Arctic Adventure Tours · Skjervøy
Arctic Adventure Tours drives you about four hours north to Skjervøy at 05:00, puts you in a thermal suit and takes you out in an open 34-foot RIB. You pick it for the whale time: about three hours at sea, right where the orcas and humpbacks feed, sitting low on the water.
The whales stopped wintering just outside Tromsø years ago. Today the herring sits around Kvænangen and Skjervøy, and this trip takes the road there instead of the sea. The coach leaves the Scandic Ishavshotel at 05:00 sharp, with Wi-Fi and a toilet on board, and reaches Skjervøy about four hours later, as the twilight comes up.
In Skjervøy you swap the coach seat for a thermal suit, boots, mittens, goggles and a life vest. Then it is out in a 34-foot open RIB for about three hours at sea (the itinerary says up to four). That is roughly twice the whale time of the big boats from Tromsø, and you sit close to the surface, which makes a tall orca fin feel very big. Afterwards there is a hot drink and a sandwich before the four hours back, arriving around 17:30.
Be honest with yourself about the day. Twelve hours, eight of them on a coach. The listing excludes children under 14, anyone pregnant or with back problems, and anyone under 140 cm, because an open RIB bounces. It is cold, even in the suit. And you will rarely be alone out there: Visit Tromsø's 2025/26 survey found typically 9 to 14 boats around one whale group. A small RIB copes with that better than a big catamaran, but it does not make the crowd go away.
Meet outside the Scandic Ishavshotel at Fredrik Langes gate 2. Onboarding starts at 04:45 and the coach leaves at 05:00 sharp.
North through the Lyngen region in the dark and then the twilight. Sleep if you can.
Thermal suit, boots, mittens, goggles and life vest on, plus a safety briefing from the skipper.
The skipper follows the whales around the Skjervøy fjords. Orcas and humpbacks are the main winter species.
Hot drink and a sandwich, then about four hours on the coach, back in Tromsø around 17:30.
★★★★★Amazing from start to finish, the coach journey was comfortable when we arrived everyone was super helpful and friendly.
★★★★★Seeing whales, in particular Orcas was a bucket list experience for me and this tour did not disappoint!
★★★★★The landscapes, both at sea and on land, are magnificent.
Read next:
About three hours at sea, according to the listing (the itinerary allows up to four). The full day is 12 hours, with about four hours on the coach each way.
14. The listing also excludes anyone under 140 cm, pregnant guests and anyone with back problems, because an open RIB can bounce hard in waves.
Yes, the wind chill at speed is real. You get a thermal suit, boots, mittens and goggles. Wear wool layers underneath, a hat and a buff, and the cold becomes manageable.
Outside the Scandic Ishavshotel, Fredrik Langes gate 2, in central Tromsø. Be there at 04:45; the coach leaves at 05:00 sharp.
Ready to book
About three hours at sea in an open RIB off Skjervøy, with the coach from Tromsø and a full thermal suit included.
Whale Safari by 12-Seat RIBAn open 12-seat RIB from Skjervøy harbour with about 3 hours of whales. Add the bus from Tromsø, or skip it.★ 5.0 · 4 to 12 hours
Orca & Whale Watching by Heated BoatA covered boat with a heated cabin out of Skjervøy, 12 guests at most, and 3 to 3.5 hours at sea.★ 4.7 · 12 hours
Whale Safari by Hybrid-Electric BoatNo coach and no survival suit: a heated hybrid catamaran from central Tromsø that goes electric near the whales.★ 4.5 · 7 to 9 hours