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On the Westfjords of Iceland, we offer a spectacular tour that will take you to a fjord just outside Holmavik, which plays host to a multitude of humpback whales each summer.
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The tour begins in the picturesque village of Holmavik, which also plays host to the fascinating museum of witchcraft and sorcery. Hólmavík is located in the west of Iceland, on the Westfjords to be more specific. The Westfjords are known for its stunningly beautiful landscapes of multiple fjords and mountains. This area is still quite remote and undisturbed making it perfect for anyone looking to travel away from the crowds to enjoy nature. Furthermore, Láki Tours is the only operator running whale watching tours in Hólmavík so you don’t have to be worried about lots of other boats, well, maybe some locals fishing boats.
In Holmavik, you will meet our expert guide who will take you to our traditional Icelandic boat. Once on board, we will sail to the nearby fjord which is frequented by a host of different whale species throughout the year. We have great chances of seeing whales on our tours. In 2017, we saw whales on all of our tours except one, due to fog. Foremost of these is the legendary humpback whale, renowned for the way that they propel themselves out of the water and backflip back into the ocean depths. We also regularly see other whale species, such as minke whales, pilot whales, and white-beaked dolphins. There is also a chance that we will see orcas, sperm whales, and blue whales, meaning that if we are lucky we will see the largest animal to have ever existed.
The waters in the area are very calm since the area is quite sheltered from most wind-directions, making it ideal for people who are worried about turbulent ocean conditions. Although it is impossible to guarantee that we will see whales, our expert captain will use prevailing local knowledge and sea conditions to do his utmost to ensure that we see something (and it is rare that we don’t). The crew of the boat will also tell us everything we need to know about these majestic giants of the deep, making for a truly incredible experience that everyone is bound to enjoy.
The Icelandic humpback whale is similar to the majority of humpbacks around the world and are renowned for their playful nature. They are famed for their breaches, which occur as they leap out of the water and crash back down beneath the surface, making for a very photogenic scene. Adults generally measure between 16 meters and 18 meters in length and weigh between 30,000 and 40,000 kilograms. Their feeding habits have not been extensively studied although it is assumed that they eat pelagic fishes and plankton. They tend to visit during the summer months although they can be seen throughout the year. Their presence in Iceland is also a triumph of conservation with overfishing causing their population numbers to dwindle in the middle part of the 20th century, they have since recovered to around 14,000 individuals and are increasing at a rate of 12% a year.
