy across the street from the ticket office, closed on Sundays. If you are driving a long way for a booked tour, phone the booking office first to check sea conditions rather than trusting the forecast.
No refreshments are sold on board, so bring water if you want it. Smoking is not allowed. There is no minimum age and strollers are welcome, which makes this the easier Húsavík choice for families with babies.
Price check · GetYourGuide
Live prices, per person, checked regularly. Sorted from lowest.
| Tour | Price | Duration | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hauganes: Whale Watching North Iceland | $83.84 Lowest | 2.5 h | ★ 4.7 (262) | Check dates |
| From Dalvik: Arctic Whale Watching in Northern Iceland | $89.79 | 3 h | ★ 4.7 (461) | Check dates |
| Húsavík: Whale Watching Tour with Heated Indoor Seating | $92.03 | 3 h | ★ 4.6 (2,282) | Check dates |
| Húsavík: Traditional Whale Watching Tour | $95.40 | 3 h | ★ 4.6 (2,459) | Check dates |
| Húsavík: Whale Watching Tour with Guide | $96.52 | 3 h | ★ 4.5 (3,095) | Check dates |
| From Reykjavik: Whale Watching Tour | $98.76 | 3.5 h | ★ 4.2 (751) | Check dates |
How it compares with the neighbors
Gentle Giants, the other long-established firm in the same harbor, has the faster boats: four twelve-seat RIBs that reach the far side of the bay in minutes, plus two oak boats of its own. North Sailing has the longer season, the sailing rigs and the electric hulls. If the approach matters to you more than the speed, this is the one. Our Húsavík page compares the two directly, and the Iceland page sets out where the humpbacks and blue whales sit through the year. In the capital, Elding and Special Tours work Faxaflói, where minkes rather than humpbacks are the usual sighting.
Our call
The three-hour oak-boat tour, upgraded to the silent electric Andvari between June and September
A battery-powered approach removes engine noise from the encounter — the one variable an operator can actually control — and costs 1,500 ISK more.
Skip it if The puffin combination if birds are not your thing: it adds thirty minutes and 3,500 ISK for a detour around one island.
Check Húsavík dates from $96.52Questions people ask
Is North Sailing really the oldest whale-watching operator in Iceland?
It says it was "the first of Icelandic businesses to offer organized whale watching trips in Skjálfandi bay in 1995", and its published logbooks start that year. Reykjavík operators make separate claims about their own bay.
What do the tours cost direct?
According to northsailing.is, the flagship three-hour tour is 12,990 ISK for adults, 6,990 ISK for children aged 7–15 and free under 7. The silent electric tour is 14,490 ISK, and the 3.5-hour whales-and-puffins trip is 16,490 ISK. All include 11% VAT.
How long is the season?
Daily departures from 1 March to 30 November on the flagship tour — the longest published season in Húsavík. The electric boat runs 1 June to 30 September and the puffin tour 15 April to 10 August.
What is the carbon-neutral boat?
Andvari, a battery-electric vessel charged on Icelandic grid electricity, and the schooner Opal, whose electric system was inaugurated in Húsavík in 2015. The company says it is the only operator in Iceland running whale-watching tours on electric boats.
Which whales turn up in Skjálfandi Bay?
Humpbacks are the most commonly sighted, with minke whales, white-beaked dolphins and harbor porpoises frequent, and the blue whale described as "a regular guest early in the season". Fin, sei, bottlenose whales and orcas appear occasionally.
Is there food on board?
No refreshments are sold, but hot chocolate and cinnamon cookies are served on the way back to harbor on every whale tour. You are welcome to bring your own.
Can children come?
Yes, any age, and strollers are allowed on board. There is no minimum height or age on the oak boats, unlike the RIB tours elsewhere in the harbor.
Official sources
Updated September 17, 2026 · partner prices refreshed October 6, 2026
