North Sailing Whale Watching

The eco-friendly whale watching company

Enjoy the great variety of marine life in the unique environment of Skjálfandaflói bay aboard North Sailing’s meticulously renovated oak boats. Since its founding in 1995, North Sailing has been a pioneer of sustainable tourism, as well as being the first company in Iceland to offer regular whale watching tours. Whale watching is a popular activity for visitors to Iceland, and the company’s operations have grown fast.

 The fishing village of Húsavík is now renowned for its spectacular whale watching opportunities, and Skjálfandaflói bay is one of only a handful of places in the world where the blue whale, the largest mammal on earth, is known to visit regularly. 

North Sailing’s whale watching tours have given Húsavík the reputation of being Europe’s whale watching capital. One of North Sailing’s most ambitious goals is to empower sustainable tourism, and the company has put a lot of care and skill into renovating and maintaining its fleet of old oak fishing-ships. 

First company in the world to offer carbon-free whale watching  

On July 12^th, 2015, the renovated schooner Opal, with its uniquely designed electrical system, was launched. The launching marked a world-wide first: Offering carbon-free whale watching tours by using only wind and electricity for propulsion.

 In 2016, North Sailing started offering carbon-free whale watching tours, called Silent Whale Watching allowing passengers to experience whale watching on a completely different level. A breathtaking aspect of the experience is listening to the whales. 

North Sailing has received a number of awards and acknowledgements for its eco-friendly operations and innovative new designs, for example it received the Environmental Recognition of the Icelandic Tourist Board for the second time in 2015, as well as being awarded the silver prize at the coveted World Responsible Tourism Awards for “Best Innovation for Carbon Reduction”. 

North Sailing offers a variety of exciting tours, such as whale watching tours in Hjalteyri/Árskógssandur in Eyjafjörður (approx. 15-minute drive from Akureyri), evening tours in Reykjavík onboard the amazing hybrid-electric Ópal, week-long expeditions in Scoresby Sund on the east coast of Greenland, and so much more. 

 Day Tours:

• Húsavík Original Whale Watching (1 March - 30 November)
  - Duration: 3 hrs
• Silent Whale Watching (1 May - 30 September)
  - Duration: 3 hrs
• Whales & Sails (1 June - 10 August)
  - Duration: 3 hrs
• Whales & Puffins (16 April - 19 August)
  - Duration: 3,5 hrs)
• Whale Watching from Eyjafjörður (1 June - 30 September)
  - Duration 2,5 hrs 
• Experience Greenland
  - Season: July 26th - September 13th 2023

Specially designed tours on request.