Throughout the last days, we have been lucky to encounter white-beaked dolphins on several of our departures. These smaller cousins of the whales are simply always adorable and their joy and playfulness overly contagious.
As the days grow longer and the chill of winter recedes, one of nature’s most charming visitors begins to make its return to various places around Iceland: the puffin. These iconic seabirds, known for their colourful beaks and oftentimes clumsy appearance, are among the first migratory birds to return to Iceland as spring approaches.
Yesterday, 1st of April, our season 2025 finally started and both our RIB speedboat Amma Helga as well as oak boat Sylvía departed on their first tours of the season as scheduled. „It was wonderful heading out onto Skjálfandi Bay again after the winter pause, to cross over to the mountainside, take in the views and share stories about the area with our guests onboard, to feel the sea breeze and spray in the face," says guide Sarah after the tour.
My last months were a good blend of visiting family and friends in various places as well as travelling to several destinations – in search for sun, wildlife and of course, the whales.In fact, the first whale sightings were quite unexpected in mid-December, when my mum and I travelled around Costa Rica.
Since our tours are seasonal, many of our staff members take the opportunity to re-unite with family and friends back home, travel and explore new places all over the globe, or to follow the whales wherever they go and work as captains and guides in various other places around the world.
A VOYAGE ACROSS OCEANS Some of you may have wondered why we don’t offer tours year-round. Instead, we stop sailing at the end of November and resume our tours at the beginning of April. The reason is simple.
As the days pass, we are getting closer and closer to the start of our next season. Before we know it, we will be sailing again. At Gentle Giants, we are a big group of people from all over the world, working hard to make each season even better than the ones before.
At Gentle Giants, we take pride in being 100% locally owned – from the very beginning. Our company was founded and built by people from Húsavík, and for the past 20 years, it has been owned and operated by a local experienced captain and fisherman, Stefán Guðmundsson, who has a long family history in our Skjálfandi Bay.
We are thrilled about Lonely Planet's recent travel story highlighting Húsavík and RIB whale watching as the top choice in their "Best whale watching experiences in the world". This is exciting news, putting Húsavík once again in the international spotlight.
Are whales seen on all tours? When is the best time to see whales? Is it necessary to book in advance? What type of clothing is recommended? Find answers to these and more on our new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.
