Holidays in Iceland in July
June, July, and August are the official “summer months” in Iceland. This time of the year is ideal for travelers who are afraid or not used to the colder polar climate. July as one of the warmest months of the year is perfect for road trips, hikes, and camping. Iceland in July means endless daylight, amazing sunsets, and very impressive wildlife all around the island. In summer, thousands of sea birds nest in Iceland, sheep wander around with their lambs, and horses can be seen almost everywhere. But July is also a great time to go whale watching in Iceland. July is one of the best months of the year for whale watching in Iceland. Weather-wise and also in regards to the number of whale species, summer provides great opportunities.
Iceland Whale Watching with Láki Tours
Whale watching tours are available in different regions of Iceland. Láki Tours operates whale trips in Snaefellsnes in the West of Iceland and also from Hólmavík in the remote Westfjords. In this article, we want to provide you an idea about what to expect on a whale trip with Láki Tours and also describe possible differences to other whale watching places in Iceland.
Iceland Whale Watching in July from Snaefellsnes
From Snaefellsnes, we operate our tours in summer from Ólafsvík in the northern part of the peninsula. Láki Tours is the only operator in this area and we follow the Icelandic code of conduct for whale watching strictly. We operate our tours with only one boat meaning there is only little disturbance to the whales in our bay. We put great emphasis on informing our guests about the whales we see, their behaviors, and also their endangerment.
Snaefellsnes is a very unique place for whale watching and differs from most whale watching places in Iceland. Snaefellsnes is famous for a variety of different whale species. It regularly happens that we see three or even more species on only one tour in July. While the North of Iceland is famous for the humpback whales and from Reykjavik you usually see minke whales, in Snaefellsnes you do not really know what to expect and everything is possible. The most common species we usually see in July are orcas, humpback whales, pilot whales, minke whales, and dolphins. But there is also the chance to see blue whales or sperm whales in July. We recommend checking our sighting overview in order to get a better idea about what to expect on a whale watching tour in Snaefellsnes in July. Please have a look at the whale species we saw in July 2019 and July 2018.
Orca Watching in Snaefellsnes
Snaefellsnes is also the only region in Iceland where orcas (also called killer whales) are regularly seen on whale watching tours. These beautiful photos were taken on our tours in July 2019. Killer whales are known to be extremely social and live in family groups. Therefore we usually see several individuals feeding, sometimes interacting with each other or playing.
Iceland Whale Watching July from Holmavik in the Amazing Westfjords
Our tours from Hólmavík are slightly different than the trips from Snaefellsnes but also have some unique features to offer. Like in Snaefellsnes we are the only operator in Hólmavík and operate our tours on only one boat. Not so many people explore the remote Westfjords area and therefore our tours usually take place in a small group setting.
The bay around Hólmavík is famous for its calmness and also known to host a lot of humpback whales during summer. Plus, the whales are usually deep inside the bay and therefore it usually does not take long until we reach them by boat. This makes our whale tour from Hólmavík very convenient for the following types of travelers:
- It is the ideal whale trip for persons that are afraid of getting seasick thanks to its shorter duration and the calm bay.
- This tour is perfect for families with small children that might get a bit inpatient on a longer tour
- It is a great opportunity for photographers. The sailing is very smooth and stable and no other boat will appear next to the whale we are observing.
It is also pretty impressive how often we see the very acrobatic behavior of humpback whales on our whale tours such as tail slapping, breaching, or spy hopping. Humpback whales are the favorite species for many whale enthusiasts around the world.
Whale Watching Ólafsvík
