How much does a Skjervøy whale tour cost?
A seat on a Skjervøy whale tour costs from ~$241 on a harbor RIB up to ~$365 for a full day out of Tromsø with the bus included. The cheaper harbor boats shift part of the bill onto the drive north and a night in town. Below, the five tours side by side, then the costs the listings leave out.
Five tours in one table
The table lists the four tours on our home page plus one extra, each at its regular "from" price per person on GetYourGuide. The booking page often shows a lower sale price, so treat these figures as the top of the range.
| Tour | From | Length | Boat and group | Start point | Included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arctic Adventure Tours (our pick) | ~$343 | 12 h | Bus, then an open RIB | Scandic Ishavshotel, Tromsø, 05:00 | Flotation suit, boots, goggles, mittens, life vest; hot drink and sandwich after |
| Skua Nature | ~$279 | 3.5 h | Covered heated boat, max 12 | Skua's base in Skjervøy | Hot drinks and snacks; no suit needed |
| Dervola Adventure | ~$284 | 4 h | Heated cabin cruiser, max 16 | Skjervøy Marina, 9:30 am | Flotation suit, footwear, gloves; hot drink and waffles |
| Frozen Frontiers | ~$241 | About 3 h at sea | Open RIB, max 12 | Skjervøy harbor, or a bus from Tromsø (costs more) | Flotation suit, life jacket, boots, socks, mittens, goggles; drink, sandwich and muffin |
| Green Gold of Norway (extra) | ~$365 | 12 h | Bus, then a RIB, 4–12 per boat | Prostneset bus terminal, Tromsø, 5:20 am | Flotation suits, balaclavas, boots, goggles; sandwiches and coffee in a clubhouse; trip photos |
On most listings GetYourGuide lets you reserve now and pay later, and you can usually cancel for free until a day before departure (confirm this on yours before paying). On a coast where a gale can cancel a sailing, that flexibility counts for more than a small price gap.
Two price worlds
The prices fall into two groups that are hard to compare head to head. The Tromsø days at ~$343 and ~$365 bundle about 8 hours on a bus with roughly 3 hours on the water.
The three harbor boats, from ~$241 up to ~$284, sell only the time at sea, 3–4 hours of it. They cost less, but you pay separately to reach Skjervøy and usually to sleep there.
So the fair comparison is not ~$343 against ~$241. It is ~$343 against ~$241 plus the road north and a night in Skjervøy, which our Tromsø or Skjervøy guide weighs up in detail.
What the Tromsø day buys you
Our pick, Arctic Adventure Tours' RIB day from ~$343, is the most reviewed tour on this site, 4.8 from 1,200+ reviews on GetYourGuide. You meet outside Scandic Ishavshotel at 04:45, and the bus leaves at 05:00 sharp.
The fare covers about 3 hours on an open RIB plus the coach ride on a bus with Wi-Fi and a toilet. It also covers the cold-weather kit, meaning a thermal flotation suit, boots, goggles, mittens and a life vest.
Afterward you get a hot drink and a light sandwich, and you are back in Tromsø around 5:30 pm. The price does not cover breakfast or snacks for the ride, which the listing asks you to bring yourself.
No car and a bed in Tromsø?
Arctic Adventure Tours handles the whole day from a central Tromsø hotel. The bus and the suit are both in the fare, so book on whichever site you already use.
The harbor boats cost less, then add the road
Frozen Frontiers from ~$241 is the lowest price on the site, for about 3 hours on a 12-seat open RIB from the Skjervøy harbor. It also holds the top score here, 5.0 from 110+ reviews on GetYourGuide.
The same listing sells a version with a scheduled partner bus from Tromsø, and that option costs more than the harbor start. Both sit in one listing, so pick the right one when you book.
Skua Nature's heated boat from ~$279 runs about 3.5 hours for up to 12 guests with a nature guide aboard. Hot drinks and snacks are included. Its 4.9 rests on 40+ reviews, a much thinner record than the Tromsø day.
Dervola Adventure's cabin cruiser from ~$284 is the dearest harbor boat and takes the most people, up to 16. For that you get four hours (9:30 am to about 2 pm), a warm flotation suit, and waffles with a hot drink.
Whether the open RIB or a heated cabin suits you better is a separate question from price. Our RIB versus heated boat guide sets the two side by side.
The costs no listing totals up
Drive yourself and you add a rental car on winter tires plus fuel for roughly 320 km (200 miles) there and back. The quickest road route usually adds a ferry crossing, another fare we do not quote because it changes.
Then comes a night in Skjervøy, since a 9:30 am boat after a 4-hour drive in the polar dark is a hard ask. Our guide to the road north covers the quickest route and the longer way round.
On the Tromsø days the extras are smaller. Arctic Adventure Tours and Frozen Frontiers both ask you to pack breakfast and snacks for the bus. Bring seasickness pills too if small boats tend to upset you.
Warm layers are the last cost, and the cheapest one if you already own wool. Every boat on this list supplies an outer suit or a heated cabin, so you only add what goes underneath; see what to wear.
The dearest day from Tromsø
Green Gold of Norway's day from ~$365 is the most expensive of the five. It leaves Prostneset bus terminal at 5:20 am on a panoramic bus and spends 2.5–3 hours on a RIB, then serves sandwiches with tea and coffee in a warm clubhouse.
The fare includes photos from the trip, and the score is 4.7 from 1,200+ reviews on GetYourGuide. The drawback is the price and the group, up to 24 guests split into boats of 4–12, for a day much like our pick at a higher fare.
Where the money goes furthest
If you have no car and only one free day, ~$343 for the Tromsø day is the simplest spend, with nothing left to arrange. Whales are never guaranteed on any of these tours, so the fare buys a good chance, not a sighting.
If you are already in Skjervøy, the harbor boats cost less and leave room for a second outing on another day. That second chance matters more than a few dollars, as our guide to empty seas explains.