Where to see whales in Norway

Where is the best place in Norway to see whales?

For orcas and humpbacks, the fjords around Skjervøy and Kvænangen, reached from Tromsø between November and January. For sperm whales, Andenes in Vesterålen.

Four places come up again and again, and they suit different trips:

Sources: the IWC whale watching handbook, Hvalsafari Andenes and Visit Lofoten.

Where to see orcas in Norway?

Today, mainly in the fjords around Skjervøy and Kvænangen in winter, where they follow the herring.

Norway's orcas follow Norwegian spring-spawning herring to its wintering grounds, and the herring has moved. Through the 1990s it wintered in Tysfjord, Ofotfjord and Vestfjord in Lofoten. From about 2002 it shifted offshore, then came back to Andøya (2013 to 2018), to Vengsøya and Kvaløya near Tromsø (2015 and 2016), and to Kvænangen from 2017, according to Jourdain et al. 2021.

That is why older articles send you to Lofoten or promise orcas just outside Tromsø. Visit Tromsø says the whales are now mainly around Skjervøy and Kvænangen, and the whale boats from Tromsø travel there.

Can you see orca whales in Norway?

Yes, and in large numbers. Researchers identified 1,236 individual orcas in Norway between 1988 and 2019.

The same study estimates a super-population of about 1,890 orcas for 2012 to 2019, with yearly numbers that peaked at 1,061 in 2015 and fell to 513 in 2018. The Norwegian orca photo-ID database has received over 463,800 photos from 1,330 sightings since 2013 (Norwegian Orca Survey).

You may read that only 73 orcas are left. That figure belongs to the endangered Southern Resident killer whales of the US Pacific Northwest, 74 on 1 July 2025, not to Norway's orcas.

What is the best month to see orcas in Norway?

November to January in the Skjervøy fjords, with November the safest month. February is unreliable.

Visit Tromsø gives the season as early November to the end of January. In recent years the first orcas appeared in October, and in 2026 the whales had left by early February. The month by month detail is in the season guide.

Tromsø and Skjervøy or Andenes: which is better?

Tromsø for orcas and humpbacks in winter; Andenes for sperm whales, and for a summer whale trip.

Andenes sits by the Bleik canyon, where sperm whales feed and can be seen year-round. Hvalsafari Andenes runs its main season from late May to mid-September, with fewer winter departures. Visit Norway gives the Vesterålen seasons as early May to early November in summer, and mid-January to April in winter.

Sperm whales also turn up near Skjervøy now: three or four were seen in January 2024, more at the end of the 2025/26 season, and guests on the high-speed catamaran describe sperm whale sightings in January 2026. In winter, Tromsø gives you the widest mix of species in one day.

Already in Skjervøy? An open 12-seat RIB in the fjords, with or without the coach from Tromsø.

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Can you go whale watching in Lofoten or Svalbard?

Lofoten has no dedicated whale safaris now; Svalbard offers a summer chance of blue, fin and humpback whales and belugas.

Visit Lofoten says no providers in Lofoten offer dedicated whale safaris, and points visitors to Andenes. The orcas that once wintered in Vestfjord left with the herring.

Svalbard is a different trip: from May to September there is a chance of blue, fin and humpback whales and belugas. It is a chance, not the focus.

Where is the best place in the world to see whales?

It depends on the species and the month. Northern Norway in winter lets you watch orcas and humpbacks feeding together on herring in Arctic fjords.

• Hermanus, South Africa: southern right whales from June to November, best August to October, often visible from the 12 km Cliff Path (Audley).
• Monterey Bay, USA: gray whales in winter and spring, humpbacks from March into November, blue whales in summer (NOAA).
• Kaikōura, New Zealand: sperm whales year-round over the deep Kaikōura Canyon (New Zealand tourism).
• The Azores, Portugal: resident sperm whales year-round, with fin, blue and sei whales passing in April to June.
• Northern Norway: orcas and humpbacks on the herring near Skjervøy from November to January, sperm whales off Andenes.

Is whale watching in Norway worth it?

For most visitors, yes, if you go in season and accept a long day. Orcas and humpbacks feeding below snowy mountains in the midday twilight are a rare sight.

Go in with the right expectations. Sightings are never guaranteed, a whale day lasts 7 to 12 hours, and the biggest boats give about 1 to 1.5 hours with the whales. The feeding grounds are often crowded: a 2025/26 survey counted typically 9 to 14 boats per whale group. A trip with a free second chance, or a small boat from Skjervøy, makes the day more likely to go well. The boat-by-boat comparison helps you pick.

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