Whale Watching in Tromsø with Children

The short version: the limits are real and they are published. The open RIB to Skjervøy sets a minimum age of 14 and a minimum height of 140 cm. The small-group RIB sets a minimum height of 140 cm and a maximum weight of 120 kg. The heated Skjervøy boat is not suitable for children under 6. The all-inclusive safari is not suitable for children under 4.

Open RIBAge 14 and 140 cm minimum

Small-group RIB140 cm min, 120 kg max

Heated Skjervøy boatNot under 6

All-inclusive safariNot under 4

Shortest day7–9 hours

Longest day12 hours

The limits, product by product

Tour	Published restriction	Day length
Open RIB to Skjervøy	Minimum age 14, minimum height 140 cm; not suitable for pregnant travellers or anyone with back problems	12 hours
Small-group RIB to Skjervøy	Minimum height 140 cm, maximum weight 120 kg	12 hours
Heated boat to Skjervøy	Not suitable for children under 6 or for pregnant travellers	12 hours
All-inclusive safari	Not suitable for children under 4, for wheelchair users or travellers with a mobility impairment, or for anyone strongly prone to seasickness	8 hours

Those four publish a restriction. Check the current conditions on the booking page for whichever tour you are considering before you plan around any of it — operators set their own terms and they can change them. All six are listed on the all-tours page.

The limits are not the real question

A child can meet every published requirement and still have a terrible day. The question worth asking is whether they will be all right with what the day actually is: an extremely early start in the dark, hours of travel, a long stretch of cold, and no guarantee that anything surfaces at all. That is a lot to ask of an adult.

The twelve-hour Skjervøy days start with boarding at 04:45 or 05:20 in central Tromsø and put eight hours of bus around three hours of boat — the timings are on getting to Skjervøy. I would not take a child on one unless they had asked to go, twice.

Insider tip

If you are travelling with children, take a big heated boat from Tromsø harbour. There is indoor space to retreat to, a toilet, food, something to look at through a window when nothing is happening, and no four-hour coach in either direction. The day is shorter and it can be abandoned to a warm saloon at any point.

What works with younger children

What works

Heated saloons with panoramic windows, so a cold child has somewhere to go
Guides who explain what is happening — reviewers on the flagship name them as the best part of the trip
Lunch included on the hybrid-electric boat; all meals and drinks on the all-inclusive safari
Toilets and USB charging on the all-inclusive safari and the heated Skjervøy coach
Humpbacks are often the commoner sighting, and a humpback surfacing is not a subtle event

Worth knowing

No tour guarantees a sighting, and explaining that afterwards is harder than before
Seven to nine hours is still a very long day for a small child
The all-inclusive safari excludes under 4s and anyone strongly prone to seasickness
Open RIBs are out of the question for younger children on every published condition

Preparing them for a blank day

Do it in advance, and do it plainly. Tell them that the whales are wild, that they are chasing herring around a fjord system, and that some days a boat finds nothing. A second-chance re-booking, where one is offered, is a free seat on another departure rather than a refund — and it only helps if you are still in town, which is the argument on how many days you need and on sightings and guarantees.

What children usually remember anyway is the boat, the cold, the thermal suit and the darkness at eleven in the morning. The whale is a bonus for them in a way it often is not for the adult who booked it.

The family-friendly end of the catalogue

Eight hours on a comfortable heated boat with a maximum of 50 passengers, heated thermal suits, every meal and drink included, toilets and USB charging, and free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. 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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Boats with somewhere warm to sit

Everything included

Frequently asked questions

Is there an age limit for whale watching in Tromsø?

It depends on the tour. The open RIB to Skjervøy sets a minimum age of 14 and a minimum height of 140 cm. The heated Skjervøy boat is not suitable under 6 and the all-inclusive safari not under 4. Always check the booking page’s current conditions — all six tours are listed on the all-tours page.

Can children go on a RIB whale watching tour?

Not young ones. Both RIB days to Skjervøy set a minimum height of 140 cm, and one of them also sets a minimum age of 14; the other sets a maximum weight of 120 kg. Neither is suitable for pregnant travellers. A heated boat is the alternative — see RIB versus big boat.

Which Tromsø whale tour is best with young children?

A big heated boat from Tromsø harbour rather than a twelve-hour day to Skjervøy. You get indoor saloons, food, toilets and a shorter day with no coach at either end, and a cold child has somewhere to retreat to. The three are compared on big boat tours.