Driving on what seems to be a barren road in the sparse hills of northern Iceland called Highway 85 north, one would not think that a village which is known for watching whales would eventually appear — and provisions were becoming of short supply. Thankfully, I was able to replenish them at the local Samkaup supermarket near the southern edge of town in an effort to not pay the seemingly usurious prices which dining establishments in Iceland charge for a simple meal.
Húsavík: The Whale Capital of Iceland
Because I had already been on a whale watching tour in the Kenai Fjords of Alaska near Seward some years ago, I booked reservations literally the night before for the last whale watching tour of one company simply because it was the least expensive. Let’s just say whale watching was not exactly at the top of my list of things to see and do in Iceland; but I thought I would do it anyway — and I was looking forward to it.
Once I arrived in the center of Húsavík, I could not miss Húsavíkurkirkja, which is a wooden church that was built in 1907 and is considered to be a landmark — but because checking in for the whale watching tour did not begin until 7:30 in the evening, the church was not open at the time.
I parked the rental car on a side street across the street from the church where I was instructed to park by an employee of the company which operated the whale watching excursion, and I took a short walk around town. One could purchase tickets at a choice of several whale watching ticket offices — and grab a cup of coffee while at one of them — but my purchase had already been completed the night before.
Slightly greater than 2,300 people reside in Húsavík, which is a town that is located in the municipality of Norðurþing in northern Iceland. The chief industries of this town are tourism — which includes whale watching — and fishing. Húsavík is known as the whale capital of Iceland due to the different species of whales which frequently enter Skjálfandi Bay.
The streets of Húsavík were rather quiet on that early June evening — save for the occasional car, pedestrian, and a few people who were either dining or imbibing on some beverages on the outdoor decks and patios of dining establishments.
Tickets can be purchased at the whale watching centers of the operators themselves, which are located near the shore of Skjálfandi Bay on the other side of the main street, which is known as Mararbraut. I went inside to pick up the ticket for which I had already paid.
I chose the company known as North Sailing Húsavík Whale Watching based solely on the price, as it was the lowest cost which was offered among the competition. The whale watching was less expensive than what was offered in the town of Akureyri — which is located approximately 75 kilometers southwest of Húsavík — but the experience was purportedly better.
The vessel on which my excursion was to occur is on the left in the photograph above; and it was almost ready for boarding for a three hour tour. A three hour tour.
Thank goodness the vessel was named Náttfari and not the Minnow.
Final Boarding Call
Húsavík is located in northern Iceland approximately 463 kilometers — or almost 288 miles — from Reykjavík if you drive a vehicle. The journey will take close to 5.5 hours one way — and likely even longer by bus. As I was driving around most of Iceland for eleven days, Húsavík was a definite stop along the way.
The official code of Húsavík Airport is HZK if you prefer to fly to the town — but the only airline which serves the airport is Eagle Air.
Final Boarding Call is an appropriate heading for this section, as the time had come for me to board the vessel — and little did I know of the surprises which awaited me that Icelandic evening, which will be continued in a future article.
All photographs ©2018 by Brian Cohen.
This article is part of a series of articles by Brian Cohen pertaining to experiencing Iceland in eleven days. Please refer to the Iceland: Itinerary and Master Guide for links to additional articles which have been completed in this series.
