Special Tours
Special Tours
4.5
Boat ToursEco ToursFishing Charters & ToursDolphin & Whale WatchingNature & Wildlife Tours
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
About
Special Tours operates sea adventures from Reykjavik city centre with over 20 years of experience. Whale Watching tours are operated year round, with additional tours consisting of Northern Lights by Boat, Puffin Watching, Sea Angling, RIB Express Whale Watching and a New Years Fireworks Cruise. Special Tours Wildlife Adventures is known among passengers and partners for its ambitious & hard working team, aiming for great adventures for every tour and for every client. Our main focus is comfort and personal service, while making sure we protect and respect the environment. We have a skilled & friendly crew, as well as an experienced guide on every tour.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Meets animal welfare guidelines

Awards
Travellers' Choice
2023

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Travellers talk about
(412 reviews)
(201 reviews)
(110 reviews)

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles3,264 reviews
Excellent
2,065
Very good
669
Average
243
Poor
138
Terrible
149

Christopher K
Macomb6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Family
Great boat and guides. Excellent tour with a great viewing of the Northern Lights. Would do again! Did a great job finding and explaining the Lights.
Written 14 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Y2554LWangelaw
Rüdesheim3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Friends
AMAZING Northern Lights !! 2 hours cruise with Andrea along the coast line.
A very excisting tour.
Many thanks to Mother Nature and the Team of Special Tours :-)
Written 12 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Oren12
10 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
The boat seats were not comfortable , and we were very tiered . So we fell asleep inside and did not watch the northern lights after all.
Written 12 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Andrew M
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Couples
This cruise was the highlight of out trip to Iceland. Of course, we lucked out that the northern lights were especially active that night, but the woman who narrated the experience on the boat was exceptional in her attention to the sky, where to look, and when to look. She likes her job and it shows. In contrast to this tour, the next night we took a bus trip leaving at ten p.m. with the purpose of seeing the Lights. The person who monitored that tour could not hold candle to the woman on our boat tour. This just shows how important the tour guide is and how he or she affects the customer's experience.
Written 12 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

smalltowngirl
Ontario, Canada8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Our first night the tour was cancelled due to weather. The company offered a free backup plan for a small group tour to the whale museum with private tour guide. Learned a lot about whales and the northern lights. Really neat! Patrick was very funny and very passionate/knowledgeable about whales and the whole industry. Free northern lights drink at the end which was a nice touch.

The beautiful thing is if your tour is cancelled you can book another boat tour that works with your trips schedule. We went the next night and saw beautiful northern lights that were all different colours. Really made our trip to Iceland complete. They even offer heavy duty overalls to help mitigate the cold winds if needed. Guide on the boat was fantastic and very knowledgeable as well. Thank you Special Tours! Would definitely recommend booking with them!
Written 8 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much, it is delightful to hear that you enjoyed our backup plan. Nothing can replace seeing the aurora in person so we are very happy you were able to catch them as well before leaving. The North-Atlantic island weather being what it is, being prepared for everything is key to a happy life. Mostly this means having an extra layer of clothes ready at all times or accepting that outside is not always available :)
Written 12 March 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Giulia G
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Solo
Wonderful experience! We spotted a humpback whale, and then it followed us back! The scenery during the tour is also stunning. Took so many videos of it, it was great.
Written 7 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the review! The bay is beautiful indeed and the whales are friendly!
Written 12 March 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

sofiavillabuil
Milton Keynes, UK5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
I very very highly recommend this company. Yesterday we went on the whale watching tour which was amazing, the guides were perfect and all staff on board were very friendly and knowledgeable. We managed to see multiple Humpback whales and we found the company very ethical as they kept their space from the whales and were respectful of them. Since we enjoyed this tour so much we decided to book to go on the Northern Lights tour with them later in the evening, this was also amazing, the guide again was amazing, and we managed to see the lights, they even stayed out later so everyone could enjoy the show. After a bad experience with BusTravel Iceland we were hesitant to book any other excursions but Special Tours Iceland have absolutely made our trip and we are very grateful
Written 20 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wow! Thank you, Sofia! We are so grateful to hear such praise and also for the recommendation!
Written 28 February 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Sunnyday118
Brookline, MA31 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Friends
Unfortunately no lights on this trip, but they offer you a free trip on another visit. Returning this spring when they do not do northern lights trips but they were happy to substitute a whale watch cruise. the customer service was awesome. can't wait to return to Iceland
Written 20 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Northern Lights are elusive, but of course, that's part of their charm. We look forward to seeing you in the spring for our Whale Watching rendezvous!
Written 28 February 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Piers C
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Family
We set off on the tour with two young children and we saw lots of humpback whales pretty much as soon as we left the harbour. It was amazing to see them surrounded by such beautiful scenery. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and we were all in awe of the whales. We had good weather and the trip was very smooth. There are refreshments available on board.
Written 18 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reading this makes me yearn to join our next available tour! Thank you :)
Written 28 February 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jakub A.
Trencin, Slovakia19 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Family
We can definitely recommend the whale watching cruise with Special Tours, everything was well organised and we enjoyed it a lot!
Written 13 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you :)
Written 15 February 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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SPECIAL TOURS (Reykjavik) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go