Recently Viewed
Whale and Dolphin Watching Tour: Marine Biologist-Led Excursion
4.5
322 Ratings
Funchal
Embark on an exciting whale and dolphin watching tour from Funchal, accompanied by marine biologists. Spot a diverse range of dolphins, whales, and turtles in the open sea of Madeira Island.
Embark on an exciting whale and dolphin watching tour from Funchal, accompanied by marine biologists. Spot a diverse range of dolphins, whales, and turtles in the open sea of Madeira Island.
Duration:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Rota dos Cetáceos - All our whale watching tours are accompanied by our marine biologists team. Before each trip there is a short introduction where you’ll learn all about these majestic creatures, then the adventure starts! We have lookouts on land who guides us to the animals in vessels fully equipped for observing wild dolphins and whales. It…
-
Rota dos Cetáceos - All our whale watching tours are accompanied by our marine biologists team. Before each trip there is a short introduction where you’ll learn all about these majestic creatures, then the adventure starts! We have lookouts on land who guides us to the animals in vessels fully equipped for observing wild dolphins and whales. It is also possible for you to swim with dolphins, an unforgettable experience!
During our trips, you might observe a large diversity of dolphins, whales and turtles on Madeira Island sea.
What's Included
- Local guide
- Professional guide
- Tour escort/host
- Use of snorkeling equipment
- Live commentary on board
- All activities
- Local guide
- Professional guide
- Tour escort/host
- Use of snorkeling equipment
- Live commentary on board
- All activities
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Food and drinks
Additional Information
Our clients are always accompanied by our marine biologists team. Before each boat trip there is a short introduction, the the adventure starts! We have lookouts on land with binoculars specified for observing Cetaceans in the open sea. The lookouts guide us to the animals in vessels fully equipped for observing wild dolphins and whales. During your…
Our clients are always accompanied by our marine biologists team. Before each boat trip there is a short introduction, the the adventure starts! We have lookouts on land with binoculars specified for observing Cetaceans in the open sea. The lookouts guide us to the animals in vessels fully equipped for observing wild dolphins and whales. During your small group tour you might observe a large diversity of dolphins, whales and turtles on Madeira Island Sea.
- Dress code is smart casual
Location
Rota dos Cetáceos
Avenida Arriaga
Before each trip there is a short introduction where you’ll learn all about these majestic creatures, then the adventure starts.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(322 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Timbh6618ci
Mar 16, 2026
Had a whale of a time! - Excellent experience and we were lucky enough to see sperm whales s as well as common dolphins. Staff were knowledgeable and enthusiastic about marine life conservation. Overall well worth doing and great value for money.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
730mariaw
Mar 15, 2026
Many Playing Dolphins and Beautiful Views of the City - We took the agency's RIB boat out for whale and dolphin watching. Unfortunately, we had no luck with the whales. For this we have seen a lot of dolphins playing with our boat and showing up again and again in really big groups. In addition, you also have a great view of Funchal from the boat. Therefore definitely recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Odyssey574803
Mar 8, 2026
First RIB adventure at age 60! - My first ever trip on a RiB and it exceeded expectations. Went from feeling very nervous beforehand to thoroughly enjoying it. Being a spur of the moment decision we were without any jackets but they offer the use of complementary windcheaters so we were comfortable throughout the 2 1/2 hour trip.
They use spotters on land to tell them where the wildlife is so we were fortunate to see both Sperm Whales and Bottle Nose Dolphins and the team on board were very informative and knowledgeable about the wildlife we saw. We finished the trip with a fast run back along the coast which was great fun. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Micheleak3279mm
Jan 11, 2026
Wet, seasick, but happy to have participated in a sighting - Serious and reliable company. We are 2 adults and a girl of almost 6 years and we participated in early January in the cetacean sighting outing with the high-speed dinghy, about 25 seats, all with a wide view. Families and seasick people are advised to sit at the back. We went a little over the 2.5 hours they had planned, but only for the fact that it was a bit hard to spot animals until almost the end. We pushed southeast, past the airport. On board were the pilot and a girl marine biologist. Clear explanations in English. When hopes were about to fade we spotted 2 schools of pilot whales. Advice: 1) Based on the daily ocean conditions and your sensitivity consider buying and taking a seasickness pill before departure, or bringing a couple of bags, just in case. We have not been given it in advance as happens at other agencies. 2) It may be that at high speed and with high waves you get wet; for us it was very useful to bring water-repellent clothing such as hiking jackets and hiking capes. However agency highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Matroncanada
Nov 26, 2025
Whale watching - Went out on the Sailing boat, not the Cat.
Was a bit rough going out to where Whales are spotted. Took a good hour to get there, but so worth it. Saw Pilot Whales, crew very knowledgeable and respectful to the marine life. We had a great time, would recommend. If you don’t want to get wet, sit inside on the sail out to the whales .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Springhall89
Oct 31, 2025
Ethical whale watching experience - We went on a trip on Thursday 30th October in the morning and saw a sperm whale, pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins. We sat at the back of the boat where we couldn't feel any of the splashing and crashing of the waves so was very comfortable. It also meant we could stand up the whole time and see everything clearly. We also had a fantastic and very knowledgeable guide in Carolina who explained about the protection and laws around protecting the wildlife. I've been lucky enough to travel around and go on many whale tours and this was by far the best when speaking from a conservation and ethical perspective.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
584ulrikep
Sep 27, 2025
A fun excursion - It was a successful trip with pilot whales and a lot of interesting information.
Really recommendable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Odyssey29926116039
Sep 22, 2025
Lots of whales! - Fantastic trip out with this group. We saw and got respectfully close to 7 or 8 sperm whales including juveniles, lots of pilot whales and a few bottle nosed dolphins. The sightings were beyond our expectations. The boat was a rib which made for a wild ride as we chased the animals around the coast. I chose the rib because I thought it would be fast which it was, and it made it easy for the crew to follow the instructions from the onshore spotter. However, we had a couple of delicate stomachs in our party who lost their breakfasts and we all got really really wet, regardless of where we were sitting. Thoroughly recommend this tour though,,,very good driver and guide. Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Latham_10
Mar 24, 2026
Not a fun trip in any way. - This was not an enjoyable experience.the seats on the boat were very small and close together so very uncomfortable for the length of trip and rough seas. We had to wait ages for some people from a cruise ship so set off late. It was far too rough to see any wildlife so after 2 hours of being bashed about we came back wet, tired and having seen nothing. Free return trip was not mentioned but I wouldn’t do it again anyway. I really think in those conditions they must have known nothing would be seen and that it would be uncomfortable so should have cancelled.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ashleywk9318sz
Mar 14, 2026
Won't issue refund - BEWARE: Reached out to cancel our tour due to change in travel plans (3 months in advance of scheduled tour) the this company is not issuing me a refund. They are claiming their "platform" is not working and they asked that I send my bank account information. When I explained I was not comfortable doing so, and suggested they could mail me a check, they also refused to do so.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
