The Whale Coast
Húsavík's fjords and the great whales, by private boat. A private, tailored journey of 3-4 days in The North & Lake Mývatn, Iceland, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor — with Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels, from US$11,200 per traveler.
- Wildlife · Family
- Ideal length: 3-4 days
- Best time: June through August brings the midnight sun and open Highland roads, while September to March draws the aurora across long, dark skies.
- Private guiding, access and transfers throughout
- From US$11,200 per traveler — a starting point, tailored to you
- Designed one-to-one by a Forest Travel advisor
- Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels
Húsavík's fjords and the great whales, by private boat. A private, tailored journey of 3-4 days in The North & Lake Mývatn, Iceland, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor — with Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels, from US$11,200 per traveler.
Iceland offers raw, elemental landscapes and geothermal serenity within a few private hours of one another.
When to go
June through August brings the midnight sun and open Highland roads, while September to March draws the aurora across long, dark skies. Your advisor times it to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.
The experiences
A sense of what this journey can hold — each one arranged privately and shaped to you:
- A private-charter sail into the northern fjord in search of the great whales.
- A quiet morning at the whale-watching harbour with a marine guide for the whole family.
- A coastal walk to the cliffs where seabirds nest in the summer light.
- A gentle day among the geothermal lake's craters, easy enough for every age.
A sense of the rhythm
The whale coast is made for families and for patience. Mornings go to the fjord, watching for the blows and the great backs breaking the surface; afternoons stay gentle, along the shore or by the lake. The days are active but never taxing.
How to do it well
The counsel our advisors give travelers planning this journey:
- Charter privately so you can follow a pod without the pressure of a fixed return.
- The summer months bring the widest range of whales into the northern fjord.
- Dress everyone warmly; the wind offshore is far colder than the harbour suggests.
- Balance the sailing with an easy geothermal day, so the children's energy lasts.
What only your advisor can open
The difference between a good trip and an unrepeatable one is access — and access is a relationship, not a booking. Every guide, room and moment is chosen and sequenced for you.
Who it's for
Travelers who value privacy, time and doing it once — beautifully — and who would rather have one trusted advisor orchestrate every detail than assemble it themselves.
Estimated investment
From US$11,200 per traveler, based on double occupancy — scaled to your dates, party size and level of privacy. A starting point, not a final quote; confirmed once your advisor tailors the itinerary.
Designed entirely around you
Nothing here is a package. A Forest Travel advisor shapes the whole journey and stays one message away before and throughout your trip.
Your Virtuoso privileges
As a Virtuoso member, Forest Travel includes benefits reserved for Virtuoso guests at the finest luxury hotels, at no added cost: a room upgrade on arrival when available, daily breakfast for two, a property credit toward dining or spa, and early check-in with late check-out when the hotel allows.
Continue exploring The North & Lake Mývatn
Part of our The North & Lake Mývatn travel guide. Related private journeys:
Begin the conversation
Tell a Forest Travel advisor how you like to travel and they will design The Whale Coast around you — privately, every Virtuoso privilege included. Request your private consultation →
Questions, answered.
A private charter lets you set your own hours, linger with a pod and keep the deck to your family. A scheduled sailing is simpler but shares the water and the timetable. With children aboard, the private charter is the calmer, kinder choice.
Dress everyone warmly, more warmly than the harbour suggests. Our advisors' counsel for this journey is that the wind offshore is far colder than it feels at the quay. Mornings on this coast are spent out in the northern fjord, watching for the blows and the great backs breaking the surface, so warm layers keep the whole family comfortable on deck.
Yes, and our advisors recommend it. Balance the sailing with an easy geothermal day so the children's energy lasts. The journey can hold a gentle day among the geothermal lake's craters, easy enough for every age. Afternoons on this coast also stay gentle, along the shore or by the lake, after mornings spent on the fjord.
Yes. The journey can include a coastal walk to the cliffs where seabirds nest in the summer light. It fits the coast's natural rhythm: mornings go to the fjord in search of the great whales, while afternoons stay gentle, along the shore or by the lake. The days are active but never taxing, and each experience is arranged privately and shaped to you.
Plan on 3-4 days for The Whale Coast. Mornings go to the northern fjord by private charter, watching for the blows and the great backs breaking the surface; a private charter lets you follow a pod without the pressure of a fixed return. Afternoons stay gentle, along the shore or by the lake. The days can also hold a quiet morning at the whale-watching harbour with a marine guide, a coastal walk to the seabird cliffs and an easy geothermal day among the lake's craters. Active, but never taxing.
As a private, tailored journey it starts from roughly US$11,200 per traveler (double occupancy) and scales with your dates, party and level of privacy — a starting point, never a fixed package price. Your advisor confirms the figure once the itinerary is tailored.
For whales, June through August is the time to aim for. The summer months bring the widest range of whales into the northern fjord, the midnight sun lengthens the days, the Highland roads are open and the seabirds nest on the coastal cliffs in the summer light. From September to March, the draw shifts to the aurora across long, dark skies. Your Forest Travel advisor times the journey to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.
Yes. The Whale Coast journey can hold a quiet morning at the whale-watching harbour in Húsavík with a marine guide for the whole family, arranged privately and shaped to you. It sits naturally beside the private-charter sail into the northern fjord in search of the great whales, keeping the rhythm of the coast: mornings given to the whales and the water, afternoons kept gentle along the shore or by the lake. The days are active but never taxing.
On a private-charter sail from Húsavík into the northern fjord, you watch for the blows and the great backs breaking the surface. The summer months bring the widest range of whales into the fjord. The coast rewards patience, and chartering privately lets you follow a pod without the pressure of a fixed return, so mornings on the water can unfold at the whales' pace rather than a timetable's.
Iceland
See the collection →Tell a private advisor how you like to travel — no quotes, no obligation.
Begin Your Private Consultation
