It
was in Husavik in the mid-1990s that Iceland’s first whale watching cruises took place. Up to 23 species of cetaceans, including the blue whale, can be seen in and around the bay.
Húsavík is a town that was founded and developed thanks to whaling. Today it makes its living by protecting and showcasing these beautiful animals.
Husavik – the capital of whaling in Iceland
Húsavík is the undisputed capital of Icelandic whaling. It used to mean hunting, catching and processing whales for fat, oil, leather, etc. Today, it’s mostly about showing these beautiful marine mammals to tourists from all over the world. Husavik is the best place in Iceland to see whales, especially the largest ones. Indeed, blue whales often come to the bay north of the city.
It
was in Husavik in the mid-1990s that Iceland’s first whale watching cruises took place. Up to 23 species of cetaceans, including the blue whale, can be seen in and around the bay.
As you can easily guess, there are many companies in the town offering “whale watching” cruises, that is, just whale watching (more precisely: cetaceans, because you can also see, for example, dolphins or orcas). Even in the high season there should be no problem with booking a place on the boat.
Companies that organize such cruises are based in the port, but you can also buy places for a cruise online (we list prices for 2023):
Here are the current prices for 2023:
- Gentle Giants
– RIB boat ride combined with a trip to a puffin island ($145/person)
– traditional cruise by cutter ($80/person); - North Sailing
– cutter cruise ($80/person)
– Silent Whale Watching (Carbon-Neutral) ($85/person); - Husavik Adventures
– RIB/zodiac tour ($140/person);
The most important thing to keep in mind before the cruise is the weather – be prepared for it and be flexible about any change of plans. You also need to decide whether to go on a traditional ship or a so-called RIB (I recommend RIBs). You can read more about whale watching cruises in a separate article: Whale watching cruises
Husavik – charming port town
The heart of Husavik is naturally the harbor. Colorful and usually bustling, today it is full not only of fishing boats, but also tourist boats.
The harbor is also home to a small Whale Museum with many exhibits on both whales and whalers. The museum’s main attraction is certainly the skeletons of several whale species, including the fully preserved skeleton of a blue whale stranded on the beach. Not a stunning museum by any means, but certainly a good way to spend some time if, for example, you have to wait for your cruise and you already have shopping done.
There is also a church built in 1907 on the town’s main street, which is also in the town’s emblem. Also a landmark is the House of Culture, which houses museum collections: a regional collection, a district archive, a nature collection, a marine collection, and a photo and film archive.
Husavik’s tourist attractions
In addition to whale watching cruises, Húsavík provides tourists with all the necessary services and several additional attractions. Here one can find a hotel, guesthouses, stores, restaurants, a campground, gas stations, a park, museums, a swimming pool, geothermal springs, a golf course and many pleasant walking trails of different levels of difficulty. One of the most popular is the one around Lake Botnsvatn, just outside the city.
In the northern part of the city, right on the bay, there is a modern hot pool and spa complex – Geo Sea. It is one of the newest of its kind in Iceland and certainly falls into the intimate category. It counts only 2 medium-sized pools, 1 small pool and 1 wading pool, but everything (including the changing rooms and adjacent restaurant) is elegant, and the pools offer beautiful views of the fjord. Drinks and snacks are served directly into the pool.
Book your admission to GeoSea Husavik here: Husavik: GeoSea Geothermal Baths Entrance Ticket (approx. $43/person).
Video: GeoSea in Husavik
As in many other places in Iceland, horseback riding and sea kayaking are also available near the town. See a short selection here:
- Whales & Horses – 4+ hours whale watching + horseback riding combo, $165 pp;
- Seaside horse riding – 5-hour horse-back tour, $195 pp;
- Birdwatching half day tour: Húsavík & surroundings – 4-hour tour, $180 pp;
E
ach year in mid-July, Húsavík hosts a festival called Mærudagar – Candy Days. Thousands of people from all over Iceland come to this tiny town to eat and drink surrounded by loud music and colorful decorations.
Husavik Airport
To the south of the city is a small airport (Húsavíkurflugvöllur). It’s a small, single-runway airport that can be reached by a scheduled flight from Reykjavík. Planes also carry courier shipments, should you need that.
Húsavík Airport was established in 1957. A new terminal was opened in 1986. It is served (or has been served in the past) by local airlines including Icelandair, Norlandair, Air Iceland, Mýflug Air and Eagle Air. Currently, you will only fly from Húsavík to Reykjavík. The route is 293 kilometers long, and the flight takes about 55 minutes. The cost of such a flight is about EUR 100 (one way).
Y
ou will fly to Husavik Airport (HZK) from Reykjavik City Airport (RKV), rather than from Iceland’s main airport – Keflavik International Airport (KEF).
You can get to the airport from the city by your own car or by shuttle bus from companies: Fjallasýn and Skutlþjónustan Húsavík. There are also two car rental companies operating in the terminal.
F
or people visiting Iceland for a very short time the option to fly to Husavik and explore the Myvatn area and go on whale watching cruise, without having to drive all around the island is quite reasonable. Just keep in mind that flights (especially in winter) can be disrupted by the weather, so plan this for the beginning rather than the end of the trip.
How to get to Husavik
Husavik is located on Highway 85, about 55 km northeast of the regional capital: Akureyri and 40 km from Highway 1. It is a good base not only for whale watching cruises, but also for excursions to the region’s Myvatn, or to the canyon Asbyrgi and the waterfall Dettifoss.
20 km north of the city, at the end of the peninsula, lies the quite interesting North 66.12 campground. It has nice sanitary facilities, beautiful views of the ocean, very nice owners and even a mini open-air museum (Mánárbakki Museum).
The most natural way to get to Husavik is, of course, to take Road 85 or Road 87 when going around Iceland on the main ring road – Road 1. However, you can also come to Husavik by bus – line 79 from Akureyri – Iceland’s Capital of the North The trip takes just over an hour.
Of course, as I described above, you can also fly here fairly quickly and inexpensively directly from the airport in downtown Reykjavik.
