Tromso Orca Watching Tours

Every winter millions of herring crowd into the fjords north of Tromsø to sit out the cold, and the orcas come after them, with humpback whales close behind. From late autumn into January, boats leave the city in the dark and head up the coast toward Skjervøy to find them. Five of those trips cover every kind of day on offer, from a big quiet hybrid boat to an open RIB at sea level. Below, each one's price sits next to the hours you spend with the whales and the small print the listings bury.

  • Orca season: November to JanuaryThe herring usually arrive in late autumn, and the orcas stay with them until about the end of January
  • Book early for the holidaysThe smaller boats sell out first, and the weeks around Christmas and New Year fill fastest

In a hurry? Our top pick is Polar Adventures' all-inclusive safari: ~$269 a person for a boat of no more than 50 guests with two guides. Lunch and a thermal suit are included. Book it here.

Book on GetYourGuide Book on Viator Compare all 5

Orca trips at a glance

  • A full day, not an outingSeven to nine hours on the big boats, twelve when a bus takes you north first. Two or three of them are spent with the whales
  • Four ways onto the waterHeated lounges for a hundred, a boat capped at fifty, a covered cabin for twelve, or an open speedboat in a survival suit
  • The whales are up the coastRecent winters have found the herring around Skjervøy, a fishing island two to four hours from Tromsø depending on the route
  • Orcas likely, never promisedWild animals follow the fish and keep no timetable. A few days end with distant fins only, and storms can keep a boat in port

If you only have a minute

Which Tromsø orca tour should you book?

If a friend asked us how to see orcas from Tromsø, this is what we would tell them over a coffee at the harbor.

The best orca tour from Tromsø for most visitors is Polar Adventures' all-inclusive safari, from ~$269. It sails straight from the city center at 8 am, caps the boat at 50 guests where the big boats carry a hundred or more, and puts two guides on deck. The price covers lunch and hot drinks plus a thermal suit, so you can stay outside the whole time the orcas are feeding.

Want the lowest price and the warmest seat? Brim Explorer's hybrid boat at ~$224 and Rødne's fast catamaran at ~$225 carry big crowds in heated lounges. Want to be at eye level with a male orca's fin? Arctic Adventure Tours' RIB day costs ~$344 and starts with a 5 am bus, while Skua Nature's covered boat for twelve at ~$353 keeps you warm on the same route.

None of them can promise orcas. Check what each trip really costs and which weeks give the best odds, see how each day is spent, then read what the listings play down before you pay.

Our pick

The orca day we would book: Polar Adventures, max 50

Not the cheapest boat out of Tromsø. It is the one that gives you the most room at the rail, the most time with the whales and the fewest extras to pay for once you are on board.

A guest in a warm beanie at the rail of Polar Adventures' boat, looking over the sea under a pink Arctic sky Our pick

Tromsø Whale & Orca Safari, All-Inclusive (Max 50), Polar Adventures

★★★★★ 4.6 from 1,700+ reviews on GetYourGuide · free cancellation up to 24 hours before

Polar Adventures is a family-owned Tromsø company, and its winter safari is built around putting fewer people on the boat. The listing caps it at 50 guests, which it puts at 40 to 80 percent fewer than many other boats, and two guides work the deck all day. You meet at the company's office on the front pier twenty minutes before the 8 am departure, step aboard a heated boat with open decks and head north past the islands while it is still dark.

The run to the whale area near Skjervøy takes about two and a half hours. Once there, the crew aims to give you around two to two and a half hours with the orcas and humpbacks, weather allowing, which is more than the big boats manage. A thermal suit is waiting for you and lunch is served on board. Coffee and tea keep coming, as does hot chocolate. The day ends back in Tromsø around eight hours after you left.

Price
from ~$269 per person, often shown lower
Duration
About 8 hours
With the whales
About 2–2.5 hours
Group
Up to 50 guests, two guides
Departure
8 am from the front pier, Tromsø center
Food
Lunch included; snacks and hot drinks too
Ages
4 to 70
Cancellation
Free up to 24 hours; reserve now, pay later
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Live availability and prices on GetYourGuide

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How the day runs, step by step

Times on the water depend on where the herring is that week and on the sea. This is the outline the listing gives:

Out of Tromsø

  • Meet at the Polar Adventures office on the front pier, 7:40 am
  • Departure at 8 am in the dark, north between the islands
  • About 2.5 hours to the whale area, with views of snowy peaks as the light comes up

Near Skjervøy

  • Around 2–2.5 hours searching for and watching orcas and humpbacks
  • Lunch on board, then the run back south
  • Back at the pier in Tromsø about 8 hours after leaving

What the price covers

Unlike the big boats, nothing on board costs extra. What it leaves out is the stuff no boat can sell.

Included
  • A thermal suit to wear on deck
  • Lunch, snacks, cookies
  • Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, water
  • Two guides, a heated lounge, two toilets
Not included
  • Seasickness tablets
  • Your own warm layers under the suit
  • A refund if you arrive late
  • A guarantee of orcas

Between us, before you go

A word from one cold-weather amateur to another. The listing sets firm limits: no children under 4 and nobody over 70. Wheelchairs and strollers stay ashore, and people who get seasick are asked to choose another trip. The boat leaves on time, and if you miss it there is no refund. Vegetarian lunches are possible, gluten-free ones are not.

Wool under the suit makes all the difference. Our guide to dressing for the deck covers the rest.

Why it beats the big boats

On a boat with a hundred or more guests, a fin off the bow sends everyone to the same few meters of rail. With fifty there is room to move and the guides can talk to you. The extra hour near the whales also gives the orcas time to come closer. You pay a little more than on Brim or Rødne, though the price already counts lunch and the suit. Small-group orca tours weighs it against the even smaller boats.

Who we would not send on it

Families with children under four, and anyone over seventy, who are outside the listing's limits. Travelers who know they get seasick, who will be steadier on Brim's large hybrid boat. And photographers who want the orcas at water level, who should look at the RIB day from Skjervøy.

Book it if

You want one well-organized day with the orcas and no fuss. Leave from the city center and stay warm in a proper suit. Eat on board, and spend more time near the whales than the big boats allow. It suits couples and friends as well as families with children of four and up.

Skip it if

Ready for the herring grounds?

The safari is on GetYourGuide and on Viator. GetYourGuide shows more reviews and lets you cancel for free up to 24 hours before, so you can watch the wind forecast before you commit.

GetYourGuide Viator

The day itself

How a Tromsø orca safari works

Every trip on this page answers two questions differently. Do you sail all the way from Tromsø, or ride a bus north and board a small boat near the whales? And how many people will share the rail with you when the first fin appears?

Style · sail from Tromsø

The whole way by boat

Polar Adventures, Brim Explorer, Rødne

7–9 hcity pier, 2.5–3.5 hours north, the whales, back

You step aboard in the center and stay there all day. The warm lounge serves coffee and the boat has toilets. Most of the hours go on getting there and back, and the bigger boats carry a hundred or more guests.

Style · bus first, then a small boat

Drive north, then the water

Arctic Adventure Tours, Skua Nature

12 hearly bus to Skjervøy, about 3 hours on a RIB or small boat

An alarm well before dawn and several hours on the road each way, in exchange for a small group and a boat that sits low on the water. It costs more, and the RIB is open to the wind and spray.

Tromsø weather and orca odds, month by month

  • Chance of finding orcas on a day trip
  1. Jan−2°C high28 °F

    Good odds until the herring leave late in the month

  2. Feb−2°C high28 °F

    A few boats still sail, sightings thin out

  3. Mar0°C high32 °F

    Herring gone south, orca safaris over

  4. Apr3°C high37 °F

    Long days return, no regular whale trips

  5. May7°C high45 °F

    Midnight sun begins, snow on the peaks

  6. Jun12°C high54 °F

    Fjord cruises, no herring in the fjords

  7. Jul16°C high61 °F

    The warmest weeks, sea eagles not whales

  8. Aug14°C high57 °F

    Late summer, first dark nights

  9. Sep9°C high48 °F

    Northern lights season opens

  10. Oct4°C high39 °F

    The first safaris sail late in the month

  11. Nov1°C high34 °F

    Herring in the fjords, a little daylight left

  12. Dec−1°C high30 °F

    Peak weeks, polar night, holiday crowds

Temperatures are rough daytime highs in Tromsø; out at sea the wind makes it feel several degrees colder. The bars show roughly how likely a day trip is to find orcas, which depends on where the herring settles each winter. Highlighted months are the ones we would pick. The season in detail.

How each day is spent

  • Getting there and back
  • With the whales
  • May run longer

Hours count from departure and come from the listings; the split between travel and whale time is approximate, because the boats go wherever the herring is that day. Arctic Adventure Tours meets at 4:45 am and is back around 5:30 pm.

  1. Pick your boat typeA warm big boat from the pier or an early bus to a small boat near the whales. The hulls compared.
  2. Choose your weekLate November to mid-January gives the best odds and the deepest darkness. Month by month.
  3. Go early in your tripIf the sea is too rough or the orcas stay away, there is time to try again later in your stay. Plan B.
  4. Dress for wind and sprayWool next to the skin and something windproof on top. Spare gloves go in a pocket. What to wear.

Why the orca boats head for Skjervøy explains the herring's winter route and how the drive compares with the sea crossing. It also covers why the whales are not right outside Tromsø.

How to choose

How to pick the right orca tour

The whales are the same for all five. What differs is the boat, the crowd at the rail and how much of your day goes on getting there.

Boat type

Four hull types (big lounges, a mid-size boat, a covered cabin, an open RIB), each with its own trade-off in warmth and closeness. The boats compared.

Group size

Skua Nature takes 12, Polar Adventures 50, the big boats a hundred or more. Small-group orca tours.

Starting time

The boats from the pier leave between 7:30 and 9 am; the bus to Skjervøy leaves at 5 am. The route north.

Who is coming

Age limits run from none on Brim to 14 and over on the RIB. Orca watching with kids.

Northern lights too?

The day boats are back by late afternoon, early enough for an evening aurora tour. Planning both.

Price

From ~$224 a person on the big boats to ~$353 for twelve people in a heated cabin. Every price in one table.

Everything else to do in Tromsø

The 5 tours

Five ways out to the orcas, side by side

We read every orca and whale listing for Tromsø on both booking sites and kept one of each kind of day. Each card gives the price and the length along with the tour company. It also names the catch, with a button for each site that sells it.

Three orca dorsal fins and a misty blow breaking the surface of a grey Arctic sea Our pick

Tromsø Whale & Orca Safari, All-Inclusive (Max 50), Polar Adventures

The one we would book for a first orca day.

Eight hours from the front pier in central Tromsø on a heated boat capped at 50 guests, led by two guides. The fare pays for lunch and hot drinks plus a thermal suit. Around two hours near the whales when the weather allows, which beats the big boats.

  • Rating4.6 from 1,700+ reviews on GetYourGuide
  • DurationAbout 8 hours, from 8 am
  • Tour companyPolar Adventures
  • Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, pay later
  • StrengthsRoom at the rail; lunch and suit included; long time with the whales
  • Ideal forCouples and friends, or families with children of 4 and up

Good to know: Not for anyone under 4 or over 70. Not suitable for wheelchair users or people prone to seasickness either. No strollers or luggage, and no refund if you miss the boat. Smaller groups compared.

~$269per person
GetYourGuide Viator
Brim Explorer's white hybrid-electric boat with passengers on deck as a humpback whale lifts its flippers beside it Most reviewed

Whale Watching Tour by Hybrid-Electric Boat, Brim Explorer

The big, quiet boat for comfort first.

Brim's hybrid boats have panoramic heated saloons and a café, plus three outdoor decks. They switch to a silent electric motor when they reach the whales. Several departures each morning from the Brim pier in the center, 7 to 9 hours in all.

  • Rating4.5 from 6,700+ reviews on GetYourGuide
  • Duration7–9 hours, about 1–1.5 with the whales
  • Tour companyBrim Explorer
  • Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, pay later
  • StrengthsWarm lounges, quiet engine near the orcas, step-free boarding
  • Ideal forFamilies with small children, wheelchair users, the seasick-prone

Good to know: Over a hundred guests share the decks, so the rail fills fast. Food from the café costs extra and online check-in is required. The long ride north also leaves the least time with the whales. Boat types.

~$224per person
GetYourGuide Viator
Two orcas surfacing side by side and heading straight toward the camera in dark blue water Best value

Whale Watching Safari on High-Speed Catamaran, Rødne Fjord Cruise

The fast boat with the most time on the herring grounds.

Rødne's catamarans reach the whale area in under three hours and give it about two and a half before turning back, eight hours in all. A guide gives a whale talk on the way. Coffee and tea are free, and so are seasickness tablets.

  • Rating4.7 from 3,700+ reviews on GetYourGuide
  • DurationAbout 8 hours, from 8:30 or 9 am
  • Tour companyRødne Fjord Cruise
  • Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, pay later
  • StrengthsFree retry on a later day, space allowing, if the whales stay hidden
  • Ideal forBudget travelers who still want a long look at the orcas

Good to know: Up to 100 guests, food from the kiosk costs extra, and you must register your details two days before for the maritime authorities. Not for wheelchair users. If the whales stay away.

~$225per person
GetYourGuide Viator
A pod of orcas surfacing close together, a tall male dorsal fin in the middle, below a rocky shore Top rated

Skjervøy RIB Whale Watching Tour, Arctic Adventure Tours

For the orca photo taken at water level.

A bus leaves Tromsø at 5 am for Skjervøy, where you zip into a flotation suit and spend about three hours on an open RIB that sits low on the water and gets to a feeding pod quickly. A hot drink and a light sandwich wait at the end.

  • Rating4.8 from 1,200+ reviews on GetYourGuide
  • DurationAbout 12 hours, meet 4:45 am
  • Tour companyArctic Adventure Tours
  • Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, pay later
  • StrengthsEye-level views; suit, boots, goggles, mittens included
  • Ideal forFit adults and photographers who don't mind the cold

Good to know: About eight hours on the bus in total. Spray and wind on the RIB, and no children under 14 or 140 cm. Not for pregnant travelers or anyone with back problems. Dressing for the RIB.

~$344per person
GetYourGuide Viator
A single orca fin and its blow in calm blue water, with snow-covered coast behind Smallest group

Orca and Whale Watching Heated Boat Trip, Skua Nature

Twelve guests in a warm cabin, with a naturalist.

A red Arctic Route bus from the Prostneset terminal takes you to Skjervøy, then a covered, heated boat for twelve spends three to three and a half hours with the whales. The captain and a nature guide run it. Photography tips and hot drinks come with the trip.

  • Rating4.7 from 260+ reviews on GetYourGuide
  • DurationAbout 12 hours
  • Tour companySkua Nature
  • Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, pay later
  • StrengthsSmall group, no survival suit needed, longest time on the water
  • Ideal forWildlife fans and photographers who want comfort

Good to know: Sold on GetYourGuide only. The second-highest price here, and a long day on the bus. Not for children under 6 or pregnant travelers. Small groups.

~$353per person
GetYourGuide

A small heads-up. These are GetYourGuide and Viator affiliate links, so when you book through one we earn a little commission and you pay exactly the same. It keeps this guide going and never touches our ranking or the catches we point out.

Before you go

Eight things about orca safaris that no listing puts in big letters

None of these sits at the top of a booking page, and each one decides whether you come home with a pod of orcas on your camera or a long day of grey water.

What you should know

  1. Most of the day is travel. Even the fast boats need two and a half hours to reach the whales, and the big ones longer. What counts is the time near the herring. Why so far north.
  2. The whales move with the fish. Orcas follow the herring, and the herring picks a different fjord in different winters. Nobody can book the orcas for you.
  3. Only one listing promises a second try. Rødne offers a free second trip if you see no whales, subject to space. The others promise nothing, so read the small print. If it goes wrong.
  4. Food is not always included. Polar serves lunch; on Brim and Rødne you buy it from the café or kiosk. Pack a sandwich for the 12-hour bus days. The full costs.
  5. Seasickness is real out there. The open sea north of Tromsø can roll even a big catamaran. Take a tablet before you board, not after you feel it.
  6. It is dark for most of the trip. From late November to mid-January the sun never rises in Tromsø. Around noon the sky glows blue and pink for a few hours, and that is when the boats are with the whales.
  7. The age limits differ a lot. Brim lists no limit. Polar takes children from 4, Skua from 6, the RIB from 14. Check before you book for a family. With kids.
  8. The deck is colder than the forecast. A day near freezing feels much colder at speed in the wind. A suit helps, but only wool keeps you warm underneath. What to wear.

Everything in one table

Five orca tours, catch included

The five tours side by side. Each row sets the strength of a tour against its catch.

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns →

Tour Ideal for Price Length Starts from Tour company and rating Strength and catch Book
Polar Adventures, max 50 (our pick) A first orca day ~$269per person About 8 h Front pier, 8 am Polar Adventures
4.6 on GetYourGuide		 Lunch and suit included, two guides. Ages 4 to 70, not for the seasick.
GetYourGuideViator
Brim Explorer hybrid boat Comfort and easy access ~$224per person 7–9 h Brim pier, Kaigata 6 Brim Explorer
4.5 on GetYourGuide		 Silent electric motor, warm lounges. Big crowd, shortest time with the whales.
GetYourGuideViator
Rødne catamaran Value and time on site ~$225per person About 8 h Nerstranda harbor Rødne Fjord Cruise
4.7 on GetYourGuide		 Free retry if no whales. Up to 100 guests, food extra.
GetYourGuideViator
Arctic Adventure RIB Eye-level photos ~$344per person About 12 h Scandic Ishavshotel, 4:45 am Arctic Adventure Tours
4.8 on GetYourGuide		 Closest view, full cold-weather kit. 5 am bus; ages 14 and over only.
GetYourGuideViator
Skua Nature heated boat Small group in comfort ~$353per person About 12 h Prostneset bus terminal Skua Nature
4.7 on GetYourGuide		 Twelve guests, heated cabin, naturalist. High price, long bus day.
GetYourGuide

About the numbers. Prices are regular "from" rates per person in US dollars; both sites often show them lower on sale. Dates and exchange rates move them, so check the booking page, which has the final word.

Who went

Reviews from travelers who met the orcas

Fourteen travelers, some who had a pod feeding beside the boat and some who saw fins far off in a choppy sea, on what won them over and what they would do differently.

★★★★★All-inclusive, max 50

We left the front pier in the dark at eight and reached the whales just as the sky turned pink behind the mountains. A pod of orcas worked a school of herring so close to the boat that we heard every blow, and two humpbacks surfaced right through the middle of it. The crew had lunch ready the moment we came in from the deck (hot soup and bread), and the thermal suits meant I stayed outside for nearly the whole two hours. Fifty people sounds like a lot until you see the big boats.

HVHanna V. · Utrecht, NetherlandsOrcas up close
★★★★★All-inclusive, max 50

Two guides for fifty guests made a real difference. Ours spotted the first fin before the captain did.

DMDaniel M. · Denver, USAOrcas up close
★★★★☆All-inclusive, max 50

The orcas stayed further out than I hoped and the sea was choppy, so my photos are mostly grey water with a fin in the corner. Still, I saw them with my own eyes. The lunch was warm and the guides kept explaining what the whales were doing below us. Take a seasickness pill before you board, not after.

YSYuki S. · Osaka, JapanFins far off
★★★★★All-inclusive, max 50

Thermal suit, hot chocolate, orcas at the bow. My father, sixty-eight, loved every minute.

CBClaire B. · Lyon, FranceOrcas up close
★★★★★Silent hybrid boat

Huge boat, lots of people, but it is so quiet when they switch to electric near the whales that you can hear the orcas breathing. We had a family of five circling the boat for twenty minutes while gulls screamed over the herring. Book the earliest departure if you can.

RTRob T. · Manchester, UKOrcas up close
★★★★☆Silent hybrid boat

Warm lounge, good coffee, a long ride out. The rail gets crowded when a fin shows up.

LKLena K. · Hamburg, GermanyFins far off
★★★★★Silent hybrid boat

I am not a boat person and I was worried about eight hours at sea in winter. The lounge on Brim's boat is like a hotel lobby with windows on every side, so I spent the ride out with a cardamom bun watching the Lyngen peaks go by in blue light. When we reached the whales the guide called everyone out and pointed to where the herring was, and within minutes there were fins everywhere, orcas mixed in with humpbacks. The soup in the café is not cheap, so bring a sandwich.

APArjun P. · Bangalore, IndiaOrcas up close
★★★★★Fast catamaran

The catamaran is fast and steady, and the guide's talk on the way out taught me more than any documentary. We saw orcas twice, once very close.

MSMarta S. · Kraków, PolandOrcas up close
★★★★★Fast catamaran

Smooth ride, orcas within the first half hour and home before dinner. Simple and good.

TJTom J. · Auckland, New ZealandOrcas up close
★★★★☆Fast catamaran

We took the Italian-language departure and the guide was lovely, but the boat was full and finding a free bit of rail took patience. The orcas were busy far off for most of the time, then a humpback came up right beside us and the whole deck gasped. They hand out seasickness tablets at the kiosk, which I needed by the end. Register your details online two days ahead, as the listing asks.

GRGiulia R. · Turin, ItalyFins far off
★★★★★Bus and RIB to Skjervøy

A 4:45 am meeting point is a test of character, and the bus ride to Skjervøy is long. Then they zip you into a flotation suit and the RIB takes off. Ten minutes later you are sitting low on the water while a male orca with a fin taller than me slides past. Nothing on a big boat compares to that eye level. Bring snacks for the bus, a waterproof bag for the camera and goggles if they offer them, the spray at speed is cold.

ENErik N. · Minneapolis, USAOrcas up close
★★★★★Bus and RIB to Skjervøy

Cold, wet, wonderful. The skipper knew exactly where the herring was.

SOSinead O. · Cork, IrelandOrcas up close
★★★★★Heated boat, max 12

Twelve people, a heated cabin with big windows and a guide who has studied whales for years. When the orcas came, the captain cut the engine and we drifted while they fed around us. I liked not having to wear a survival suit all day.

PLPierre L. · Montréal, CanadaOrcas up close
★★★★★Heated boat, max 12

Long bus day, but the small boat made it. We could move between the warm cabin and the deck whenever we liked, and the guide gave camera tips for the low winter light that actually worked. Two pods of orcas and a humpback fluke on the way back, then pink sky over the islands at two in the afternoon.

IAIngrid A. · Stockholm, SwedenOrcas up close

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Hat on

Book Polar Adventures for your orca day

If you are in Tromsø between November and January and want one day with the orcas you will still be describing at home, we would book Polar Adventures' all-inclusive safari. A smaller boat, two guides who know the herring grounds, a warm suit on deck and lunch on the way back, with nothing to pay for once you are aboard.

You can hold a place now and pay nearer the day. Cancelling is free until 24 hours before. Bring wool and a seasickness tablet.

~$269

per person · about 8 hours · from the front pier

GetYourGuide Viator
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
  • ✓ Reserve now, pay later
  • ✓ Lunch and hot drinks included, plus a thermal suit
  • ✓ No more than 50 guests

Good to know

Why the orcas come to Tromsø, and what you are watching

Five minutes of reading makes the fins and the gulls far easier to follow, along with the sudden boil of fish at the surface.

The orca, also called the killer whale, is the largest member of the dolphin family, and the ones you meet off northern Norway live mostly on fish. Their winter food is the Atlantic herring that spawns along the Norwegian coast in spring and spends the dark months packed into deep northern fjords. Where that herring goes, the orcas follow.

01A fish that sets the calendar

The herring usually arrives in the fjords in late autumn and leaves again around the end of January, which is why orca safaris from Tromsø run in those months only. The exact fjord changes over the years. Some winters the fish sat close to Tromsø, more recently around Skjervøy farther north. The route to Skjervøy.

02How orcas hunt

Norwegian orcas often work as a team. They circle a school of herring and blow bubbles, flashing their white bellies to drive it into a tight ball near the surface. Then they slap it with their tails and pick off the stunned fish one by one. Researchers call it carousel feeding. From a boat you see fins rising and falling in a tight circle and gulls diving into the middle. More on the herring hunt.

03The humpbacks join in

Humpback whales arrive from about November to feed on the same schools before their long trip south. They surface right through a ball of herring with their mouths open, and their tall blows hang in the cold air. On many days you see both species, and sometimes a fin whale as well.

The moment most passengers remember is the sharp puff of an orca breathing out, carried across still water in the blue midday dark.

04Light in the polar night

Tromsø lies some 350 km (220 miles) beyond the Arctic Circle. Between late November and mid-January the sun does not rise at all. Around midday you still get a few hours of soft blue and pink twilight over snowy peaks, and that is when the boats reach the whales. The best weeks to go.

05Keeping a respectful distance

Good operators slow down well before a pod and approach from the side. They never chase. Brim's hybrids go over to electric power as they approach a pod, and Rødne says it follows the whale-watching guidelines of Visit Tromsø and of AECO, the Arctic expedition cruise association. You help by staying quiet at the rail and keeping drones and flash in your bag. How the boats compare.

06Manners on board

Hold a rail when the boat turns and keep gloves and phones strapped on. Once you have your photos, let others have the front. Step inside to warm up between sightings, and give the window seats back when you go out again. Orca watching with kids has more on keeping small passengers safe and warm.

2–3 hTypical time with the whales

350 kmTromsø north of the Arctic Circle

Nov to JanThe herring season in the fjords

1.8 mA male orca's dorsal fin, up to

Can you fit the northern lights into the same trip? Our guide Orcas by day, northern lights by night shows how the timings work.

Questions and answers

Frequently asked questions about orca watching in Tromsø

Fourteen questions we hear again and again, with the full answer.

How much does an orca watching tour from Tromsø cost?

The five tours on this page start at ~$224 per person for Brim Explorer's hybrid boat and ~$225 for Rødne's catamaran, ~$269 for Polar Adventures with lunch and a suit, ~$344 for the RIB day from Skjervøy and ~$353 for Skua Nature's heated boat for twelve. Sale prices are often lower. Every price and extra is in our cost guide.

Which orca tour in Tromsø is the best?

For most visitors, the Polar Adventures day, because the boat is half full by big-boat standards and the time near the herring is longer. Brim or Rødne give the lowest price and the most comfort; for eye-level views, the RIB from Skjervøy.

When is orca season in Tromsø?

Roughly from late October or November to the end of January, while the herring winters in the northern fjords. The most reliable weeks are usually from mid-November into January, but it varies from year to year. The season in detail.

How long is an orca safari from Tromsø?

Seven to nine hours on the boats that sail from the city, and about twelve hours on the trips that take a bus to Skjervøy first. Only two to three hours of that are spent near the whales.

Are orcas guaranteed on these tours?

No. They are wild animals that follow the herring, and every listing says sightings cannot be promised. Some days bring a pod right beside the boat. Others bring only distant fins or humpbacks. What happens if you see none.

What happens if I see no whales?

It depends on the tour. Rødne offers a free second trip, subject to space; the other listings on this page make no such promise. If the operator cancels because of the weather, you get a full refund or a new date.

Why do the boats go to Skjervøy and not stay near Tromsø?

Because that is where the herring has wintered in recent years. The orcas and humpbacks follow the fish. The boats sail about two and a half to three and a half hours each way. The RIB and Skua trips take a bus there instead. The route north.

Should I choose a RIB or a big boat?

A big boat is warm and steady and costs less. The catch is the crowd, and you watch from high above the water. A RIB puts you at eye level with the orcas. It is also cold and wet, with a minimum age of 14. A small covered boat like Skua's sits in between. The boats compared.

What should I wear on an orca safari?

Start with wool or synthetic base layers under a fleece and a warm windproof jacket. Cover your ears with a hat, carry two pairs of gloves, and wear warm boots with grip. Polar Adventures and the RIB tour lend you a suit on top. What to wear.

Will I get seasick?

Maybe, if the sea is rough. The large boats roll least, catamarans can still pitch in swell, and RIBs bounce. Take a tablet before you board; Rødne hands them out free, and Polar Adventures asks people prone to seasickness not to book.

Can children come on an orca tour?

On most of them. Brim lists no age limit, Polar takes children from 4 and Skua from 6, while the RIB needs passengers to be 14 and at least 140 cm. Long days and the cold matter more than the rules. Orca watching with kids.

Can I fit an orca safari and an aurora chase into one day?

Yes, with the right tours. The boats from Tromsø are back by late afternoon, which leaves time for an evening aurora tour, while the 12-hour bus days make that tight. Planning both.

Do the boats have toilets and food?

The big boats and Polar Adventures' boat have toilets, and the buses to Skjervøy have one on board. Lunch is included on Polar Adventures. Brim and Rødne sell food from a café or kiosk, and Skua serves hot drinks and snacks. On an open RIB there is nothing, so use the bus toilet first and bring snacks.

Can I cancel an orca tour for free?

Yes. All five can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before on GetYourGuide, and you can reserve now and pay later. If the operator cancels for weather, you get your money back.

Read before you travel

Guides to orcas in the Arctic winter

Ten questions that keep coming up, each with the long answer instead of the short one.