Winter boat trips from Tromsø to the fjords around Skjervøy, where orcas and humpbacks hunt herring.
Watch a humpback's tail lift against the Lyngen Alps in pink midday twilight, and hear orcas blow beside the boat.
Season 2026/27 is under way. Guests on the big boats from Tromsø reported orcas and humpbacks in mid-October 2026. Season update
Whale time, spelled outHours with the whales, not just trip length
Ten boats, one tableBig catamarans, RIBs and an overnight ship
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, on every safari here
Secure bookingCheckout on GetYourGuide
Safaris
Choose your Tromsø whale safari
In the centre, the most booked boat from Tromsø harbour. Either side, the open RIB out of Skjervøy with the
longest time at sea, and a smaller all-inclusive boat. Every card opens a full tour page.
A 05:00 coach to Skjervøy, then about three hours at sea in an open 34-foot RIB, close to the water and the whales. Thermal suit, boots and goggles are provided.
What's included
Coach from Scandic Ishavshotel with Wi-Fi and toilet
About 3 hours at sea in an open RIB
Thermal suit, boots, mittens, goggles and life vest
Brim Explorer's catamaran sails about three hours north to the feeding grounds and switches to its quiet electric engine near the whales. Three outdoor decks, heated saloons and a café.
What's included
Boat from central Tromsø and back, no coach
About 1 to 1.5 hours around the feeding grounds
Heated saloons with panoramic windows, Wi-Fi, toilets
Polar Adventures sails about 2.5 hours to the Skjervøy area with a smaller crowd than the biggest boats. Thermal suits, hot drinks and food are part of the package.
Three questions sort it out. Do you want to sail all the way or ride a coach to Skjervøy? Big heated boat or
open RIB? And how many hours with the whales is worth a very long day?
Every safari here cancels free up to 24 hours before. Sightings are never guaranteed; several boats
offer a free second trip if you see no whales, and the tour pages say which.
Before you book
Every boat goes north. The choice is how.
Ten years ago the herring wintered close to Tromsø, and so did the whales that eat it. Since 2017 the herring has
spent the winter further north, in Kvænangen and the fjords around Skjervøy, and the orcas and humpbacks followed. Every
whale safari sold in Tromsø today is really a trip to the same patch of sea, about 160 km away by road.
You get there one of two ways. The big boats sail from Tromsø harbour, about 2.5 to 3.5 hours each way, with
heated saloons, a café and a deck to step out on. Time around the whales is usually one to two and a half hours. The
coach and small-boat trips leave Tromsø around 05:00, drive about four hours to Skjervøy and put you in a RIB or a
small covered boat for about three hours at sea. Closer to the water, more whale time, a twelve-hour day.
160
Kilometres by road from Tromsø to Skjervøy, about four hours with or
without the two ferries. By boat it is about 2.5 hours on the faster ships.
Big catamaranOpen RIBCovered small boatOvernight ship
A male orca's dorsal fin can stand close to two metres tall.
01
Will I see whales?
Likely in season, never guaranteed. Several boats offer a free second trip if you see none.
02
When is the season?
Roughly late October to the end of January. November and December are the core.
03
Big boat or RIB?
Big boat for warmth, children and comfort. RIB for closeness and the longest time at sea.
04
Who should skip a RIB?
Under-14s, anyone pregnant or with back problems: both RIB listings rule them out.
Your day
How a whale safari runs
Seven to nine hours on a big boat, about twelve on a coach and RIB day. This is the shape of it.
01
An early start
Big boats leave Tromsø harbour between about 07:30 and 09:00. Coaches to Skjervøy leave around 05:00 from Scandic Ishavshotel or Prostneset.
05:00 to 09:00
02
The commute north
Past the Lyngen Alps by sea or by road, while the guide explains herring, orcas and the rules of the approach.
2.5 to 4 hours
03
With the whales
Around midday, in the few hours of twilight, the crew looks for blows, gulls and feeding orcas, then slows right down.
1 to 3 hours
04
Home in the dark
Hot drinks, photos to swap and the long run back. Most trips are in Tromsø again between about 16:30 and 17:30.
SkjervøyAbout 160 kmNorth of Tromsø, where the herring and the whales spend the winter since 2017.
By boat2.5 to 3.5 hEach way on the catamarans from Tromsø harbour, past the Lyngen Alps.
By coachAbout 4 hEach way to Skjervøy, then a small boat from the harbour.
With the whales1 to 4 hThe number to compare, not the 7 to 12 hour trip length.
DaylightAbout 4 hUsable twilight around midday in December. Trips are timed to it.
Refund24 hoursFree cancellation up to a day before, on every safari listed here.
Where it happens
Where the whales are
North of Tromsø, around Skjervøy
Departures: Tromsø harbour (Prostneset, Nerstranda, the front pier) or the coach stop at Scandic Ishavshotel
The whales are not in Tromsø. They feed in the fjords around Skjervøy and Kvænangen, a fishing town of about 2,400
people on islands between the mouths of the Lyngen and Kvænangen fjords. Every tour here takes you there and back, by
boat or by coach, so you do not need a car. If you are already staying in Skjervøy, the 12-seat RIB can be booked
without the coach.
Tromsø to Skjervøy by road: about 160 km, about 4 hours
Whale boats run in the midday twilight; the aurora needs the dark. Book a chase for a different night: the guides follow the forecast, light a fire when the weather allows and take your photo under the lights.
The photos on every listing look alike: a black fin, a white tail, a pink sky. The trips behind them differ
in how you get north, how long you stay and how many other boats are there.
Why the whales are not in Tromsø any more
The whales come for one thing: Norwegian spring-spawning herring, which spends the winter packed into northern fjords
before swimming south to spawn. Through the 1990s it wintered in Tysfjord and Vestfjord, far to the south. Around 2015 and
2016 it sat just outside Tromsø, off Kvaløya and Vengsøya, which is when the city's whale safari business took off. Since
2017 the herring, and so the whales, have wintered in Kvænangen and around Skjervøy. Visit Tromsø says it plainly: the
tours now travel north.
That history matters for one reason. Old blog posts and forum threads still describe whales "just outside Tromsø". They
were right at the time. Today the whale time on any trip is set by the distance to Skjervøy.
The big boats sail north past the Lyngen Alps, about 2.5 to 3.5 hours each way.
Sail there or ride there
The catamarans from Tromsø harbour turn the commute into part of the trip. You sit in a heated saloon with a coffee,
step out for the mountains, and have toilets and a café the whole way. The trade-off is time: Brim Explorer's listing gives
about one to one and a half hours around the feeding grounds on a seven to nine hour day.
The coach trips flip it. Four hours in a bus with Wi-Fi in the dark, then about three hours on the water from Skjervøy
harbour, in an open RIB with a survival suit or in a small covered boat with a heated cabin. You sit lower, nearer the
whales, with a handful of other guests instead of a hundred. It is a twelve-hour day that starts at five in the morning.
Our RIB or big boat guide goes through it boat by boat.
The honest small print: trip length is not whale time. A nine-hour boat day can mean an hour with the
whales, and a twelve-hour coach day can mean three. Each of our tour pages puts the whale time first.
How crowded it gets
This is the part listings leave out. In the 2025/26 season, a survey by Brim Explorer and other Tromsø operators counted
typically 9 to 14 boats around a single group of whales, and 23 at the peak. Six in ten boats came within 50 metres, and
several ran faster than 20 knots. Visit Tromsø's voluntary guidelines ask for at most three boats at a time, idle speed within
50 metres and 30 minutes per boat. The only binding rule, the 2019 whale safari regulation, deals with distance to fishing
boats, not to whales. In March 2026 the operators themselves asked the government for licences and a speed limit. The
rules post follows where that stands.
On a RIB you sit low, in a survival suit, with about a dozen other guests.
What you are likely to see
Orcas and humpbacks are the reason to go. Norway's orca photo catalogue holds more than 1,200 individuals, and 866
humpbacks had been identified in northern Norway by 2019, many of them coming back year after year from breeding grounds in
the Caribbean and Cape Verde, about 9,000 km away. Fin whales turn up around Skjervøy most winters, and sperm whales have
appeared in the fjords in recent seasons. White-tailed eagles often show up on the way too. No boat can promise any of it, which is why the
free second trip on some listings is worth more than it sounds.
Humpbacks raise their tail before a deep dive: the shot everyone waits for.
Straight answers to what people ask most about whale watching from Tromsø.
Which month is best for whale watching in Tromsø?
November and December. The whales usually arrive in late October and stay until about the end of January, and Visit Tromsø gives the season as early November to the end of January. Mid-November to mid-December is the season at full strength. Month by month in the season guide.
Can you see whales in Tromsø itself?
Not any more. Around 2015 and 2016 the herring wintered just outside the city and the whales came with it. Since 2017 they feed around Skjervøy and Kvænangen, about 160 km north, so every safari sails or drives 2.5 to 4 hours each way. Why that matters.
What is the best whale watching tour in Tromsø?
It depends on what you want from the day. A big catamaran from Tromsø harbour is warm and easy and suits families. A coach to Skjervøy plus a RIB gives you about three hours at sea, close to the water, for fit adults. Boat by boat in RIB or big boat.
How much does it cost to watch orcas in Tromsø?
Prices move with the date and the boat, and the live price shows when you choose a date on each booking page. As a rule, a seat on a big catamaran from Tromsø is the cheaper option, a coach plus small boat from Skjervøy costs more, and the overnight expedition ship costs the most. Compare the boats.
Is it possible to see whales in Tromsø in February?
It is a gamble. In some earlier winters whales stayed around Skjervøy into mid-February, but in 2026 they had left by early February, and most operators end the season on 31 January. More in the February post.
Is it possible to see whales in Tromsø in November?
Yes, November is the heart of the season. Guides near Skjervøy reported feeding orcas, humpbacks and fin whales almost every day in November 2025, and November still has a few hours of daylight before the polar night begins around the 27th.
What time of day are whales most visible?
Around midday. In December there are only about four hours of usable light, roughly 09:30 to 14:00, so every trip is timed to reach the whales then. The coach trips start from Skjervøy at about 10:00 for the same reason.
Can you swim with orcas in Tromsø?
Norwegian law does not ban it, but none of the safaris on this site include it, and Visit Tromsø's guidelines discourage in-water activities near whales. The water is about 4 to 6°C in winter. The full picture is in swimming with orcas in Norway.
Where is the best place in Norway to see whales?
In winter, the fjords around Skjervøy north of Tromsø, for orcas and humpbacks. In summer, Andenes in Vesterålen, for sperm whales above the Bleik canyon. Lofoten has no dedicated whale safaris. See where to see whales in Norway.
Is whale watching in Norway worth it?
For most people, yes, as long as you know what you are booking: a long, cold day in polar twilight with one to three hours near the whales and no guarantee. Seeing orcas hunt herring in a fjord is something you will not forget. Pick a boat with a free second trip if a no-show would ruin your holiday.
Can I see the northern lights on a whale safari?
Not on purpose. Day trips run in the midday twilight and get back after dark, so on a clear night you might see the lights on the way home. The overnight MV Quest trip includes a northern lights wake-up call. For real odds, book a separate northern lights chase.
Ready to book
Pick your boat, meet the whales.
Big boat or RIB, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every safari.
Low on the water
★ 4.812 hoursFree cancellation
