15 Boat Tours in Akureyri for a First Visit

1.Árskógssandur: Whale-Watching Boat Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 695 reviews · 2.5 hours · from $96Our pick

Review of Árskógssandur whale watching near Akureyri, with a traditional oak boat, humpback sightings, warm overalls, hot chocolate, and tips.

“Great whale watching trip. We saw a lot of humpback whales and quite close. Great staff, very friendly and nice explanations. We really appreciated the ethical and calm approach to meet the whales. A very concern captain to avoid stress to the whales. I highly recommended. Nice chocolate and pastries at the end ! Thanks for this adventure trip.”

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2.Big Whales & Puffins RIB boat tour from Húsavík

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 501 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $203Top rated

Review of Húsavík Adventures’ fast RIB whale tour, with puffins, humpbacks, practical tips, prices, weather advice, and honest drawbacks.

“They take you on the water, stop to see the puffins home and provide you with some informative information. Then we had a chance to see a couple families of white nosed dolphins, and 4 whales on the trip! One of the best tours I have ever done!”

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3.2-Hour Whale Watching Express by RIB Speedboat

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 489 reviews · 2 hours · from $200

Review of Akureyri’s 2-hour RIB whale-watching tour, with close humpback encounters, mountain views, practical tips, and honest value advice.

“Even in less than ideal weather, it was a great excursion. We saw 4 whales on our trip. Please note they will provide you a full outer layer--they call it overalls but it's like a protective suit and perfect on cold days.”

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4.Lake Myvatn Day Tour and Godafoss Waterfall for Cruise Ships from Akureyri Port

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 473 reviews · 5 to 6 hours (approx.) · from $205

Review of Akureyri’s Lake Myvatn and Godafoss cruise tour, with lava fields, mud pools, hot baths, timing, transport, and value tips.

“This was a small group tour with our driver and guide, Oli. He provided an overview of each area with numerous stops, good explanations of what we were seeing and time to roam around. It was a safe, relaxing and fun adventure, trying to see as much as we could of north central Icelandic sites. Thank you Oli!”

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5.Original Big Whale Safari & Puffins Speedboat Tour from Húsavík

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 417 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $180

Review of Húsavík’s 2-hour RIB whale and puffin safari, with practical advice on wildlife, cold weather, safety, price, and booking.

“Personalised small group ! We saw lots of puffins, a minke whale and a few humpbacks and could get close to them . highly recommend !”

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6.Akureyri Express Whale Watching by RIB boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 168 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $180

Review of Akureyri Express Whale Watching by RIB, with practical advice on wildlife, rough water, price, clothing, timing, and who should book.

“Absolutely brilliant trip David our guide was very knowledgable and we got to see plenty of whales would highly recommend”

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7.Dalvík: Whale Watching Speedboat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 154 reviews · 2 hours · from $165

Review of Dalvík’s 2-hour rib whale watching tour, with humpbacks, dolphins, puffins, mountain views, practical tips, and honest value advice.

“Escursione bellissima per avvistare le balene, considerare che fa molto freddo quando il motoscafo è in movimento.”

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8.Lake Mývatn and Godafoss Cruise Ship Day-Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 121 reviews · from $176

See Goðafoss, Lake Mývatn, lava fields, mud pools, and optional nature baths on a well-timed small-group trip from Akureyri.

“Wonderful! Stopped for breaks in all the right places! Thank you. Biggie Really should have bought the Norse tshirt at the hot springs.”

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9.Whale Watching on a Traditional Oak Sailing Ship from Husavik

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 68 reviews · from $106

Sail Húsavík’s bay aboard a traditional schooner, help raise the sails, search for whales, and warm up with cocoa and cinnamon buns.

“Schooner Hildur, 3 Humpback whales with 2 flukes shown! Staff were amazing. Sitge, Alex, Sophie, all woman crew! Beautiful day and amazing experience”

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10.Cruise Tour Godafoss and Myvatn Lake and Baths Small Group

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 56 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $216

Review of Akureyri’s Godafoss and Lake Mývatn tour, with lava fields, geothermal sites, small-group transport, and relaxing nature baths.

“I was thrilled with this tour. Johanna was an excellent guide, clearly passionate about what she does, and she packed so much into the day. We saw all the things listed - plus she threw in a few more beautiful locations. It was a magical day.”

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11.Cruise Tour Godafoss Turf Houses and Forest Baths Small Group

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 54 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $181

Explore Goðafoss, Laufás turf houses, and Forest Lagoon from Akureyri with a local guide, small group transport, and cruise-safe timing.

“Great trip. Really enjoyed the farm/thatch house stop. Small facility that felt more intimate and genuine. Didn’t need extra visit to see horses”

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12.Godafoss Waterfall Tour for Cruise Ships

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 41 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $102

Review of Akureyri’s Godafoss waterfall tour, with practical details on views, guides, timing, transport, meeting point, and value.

“On our particular trip there were only a few people on a minibus and the experience was very enjoyable. We had enough time to view the waterfall from both sides giving us alternative views.”

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13.Cruise Tour Godafoss and Myvatn Lake and Dettifoss Small Group

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · 7 to 9 hours (approx.) · from $279

Explore Goðafoss, Mývatn, Dimmuborgir, Hverir, and Dettifoss on a small-group day tour from Akureyri with cruise return protection.

“This was a wonderful trip. Our guide was very knowledgeable about volcanos, history and iceland in general. We had a autistic child with us and we're able to bring her colapsable wheelchair with for half the excursions.”

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14.RIB boat express: Whales, Eyjafjord and Akureyri

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 12 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $192

Race into Eyjafjord from Akureyri on a 12-person RIB, with humpback whales, expert commentary, warm gear, and a whale guarantee.

“We booked this trip independently during a Norwegian Cruise and From start to finish, this tour was one of the most exciting and exhilarating whale watching tours we have ever taken ( and we have done many!) we felt perfectly safe and we had an absolute blast bouncing through the icy arctic waters in search of dolphins and whales! Our guide was knowledgeable and fun! We will always treasure this tour as one of our very favorites! Don’t. pass up this opportunity!”

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15.Boat Tours from Siglufjörður

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $102

Cruise Siglufjörður on the wooden Örkin, hear local stories, spot wildlife, and try cod fishing beneath Iceland’s highest sea cliffs.

“My wife and I come often to Siglufjörður as it is one of our favorite places in Iceland. Although it is one of most northern towns in Iceland, it often gets sunny summers and winters, allowing for great hiking, and skiing, both mountain and slalom. We know the area well but both of us wanted to see the village and the mountain range from the sea.”

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