Experience true Nordic winter with these Iceland and Canada tours!

Overview

We offer unforgettable full day whale and bird watching safaris in Stø from start of June until end of August.

Highlights

  • Whale watching (100% guarantee)
  • Bird watching
  • Seal watching

Experience a day out on the open sea, as we take you to Bleik Canyon, one of the most important sperm whale feeding areas in Northern Europe. We also have a chance to meet other cetacean species, including orcas, minke whales, long-finned pilot whales, and harbour porpoises.

On the way back to Stø, we will make a stop off Anda Island to have a look at Atlantic puffins, guillemots, razorbills, white-tailed eagles and harbour seals. Anda supports one of the most stable puffin colonies in Norway, with about 30,000 birds nesting on the island every summer. We offer a light soup lunch onboard, with unlimited tea, coffee and biscuits available for guests.

Our highly experienced and qualified guides will ensure you have an informative, safe and exciting day in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

We have a 100% whale guarantee; in the very rare occasion we cannot find any whales, we will offer you another whale safari free of charge

  • Personal Experience
  • Local Guides
  • Trusted Tour Operator
Availability June - Aug
Duration 6-8 hours
Departs from Stø in Vesterålen
Difficulty Easy Suitable for most people in fair condition.
Meet on Location No
Pick Up Yes

From

123
Per
Adult
  • No Booking Fees
  • Fast & secure payment
  • Best Price Guarantee

Price List
Adults: 1300 NOK
Children (5 - 12 years): 650 NOK
Children (2 - 4 years*): 300 NOK
Students, senior citizens (65+ yrs): 1200 NOK
* If you would like to bring a child under two (2) years old to the safari, please contact our office

What's included

Included

  • Full day whale watching tour combined with bird and seal watching
  • Multilingual naturalist guide for the duration of the safari
  • Fish soup or vegan soup made of local products
  • Coffee, tea & biscuits

What to bring

  • We have seating indoors, but it's always good idea to bring warm clothes, footwear, hat and gloves! It is cold out at sea!
  • Waterproof clothes in case of rainy days
  • Sunglasses and sun lotion
  • Binoculars
  • Camera, extra memory card and battery
  • Bottle of water, any snacks you might like
  • A smile and a sense of adventure! It is a full day ocean safari!

Not Included

  • Flights

Itinerary

The whale area, Bleik Canyon

group of whales breaching out of water

We head towards the underwater canyon of Bleik, in search of the highlight of the whale watching tour - the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). On the way offshore, we regularly encounter different whale species inhabiting these waters, for example:

  • Pilot whale (Globicephala melas)
  • Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
  • Orca or killer whale (Orcinus orca)
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
  • Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus)
  • Harbour porpoise (Phocoean phocoena)

Each safari is different, which makes the experience even more exciting! When we set out from the harbour, we never know exactly what kind of whales wait for us on that particular da

  • Confirm your booking latest the day before the scheduled departure
  • Check in begins an hour before departure
  • All passengers need to be at the reception no later than 45 minutes before departure
  • Tours are weather dependent and can be cancelled due to strong wind or low visibility
  • Minimum number of passengers: 15 (We reserve the right to cancel a departure if there are less than 15 persons on the tour.)
  • Payment either in full online through our booking system, or on the morning of your trip for email/phone bookings
  • Length of safari: in average 6-8 hours although this can vary depending on weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances 
  • Prices include local taxes
  • Trip duration may vary due to weather conditions, and/or location of the whales, therefore Arctic Whale Tours hold no liability for any inconvenience this may cause

Location: Stø in Vesterålen

Departure: 10:00, please be at our reception no later than 45 minutes before departure

Duration: The trips typically last 6-8 hours although this may vary depending on weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances.

Guiding: You will be accompanied by our qualified nature guides during the whole tour. Our guides have firsthand knowledge about the marine wildlife of this area.‍

Please note: Departure times may be subject to last minute changes due to weather conditions or passenger demand. Full terms and conditions below.

On the way back, we will serve you a hot meal: our delicious fish soup or vegetarian soup with bread. The soups contain local supplies and self-collected herbs. You can enjoy the boat ride and magnificent landscapes while summing up the experiences of the safari with our friendly crew.

The last stop on our whale safari is the island Anda. Here we will take you close to the bird cliffs, which are home to thousands of seabirds. About 30000 puffins inhabit the island every summer from mid April to mid August. We will also go close to the flat rocks north of the island to see if we find harbour seals resting on the rocks. Some of the bird species you can expect to see are:

  • White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
  • Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)
  • Cormorant and European shag (Phalacrocorax carbo and Phalacrocorax sinensis)
  • Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)
  • Common guillemot (Uria aalge)
  • Razorbill (Alca torda)

Our safari success rate is around 95 %, but occasionally, it happens that we fail to spot any whales (we are dealing with nature and wildlife, after all). For such rare days, we have a whale guarantee: If we do not see whales, guests who are interested can join on another safari free of charge. In this case, please contact reception after the trip and we will rebook you.