Madeira Catamaran Tour: Dolphin and Whale Watching

Commence a soothing journey along the southern coast of Madeira aboard our cozy catamarans. This trip offers you the opportunity to observe dolphins, whales and sometimes turtles. In the summer season, if weather and sea conditions permit, you might even have the chance to take a dip in the pristine waters beneath the Cabo Girão sea cliff.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights

Experience a 3-hour trip by catamaran along the south coast of Madeira Island. We depart from Funchal Marina, giving a quick briefing about the trip and safety matters on board. The crew then starts their search for dolphins and whales, and any other marine wildlife, using binoculars equipped with a compass, doing their best with their experienced eyes….

What's Included
  • 3-hour dolphin and whale watching tour
  • Friendly and knowledgeable guide
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • We always recommend to bring: Sunscreen and windbreaker. For the summer months you could add a towel and bathing suit.
  • In the event you did not see any cetaceans, you will be offered the same trip again on an alternative occasion (valid for 1 year)
  • Swimming is subject to favorable weather and sea conditions
Location
Praça do Povo
Avenida Do Mar
VMT Madeira Kiosk - Funchal Marina. Check-In: 30 minutes before departure
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.3
(634 Ratings)
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Dominika_j
Oct 27, 2025
Whale of a time - Lovely boat trip. Managed to spot some whales. The guide was very knowledgeable, and respectful to sea animals.
Review provided by Viator
Paulck1947nn
Oct 15, 2025
Whale watching off Funchal - This tour took about three hours as we headed straight out to sea and were lucky enough to see whales. The guides were helpful in explaining what they were and how they behaved, though you should be aware that the boat cannot approach them too closely (c 100m). We didn't see dolphins unfortunately, but on the way back we stopped briefly to swim in the ocean (5-10 minutes). The boat is large and comfortable, with drinks and snacks available to purchase on board.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pet-eyes
Oct 2, 2025
Perfect boat trip - Wow I love a boat trip but it’s the first time I’ve seen whales and dolphins so close. The views are spectacular as we sailed along the coast and stopped to allow guests to swim. I’ll go again when we come back to Funchal
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nicola0409
Sep 19, 2025
We saw whales - Lovely boat trip. I was prepared for limited time with the whales due to the local wildlife rules having read other reviews. We also had a chance to swim in the sea. There’s a bar onboard for the Brits who started drinking at 10.45, no judgement haha!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kim
Sep 17, 2025
Brilliant 3 hour trip. This boat adhered to all the rules in place to protect both species - Very well organised! Knew where the dolphins and whales were and kept us informed. We saw both bottle nosed dolphins and pilot whales. Bar on board. Offer another trip if you fail to see any. Would thoroughly recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Millwallmicky
Sep 16, 2025
Dolphin watching - Lovely day out saw some whales unfortunately no dolphins, went with the company SEA BORN ,enjoyed the day very helpful and friendly staff
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Explore63677094306
Oct 1, 2025
We really liked the sympathy of the crew. Five stars - Good experience, sorry we couldn't see the main (golfins and whales). The stop to the "banhoca" and confirm the water temperature was spectacular
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lenamz6923pu
Sep 19, 2025
It fit in - The tour itself was super nice and well organized, the whole crew was very friendly. But if you want to go on a tour to watch dolphins and whales, you might want to pick something else. Although we saw a group of dolphins in one place (which was super nice), most of the time we drove along the coast off Funchal and went swimming. For us a nice tour, but we expected more whale and dolphin reference.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
M9025tqangelikah
Sep 26, 2025
Great disappointment - We can only agree with some of the comments. We were approached ashore by an elderly gentleman to join this tour as it was a great experience to see whales and dolphins. Now is also the best time for it. You can see a lot of animals now. We then decided on this tour. After about 1 hour on the boat, a spot was approached where we could observe two groups of pilot whales on the left and front for 10 minutes. A beautiful experience, but that was it. The remaining two hours were then a boat trip without much comment, without any further searching for other whales or dolphins. Most of the passengers were asleep or on their phones because it was just boring. Towards the end of the boat trip you will have the opportunity to swim, then return to the jetty. That's it! We definitely imagined a boat tour for whale and dolphin watching to be more ambitious and dedicated. Other providers can definitely do better! Too bad we could have invested the money differently.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Soads960
Oct 11, 2025
Disappointing Trip — No Dolphins, No Whales, No Effort from the captain and supporters - I was really looking forward to this trip, but unfortunately, it was very disappointing. There were no dolphins or whales at all — it ended up being just a short ride near Funchal port. Snacks and drinks were not included, so we had to pay for them separately. What made it worse is that the captain didn’t seem to make any effort to actually look for dolphins or whales. Even though I was offered a free replacement ticket, it was pointless since I was leaving the next day. Overall, not worth the time or money.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $46
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).