Isafjordur Westfjords Whale Watching Boat Tour

Isafjordur harbour and the capital of the Westfjords

Isafjordur is the largest town in the Westfjords and its trading and fishing centre for more than four centuries. The town is built on a curved gravel spit in Skutulsfjordur, so the harbour sits right in the middle of everything, with fishing boats, ferries to remote coves and, in summer, visiting ships. The old merchant quarter of Nedstikaupstadur keeps a group of timber houses from the 1700s, among them the Turnhus, which now holds the Westfjords Heritage Museum and its boats and fishing gear.

Many visitors ask how to get to Isafjordur: the quickest way is a domestic flight from Reykjavik of about 40 minutes, while the drive along the fjords takes most of a day. Once you are in town, the whale watching boat is easy to find at the harbour on Asgeirsgata. Arrive a little early and walk the waterfront before boarding.

Skutulsfjordur, the fjord at the town's doorstep

The tour begins in Skutulsfjordur, the narrow side fjord where Isafjordur stands. Mountains rise steeply on both sides to flat-topped plateaus about 700 metres high, shaped by glaciers in the last Ice Age, and in winter they block the sun from the town for several weeks. Locals celebrate its return at the end of January with coffee and pancakes, one of the small traditions that make the Westfjords special.

As the boat leaves the harbour you get the best overview of the town on its spit, with colourful roofs against dark slopes and waterfalls running down the gullies in early summer. Keep your camera ready from the first minutes: eider ducks rest near the shore, Arctic terns dive in summer, and the calm water of the fjord often gives clear mirror reflections of the mountains on still days.

Isafjardardjup, the great fjord of the Westfjords

Beyond the mouth of Skutulsfjordur opens Isafjardardjup, the largest fjord system in the Westfjords, about 75 kilometres long, with a chain of smaller fjords branching off to the south. Cold Arctic water and warmer Atlantic currents mix here, bringing plankton, krill and shoals of small fish such as capelin and herring. That rich food supply is the reason whales come into the fjord, often surprisingly close to the shore.

The water here is usually sheltered compared with the open ocean, which makes Isafjardardjup one of the more comfortable places in Iceland for a whale watching trip. Islands such as Vigur, known for its eider and puffin colonies, lie in the fjord, and on clear days you see the snow-capped plateau of Drangajokull to the north. Your captain decides the route on the day according to recent sightings.

Humpback whales and other marine life

The humpback whale is the star of whale watching in the Westfjords. Adults grow to about 14 or 15 metres and have very long pectoral fins, and when they dive they often lift their tail flukes high above the water. The black and white pattern under each fluke is unique, so researchers use photographs to recognise individual whales that return year after year. Humpbacks feed in Icelandic waters and many travel south to warmer seas to breed in winter.

Besides humpbacks, you may see minke whales, white-beaked dolphins, harbour porpoises and, on lucky days, orcas following fish into the fjord. Sightings are of wild animals and can never be promised, but the feeding grounds near Isafjordur are among the most reliable in Iceland. The captain explains how to tell the species apart by their blows, dorsal fins and diving patterns.

Best time to visit Isafjordur and the wider Westfjords

The best time to visit Isafjordur for whale watching is from late spring to autumn, when days are long, seabirds nest on the cliffs and the whales feed actively in the fjord. Summer brings almost endless daylight, while autumn adds golden light and fewer visitors. The Westfjords are among the least crowded regions of Iceland, with quiet fishing villages, hot pools and long empty roads.

Is Isafjordur worth visiting? For travellers who want wild nature without the crowds, it is one of the most rewarding stops in the country. From town you can reach the waterfall of Dynjandi by road, or take a boat to the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve, an uninhabited peninsula of cliffs and Arctic foxes. The whale watching trip fits easily into an afternoon of a stay in the region.