What Is Included on a Tromsø Whale Tour

The short version: every tour includes a guide and safety gear. Beyond that it varies a great deal: some include lunch, some include a hot drink and a sandwich, one includes heated thermal suits and every meal and drink of the day, and two include transfers because the day involves eight hours of bus. What none of them include is the clothing you wear under the suit.

Always includedGuide and safety gear

Thermal suitOn the Skjervøy days and the all-inclusive

Lunch includedHybrid-electric boat

All meals and drinksAll-inclusive safari

TransfersThe three Skjervøy days

Never includedYour base layers

Product by product

Hybrid-electric boat, 7–9 hours

Heated indoor saloons with panoramic windows, Wi-Fi, tap water and lunch included. Food and drink beyond lunch are sold on board. Departs from the Brim Explorer meeting point in Tromsø. There is no thermal suit here, because you are not expected to stand outside for eight hours — though you will want to. Full write-up on the review page.

High-speed catamaran, 8 hours

Usually included

Guides and a whale presentation
Hot drinks
Safety gear
Seasickness tablets
A second-chance re-booking if no whales are seen
Warm lounge with panoramic windows on MS Rygerdronningen

Not included

Food — snacks are sold on board
Alcohol
Drones, pets, smoking or e-cigarettes, none of which are allowed on board

Languages are English and German, with Italian added in December and January. It departs harbourside behind the Nerstranda shopping centre. Details on the review page.

All-inclusive safari, 8 hours, maximum 50 passengers

Included

Heated thermal suits
All meals and drinks: coffee, tea, hot chocolate, water, lunch and snacks
Safety gear
Toilets and USB charging on board
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead

Not suitable for

Children under 4
Wheelchair users and travellers with a mobility impairment
Anyone strongly prone to seasickness

It meets at the operator’s office on the front pier in Tromsø, 20 minutes before departure, runs year-round weather permitting, and operates in English. What the label covers is unpacked further on the all-inclusive page.

Open RIB to Skjervøy, 12 hours

Transfers, a bus with Wi-Fi and toilets, a skipper, and the gear that makes the day possible: thermal suit, boots, mittens, goggles and life vest, plus a hot drink and a sandwich. Camera gear is at your own risk and drones are not allowed. Minimum age 14 and minimum height 140 cm.

Small-group RIB to Skjervøy, 12 hours

Thermal suits, mittens, balaclavas, waterproof boots and ski goggles. Fresh baguettes with chicken or ham and cheese, boiled eggs, tea, coffee and biscuits. Photos from the excursion, and a year’s access to the operator’s orca documentary series. Minimum height 140 cm and maximum weight 120 kg.

Heated boat to Skjervøy, 12 hours

An air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi, toilets and USB charging, four hours each way; 3 to 3.5 hours of cruising with a captain and a nature guide; hot drinks and snacks; a safety briefing and photography guidance. Not suitable for children under 6 or for pregnant travellers.

Insider tip

Nobody includes what actually decides your comfort, which is the layers under the suit. Wool or synthetic against the skin, never cotton, and thin gloves you can work a camera in under the mittens you are given. The full list is on what to wear.

What you should still bring

Base layers and warm socks. The suit goes over your clothes, not instead of them.
A hat that fits under a hood and thin liner gloves.
Seasickness tablets, unless you are on the catamaran, which supplies them. Take them before you board — why is here.
A charged phone or camera and a way to keep it warm. Batteries fail fast out there; photography tips covers the rest.
Something to eat on the bus if you are on a twelve-hour day. The included food comes hours in.

Comparing what the six give you is most of the value of the all-tours page, and the trade-off between them is on RIB versus big boat.

The one that includes the most

Heated thermal suits, every meal and drink of the day, safety gear, toilets and USB charging, a maximum of 50 passengers and free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. It is not suitable for children under 4, for wheelchair users or travellers with a mobility impairment, or for anyone strongly prone to seasickness. 4.6 from 1,721 reviews at the time of writing.

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The six, side by side

Everything included

Frequently asked questions

Is food included on Tromsø whale watching tours?

It varies. The hybrid-electric boat includes lunch and sells more on board. The all-inclusive safari includes every meal and drink of the day. The Skjervøy trips include a hot drink and either a sandwich or fresh baguettes with biscuits. The catamaran includes hot drinks only and sells snacks — see the all-tours page.

Do whale tours provide warm clothing?

The Skjervøy trips and the all-inclusive safari hand out thermal suits, and the RIB days add boots, mittens, goggles or balaclavas and a life vest. None of them provide the base layers you wear underneath, which is what actually decides whether hour six is bearable. See what to wear.

Are transfers included on the Skjervøy tours?

Yes. All three Skjervøy days include the coach in both directions, about four hours each way, with Wi-Fi and toilets, and USB charging on one of them. You meet in central Tromsø between 04:45 and 05:30 depending on the tour — the meeting points are on getting to Skjervøy.