RIBボートで行くアークレイリエクスプレスホエールウォッチング

We saw orcas, humpbacks, and porpoises! A humpback was breeching repeatedly and slapping her fin. Guide and driver were kind and skilled. Gear kept us warm even in the wind and a bit of rain. Just book it. It was the highlight of our Iceland trip!

Everything about this trip was great. We booked it several months ago in the US. The captain/narrator was great. The only problem was we only saw one whale and many only saw its tail or maybe totally missed it. And that was the purpose of the excursion! It was still fun. The RIB experience was new to us, snd fun. Just, we didn’t see very many whales.

Great excursion! Rib boat was so much fun and it was awesome to be able to get so close to the whales and we saw a few on our trip.

This was a great opportunity to get out on the water. Our guide, Nikki, was very helpful and knowledgeable. Thanks for the experience!

We were so looking forward to this experience but found it to be extremely uncomfortable and did not enjoy at all. We rode nearly the entire length of the fjord before stopping to look for whales and it was the roughest and most uncomfortable ride of my life. You will sit/stand on a horse-like saddle and hang on for your life hoping it will be over soon. I have never done a RIB tour before and maybe could be nice on super calm seas, but I will never know as I would never book another one of these again. We saw glimpses of a few whales but certainly not worth the pain of the ride. We were on a small cruise ship that stopped at this port and had much better luck whale watching in the fjord from our ship.

Excellent commentary by a marine biologist. We saw dozens of whales in 2 different pods…Both pilot whales and northern bottlenose whales.

We had a great time whale watching on the rib boat. We saw 2 whales a humpback and a minkie. The boat captain and guide were so great!!! I feel like they overemphasized the concerns with impact on the body from the boat ride. We were a little concerned about how they described it since my husband had a vertebra fusion 6 months ago. We had never been on a rib boat but we have been on multiple zodiacs. For us, it was no different from any other small boat ride. This was a very dry boating experience. The suits are flotation suits not to keep you from getting wet like we have had on other whale watching trips.

We had our whale watching trip today, July 12, 2026, with the RIB boat. It was an unforgettable experience. Our guides Jakob and Peter were simply great and drove us safely through the fjord despite very strong wind and high waves. As a highlight, we saw a humpback whale, which was not easy under these adverse weather conditions. Many thanks again to both guides.

My family and I just finished our 8-day cruise around Iceland. Akureyri was one of the ports we stopped at on the cruise. I was looking at this exact excursion through the cruise line, but it was all booked and way more expensive. The meeting location is <5 min walk from the cruise port, making it really convenient. Before getting on the RIB boat, they provide you really warm overalls and googles to wear, which helped to protect from the cold and wind. We did get a chance to see a couple of whales and a pod of ~ 100 porpoises. I have to say, I was amazed at the number of porpoises… Even the guides seemed surprised to see so many. The ride up and down the fjord was relaxing and provided a great opportunity to take great photos. The RIB boat ride was fun and safe. If you are deciding between this and a whale watching tour on a larger boat, I would go with the RIB boat.

As far as the location is concerned, the meeting place is just a short, easy walk from the cruise ship dock. It took us less than 10 minutes at a leisurely pace. The provider's description is quite accurate with regard to the potential physical hardships of participation. My husband and I went out on a windy day, which made for a rough ride. We especially felt it in our knees, thighs, and lower back. Unfortunately, we did not see any whales. However, we believe the staff did their best to provide us with a good experience. They were very nice, quite helpful as we suited up, and attentive while we were out on the water. As we were returning just a bit later than expected, staff members drove all participants to the cruise dock in their personal vehicles to ensure we arrived in time, which we sincerely appreciated!