Charities and businesses from around the world form ‘world cetacean alliance’ in an overdue new partnership for whales and dolphins. We felt the urge to be apart of this new as our whale watching area is exposed to one of the expreame threats; whaling. We hope that you show your support by either joining the partnership or help us map the areas of concern. Below you can find more info
We recently achieved our fifth EarthCheck Silver Certification.
EarthCheck is widely regarded as the world’s most scientifically rigorous environmental management Program, designed specifically for the travel and tourism industry.
The Program is trusted by more than 1200 organisations in over 65 countries. It is used to measure key environmental indicators such as: energy an
As it was snowing yesterday it may be hard for some to believe that the puffins are coming. Well the sun is shining today the snow melting (if note melted) and for the last few days we have seen puffins out on the water. We had been expecting them as the first puffins usually start arriving in late April and we know that more will follow swiftly. The puffins usually settle on the islands around
Easter is truly special time here in Iceland. Over the years we have noticed that more and more travellers decide to spend their Easter vacation in Iceland. The locals also use this time well for travels, recreation, meeting friends and families and of course enjoy some delisous Easter Eggs.
Traditional Easter holidays in Iceland are from Holy Thursday until Easter Monday (28 March to
Although we have generally been quite happy with the weather in the past few months we are kind of looking forward to the summer now. There have surely been some positive signs lately with the sunny days, good sightings and the beautiful late sunsets in the evenings. Last but not least, just as the Golden Plover's arrival is considered by many to be the definitive mark of winter's end, we celeb
The IMAGINE PEACE TOWER will be lit at 6 pm on 18 February until 10 am on 19 February local Icelandic time as a tribute to Ms. Ono and to wish her a happy birthday.
The Mayor Mr. Jon Gnarr, says that it is appropriate to thank her for her dedication to peace and Reykjavik. “Reykjavík is honored that Ms. Yoko Ono chose Videy island as the home of the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER which is a beau
The year 2012 has been an interesting year for us. Early on our contract with the city regarding the Viðey Ferry was renewed for the next five years. We were also really proud when our General Manager and the owner of Elding, Rannveig Grétarsdóttir, received the 2012 FKA Acknowledgement Awards in January. In June we added a new boat to our fleet called Skrúður. We use it mainly for Viðey Island
December is truly the time when we all get into our holiday spirit. It is magical walking around admiring the appearance of the city as we light up our surroundings. As always the Christmas Harbour is an interesting place to visit during the holidays with all it's quirky little shops, selection of restaurants and activities to choose from.
Holiday whale watching has become a trad
The WhaleFest was held in Brighton last weekend and attracted over 6000 visitors. Having been there last year we were sure that this was an event we didn't want to miss. It is inspiring to see all the great whale watching sites around the world, the great work NGO's are doing in protecting the wildlife and the work artists around the world have put on inspired by theses majestic creatures. Dyla
The IMAGINE PEACE TOWER will be relit during a peaceful ceremony next Tuesday on 9 October which is John Lennon’s day of birth.
Like previous years Yoko Ono invites us to attending the ceremony with a free sailing to Viðey Island on that occasion. The program starts at 19:00 by Viðeyjarnaust and the evening will be made memorable for all those who attend with a serene and beautiful atmosp
Reykjavík Film Festival (RIFF) is in full swing and movie lovers should find plenty to chose from in the cinemas. Like previous years we take part in RIFF around the corner. This year we will run the Icelandic documentary Kvikur sjór directed by Þorsteinn Jónsson in the Whale Watching Centre on Saturday at 12:00.
The documentary is about fishermen in Iceland; how their job has developed o
A new global community for saving the whales is on the rise. This is the Save the Whales: Reloaded campaign that will be launched at this October's World Whale Conference in Brighton, England.
This campaign is built on the groundwork that began 30 years ago when the original Save the Whales campaign resulted in arguable the biggest conservation victory in history. This was of course the
On our 1700 tour today we were surprised to encounter one of the rarest whales seen on whale watching tours, a sei whale. The third largest rorqual after the blue and fin whales growing to a staggering 21m long. The reason why they are rare is because they are an offshore species and today it was feeding on copepods in areas as shallow as 40m. Check out our report from the tour.
Recently a new CD came out containing songs and sounds of the Icelandic Humpback Whales. It is based on recordings gathered for research purposes by researchers a the University of Iceland. They've spent years on gathering data using deployed underwater acoustic recorders.
We have to say that the result is really interesting. This CD is not only a treat for the ear but also an entertainin
Today is the official end of our puffin season this year. As there are still few puffins around we will though continue to stop by one of the islands on our whale watching tours. We know that any day soon they might take of to their winter whereabouts so it is important to make good use of the days we still have with these charismatic birds.
Of the islands closest to Reykjavík the
Reykjavík Gay Pride 2012 is just around the corner. Like previous years we participates in the Queer Cruise next Friday (10 August) and the Rainbow family festival on Viðey Island next Sunday (12 August).
This is the forth time that Elding offers this special Queer Cruise. We sail around the small islands off the coast of Reykjavík, play fantastic music and have special offers at the bar.
The unique conservation research vessel Song of the whale has returned to Icelandic waters to carry out vital, non-invasive research on whales and their behaviour. The vessel is owned by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and is cooperating with the University of Iceland this summer.
Song of the Whale is now docked here in Reykjavík's old harbour and tomorrow (Friday 3 Augus
We have good news about the Pilot Whales of yesterdays rescue mission. We have been seeing them on our tours today roughly in the same area but a lot further from land and they seem to be more relaxed and feeding as there were many gannets plunging into the water around them. We are happy to see that they are all safe and sound and enjoying life again lets hope that this continues.
Elding helps 200 Long-finned Pilot Whales find their way back to deep waters.
What an incredible and inspiring day. We heard of a large pod of Long-finned Pilot whales (Globicephala melas) that were close to land at Njarðvík (near Keflavík international Airport) that may need our help. Pilot Whales are renowned for stranding (beaching themselves) in large numbers in many places of the wor
Yes ladies and gentlemen the weather may have been rough today but those brave whale watchers that joined us for the 13:00 and 14:00 whale watching tours were rewarded by seeing a breaching minke whale!
It is truly something seeing these magnificent creatures bringing at least 40% of their body from the water, and indeed the breach of a large whale is considered to be the most powerful ac
Are you on your way to the old harbour? Why don't you stop by at the Elding Bistro where you can have a selection of light courses for a reasonable price. It opens at 7 o'clock in the morning for early risers, but don't worry if you like to stay in bed a little longer as we serve breakfast until 11:30. It is also an ideal for lunch or snacks during the day. We offer free WiFi for our guests and
Viðey Island is full of fun and next on the summer program is a family event that goes under the name The day of the Settlers, treasure hunt and kites.
We have teamed up with the scout group Frumbyggjar (Settlers) to invite guests of all ages to put themselves in the shoes of settlers, take part in a treasure hunt in the form of orientation and encourage all kite owners to come to Viðey I
As the weather condition is not looking good for whale watching in Faxaflói we're offering tours from Grindavík today (Friday 13 July) and most likely tomorrow (Saturday 14 July). The wind is blowing from the northwest and the area south of Grindavík is much better for whale watching since Reykjanes peninsula gives good shelter. We have had many great tours from Grindavík in the past with frequ
Yesterday Elding was rewarded a new recognition by the Icelandic Tourist Board. This is the Endorsed travel service and Enviro Gold certification Vakinn.
Vakinn is a new quality- and environmental system that came into effect in 2012. It is a product of increased demand for a standardized quality system suitable for all branches of tourism in Iceland. The work behind it begun in 2008 when
Tonight our midnight tours are starting! This is the third year we offer these evening tours that are ideal as a relaxing end of a busy day or as a beginning of a fun night in town! The tours have been well received by our guest as it can be quite difficult to fit all activities in during a visit to Iceland. It is also ideal to make use of our beautiful bright nights here in Icleand.
The
The annual Viking Market in the Viking village in Hafnarfjörður is starting today, 14 June 2012. Hafnarfjöður has for long been a playground of Vikings demonstrating most aspects of Viking culture, ships, cuisine, handcraft, storytelling, archery, games, music and battles.
The program stands from 14 June to 17 June and there is truly something for everyone. In the Viking village you find
