Here at Special Tours, we take joy in showing off the wonderful animals that feed in the bay of Faxaflói throughout the year. As a whale-friendly company, we are strongly committed to the idea of sustainable tourism, and we always do our best to minimize our disturbance on these amazing mammals on our tours. Protecting whales, dolphins, and porpoises (collectively known as cetaceans), however, also involves knowing what threats they face around the world. Unfortunately, whales face a variety of threats, which are mainly due to human activities. To raise awareness, we would like to highlight some of the main direct threats to whales and talk about what you can personally do to help reduce these impacts.

Visiting Reykjavik in December is an experience you don’t want to miss! Below are some ideas to make the most out of your December trip to Reykjavik.

Humpback and minke whales don’t have any teeth – and that’s because their remarkable way of feeding has made teeth useless. Instead, they have long strips of keratin (the same material our hair and fingernails are made of) which hang down from their upper jaws, inside their mouths. These strips are called baleen plates, and the whales use them to filter out their tiny food from the seawater!