Best Places to See Whales in Scandinavia

The seas around Scandinavia are home to a huge variety of whales, including Orcas, pilot whales, humpback whales, sperm whales, blue whales and even the rare northern bottlenose whales. The ideal time to spot whales is during the warm summer months, especially during June and August.

(img credit: flurdy)

Professional tours steer clear of the controversial whale hunting grounds and provide information on how concerned visitors can help stop commercial whaling.  On the average, 94% of the boats that go out to view whales succeed, and although there are no guarantees, most  tour companies will give you free pass to try again another day if the whales don’t appear.

Quite often while on a whale watch boat, you have the chance to see other interesting Icelandic marine wildlife, like harbor porpoises and white-beaked dolphins.  Some tours pass by Puffin Island to catch a glimpse of this rare arctic bird’s nesting grounds.

Iceland

Whales start moving past the Icelandic coasts as early as April and some don’t leave until as late as October. The parade of majestic creatures — given away by their water spouts and habit of ” breaching” — can be spotted from many spots along the coastline as they pass by on their yearly migration to the warmer waters outside the arctic circle.

(img credit: Plassen)

Husavik is considered the “hot spot” for whale spotting from the shoreline.

Most professional whale watch safaris embark from the port city of Reykjavik, although small family-run expeditions — some with luxury accommodations — are available from various ports.

Vesteralen Islands

(img credit: Nijenhuis)

In Andenes (Vesteralen), the continental shelf drops to depths of 3000 feet, creating a perfect habitat for the massive male sperm whales who come to feed from May to September.

Since Whale Watching here has become so popular, especially in the Lofoten Islands, the Norwegian authorities have setup a special “Whale Route” that uses car ferries to link the various islands in the area.

Norway

(img credit: Cabby)

Northern Norway is a great place to spot the Orca “killer” whales up close and personal. Tours depart from many port cities including Tysfjord, Vestfjord and Ofotfjord in Nordland.