Whale watching – Hurtigruten land excursion

Whale safari Arctic Norway. Photo by Marten Bril, www.nordnorge.com

Whale watching – Experience more of the beautiful wildlife that exists in the waters off of the Norwegian coast in this trip to spot local whales.

This is an optional land excursion which you can only book on board your Hurtigruten cruise (no advance booking available).

Sorry, but this excursion is no longer available.

Whale watching by Orjan Bertelsen, Hurtigruten

Whale watching in Norway

Leaving the ship early at Risoyhamn, a coach will take you through the mountainous, coastal scenery to the town of Andenes where your sturdy, whale-watching vessel awaits! The highly experienced crew of MS Reine will ensure you’re comfortable and decked out in waterproof clothing before heading out to sea. The ship will take you out to the edge of the continental shelf where the whales feed on the nutrients welling up from the abyss. Andenes is one of the few places in the world, let alone Norway, where the continental shelf is so close to the mainland so you are very fortunate. Using hydrophones, the ship’s crew can locate the whales underwater, and in 90% of sailings you catch a glimpse of these giants of the deep.

Whale safari in Norway by Orjan Bertelsen, Hurtigruten

Get close to the whales in Norway

After a few hours at sea, you head back to land and your onward coach journey to Finnsnes. En route, you will take the ferry across Andsfjord where you can enjoy a different perspective of the northern coastal scenery, and see how these communities are connected by the ocean. The ferry meets land at the fishing village of Gryllefjord, known for its mountains and windy weather. The area is also famous for the “Senja Troll”, a 17-m high troll statue containing an exciting world of adventures for young and old based on local legends!

Moving onwards, you will drive along the national tourist road and see a variety of landscapes before rejoining the Hurtigruten ship at Finnsnes for a well-deserved lunch.

Coastal Highlights Norway by Robert Cranna, Hurtigruten

Hurtigruten ship

Practical information:

Duration: 7 hours (start 04:30AM)
Included: Breakfast
Transportation: Bus, boat and ferry
Clothes/footwear: Comfortable shoes and warm clothing. Life vests are provided.
Available: June 5- September 4
Land excursion #5H

Midnight Sun at the Arctic Coast close to Tromso by Bjarne Riesto, Nordnorsk Reiseliv

Midnight sun in Arctic Norway

Available on the following Hurtigruten Cruise packages:

The Exclusive Grand Tour of Norway, 11 nights
Norwegian Coast, North Cape, Fjords & Flam Railway, 9 nights

View all our Tours & Cruises

Contact Fjord Travel Norway:
Use our contact form, send e-mail to [email protected], or
call us on +47 (55) 131-310 (Mon-Fri 09:00 to 15:30 local time)

What our customers say:

I wanted to thank everybody. We had a wonderful trip. Everything went well and fortunately we had the chance to see the lights while on the cruise. All my friends in Turkey would like to go on a similar trip. So I will be in touch with you. Thanks again and best wishes to all of you.

Candan, Turkey
On behalf of the group I would like to thank you and your colleagues for organizing our wonderful tour of Norway. Everything went very well including the weather, which was spectacular. We enjoyed all the hotels, the central locations you chose and the amenities, especially the lavish breakfasts. Three extra days in Oslo allowed us to tour the city at our leisure and to enjoy more of the important sights including the newly opened National Museum. The Norway in a Nutshell tour was amazing and made much easier by using your recommended porterage service between hotels in Oslo and Bergen. Both the train journeys and the boat trip were spectacular, and combined with a night in the beautiful Kviknes Hotel made for an unforgettable two days. We were very impressed by the Hurtigruten cruise, particularly the way they combined a working ship with a cruise ship, the comfortable accommodations, the food and service. It was fascinating to visit all the various ports, islands and fjords and the two included tours were excellent and informative. In the end we were glad to have the extra night in Kirkenes, to visit their lovely museum and take a trip to the Russian border. It was a good way to end the tour. Again, thank for staying with us through 2 years of pandemic postponements and changes. We certainly will recommend Fjord Travel in the future.

Marilyn, United States
We just recently completed the Tromso, Northern Lights & Arctic Coast tour. I am writing to say what an amazing tour we had. Everything ran smoothly without an issue, the accommodation was fantastic and the tours were brilliant. We cannot fault the package at all. I would also like to thank Franziska and Lene, they both were fantastic in answering all my questions promptly, whilst booking the tour. Thank you for a wonderful and memorable holiday!

Robert, Australia