Both combinations leave from the same harbour, both put you on the water, and both give you something genuinely extraordinary. The question is what kind of extraordinary you are after.
Reykjavík's Old Harbour is the departure point for some of Iceland's most memorable short experiences. Within walking distance of the city centre, you can board a vessel into Faxaflói Bay in search of humpback whales and minke whales, cross to a peaceful island where a beam of light rises two kilometres into the sky, or pull alongside rocky nesting shores where Atlantic puffins stand at the edge of the sea in their thousands. The question most visitors face is not which single activity to choose — it is which combination makes the most of a half-day.
This guide compares two of the most compelling pairings: whale watching followed by a guided tour of Viðey Island and the Imagine Peace Tower on one hand, and whale watching paired with a puffin colony visit on the other. Both involve the bay. Both leave from the same pier. But they deliver entirely different half-days.
| Feature | 🌎 Whale Watching + Viðey Island | 🐦 Whale Watching + Puffins |
|---|---|---|
| Total Duration | ~5 hours (3h + 2h) | 2–3.5 hours (built-in or back-to-back) |
| Season Availability | Year-round | Puffins: late Apr – mid-Aug only |
| Whale Vessel Type | Large boat — heated saloon, cafeteria | RIB — max 12 passengers, fast & nimble |
| Physical Demand | Moderate — island hill walk included | Moderate — RIB requires sea legs |
| Wildlife Seen | Whales, dolphins, seabirds | Whales, dolphins, puffins, seals, seabirds |
| Cultural Dimension | Strong — art, history, Yoko Ono, John Lennon | Low — pure wildlife experience |
| Island Landing | Yes — guided walk on Viðey | No — protected nesting islands, boat-only |
| Food Included | Hot chocolate & kleina on Viðey | Not included |
| Northern Lights Chance | Possible on return ferry (Oct – Mar) | Not a focus |
| Best For | Culture, art, couples, autumn/winter | Wildlife maximum, families, summer |
This combination pairs a classic whale watching cruise in Faxaflói Bay with a guided two-hour walk on Viðey Island — two entirely separate experiences that happen to depart from the same harbour and fit together naturally into a half-day.
The whale watching portion uses a larger converted vessel where marine biologist naturalists guide the group across the bay in search of humpback whales, minke whales, white-beaked dolphins, and harbour porpoises. Before you even leave the harbour, the onboard wildlife exhibition — real whale skeletons, baleen plates, and dolphin teeth — gives you a preview of what the ocean holds. A heated saloon and cafeteria keep the experience comfortable regardless of what the weather delivers, and a complimentary overall is provided on boarding. The tour runs year-round, which is significant: Faxaflói Bay is productive in all seasons, and winter departures regularly produce their own distinctive sightings.
Viðey Island changes the mood entirely. The ferry from the Old Harbour takes just minutes, depositing you on one of the most quietly compelling spots in Iceland. Your naturalist guide leads you across the island to the Imagine Peace Tower — Yoko Ono's tribute to John Lennon, inscribed in 24 languages and powered entirely by geothermal energy. The tower's column of light rises two kilometres into the sky when illuminated, typically between October and March on specific dates tied to John Lennon's life. In summer, the island walk is still extraordinary — centuries of trading history, two of Iceland's oldest stone buildings, and panoramic views of Reykjavík from Sjonarholl hill. The experience ends with hot chocolate and a traditional Icelandic kleina at Videy House, beside the Wish Tree installation where visitors leave written wishes on the branches.
As a combination, this pairing suits visitors who want to move between the vast and the intimate — from humpback whales surfacing in open water to a single column of light rising from a quiet island. It works in every season but comes into its own in autumn and winter, when the tower illuminates and the possibility of northern lights on the return ferry adds one more layer to an already layered afternoon.
This combination packs the maximum amount of Icelandic wildlife into a single outing — whales, dolphins, puffins, seals, and seabirds, all on the same body of water within a few kilometres of the city centre. Two formats are available, and the choice between them shapes the experience significantly.
The most streamlined option is the RIB whale watching tour that includes a puffin island stop as part of its route. Running from April through October with the puffin segment active from late April to mid-August, this 2-hour experience is built for efficiency and proximity. The rigid inflatable boat carries a maximum of 12 passengers, equipped with suspension seating, warm overalls, and goggles. It travels faster than conventional whale watching vessels, which means more ocean covered, closer approaches to wildlife, and a route that begins with a pass by one of three puffin islands — Lundey, Akurey, or Engey — before venturing into open water for the whale search. On the return leg, the boat follows the Reykjavík shoreline past the Sun Voyager and Harpa Concert Hall, giving a rare view of the city from sea level.
The alternative is to book the classic whale watching cruise alongside a dedicated puffin watching boat tour as two separate experiences. The puffin tour (1 to 1.5 hours) uses a smaller, quieter vessel that moves slowly alongside the colony islands, with the captain cutting the engines near the shores so the natural sound of the colony comes through. Binoculars are provided, crew members share context about the birds and the ecosystem, and passengers can observe puffin behaviour — diving, landing, squabbling over burrows — in unhurried detail. Combined with the classic whale watching cruise (2 to 3.5 hours), this back-to-back format gives more time with each species but requires planning the timing between departures.
In either format, the wildlife combination is extraordinary in summer. Iceland hosts the world's largest Atlantic puffin colony, and the proximity of the nesting islands to the Old Harbour means that this is one of the few places on earth where you can watch humpback whales breach in the morning and observe puffins landing with sand eels in their beaks in the afternoon, all within walking distance of a city centre café.
→ Are visiting in autumn or winter when puffins are absent
→ Are interested in contemporary art and the story of the Imagine Peace Tower
→ Want to actually set foot on an island rather than observe from the boat
→ Are travelling as a couple or with culture-minded companions
→ Want to time your visit with the tower's illumination (Oct–Dec, solstice, equinox)
→ Prefer the comfort of a large whale watching vessel
→ Are hoping for a northern lights sighting on the return ferry
→ Are visiting between late April and mid-August
→ Want to maximise wildlife encounters in a short time
→ Are travelling with children who love animals
→ Prefer the RIB experience — faster, more dynamic, smaller group
→ Have only a half-day and want both species without separate bookings
→ Are primarily interested in nature rather than cultural context
→ Want to see seals, puffins, and whales all in one outing
If you are visiting in summer and wildlife is your priority, the whale watching and puffin combination wins outright — more species, more encounters, and puffins are one of the genuinely improbable joys of an Iceland trip. If you are visiting outside the puffin window, or if you want something that moves beyond wildlife and into art, history, and the very particular atmosphere of a small island with a very large story, the Viðey Island combination is the more complete half-day. Both are excellent. The season decides most of it.
The single most important factor in choosing between these two combinations is the date of your visit. Puffins are present from late April to mid-August — outside that window, the whale and puffin combination simply does not exist. The Viðey Island combination is available year-round, but the Imagine Peace Tower illumination season (October through December, plus the winter solstice and spring equinox) makes autumn and winter visits particularly special. Summer Viðey Island visits are beautiful in their own right — long light, open views, wildflowers on the island paths — but the tower's light beam is the defining feature and it is not active in summer.
Iceland's coastal weather is unpredictable regardless of season. For the classic whale watching cruise, thermal overalls are provided on board — wear warm base layers underneath and bring a waterproof layer. For the RIB tour, overalls and goggles are provided; the open, fast nature of the ride makes cold conditions more noticeable, so thermal underlayers are strongly recommended even in summer. For the Viðey Island walk, sturdy footwear with grip is advised — the hill path to Sjonarholl covers uneven terrain.
All four experiences depart from or near the Old Harbour, which makes logistics straightforward. For the Viðey Island combination, check the whale watching cruise return time and book the Viðey ferry to depart at least 30 minutes later — allowing for any minor delays. The Viðey House hot chocolate stop at the end of the island walk provides a natural buffer before heading back to the mainland. For the whale watching plus dedicated puffin tour combination, the short puffin tour (1 to 1.5 hours) fits easily into the gap between other activities and can be done either before or after the whale watching cruise.
Neither whale watching combination guarantees a specific sighting. Whales are wild animals and their presence in the bay varies with season, conditions, and natural movement. Puffins, by contrast, are reliably present at their island colonies throughout the breeding season and are effectively guaranteed during their active months. The Imagine Peace Tower is always visible on Viðey Island, but the light beam is only active during its specific illumination season — checking the schedule before booking is essential if the tower's light column is the main draw of your visit.
