Where to go · FUNCHAL WHALE WATCHING TOURS
The season here is short and the good boats fill first. Below: the 11 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Review of Madeira’s eco-catamaran whale and dolphin cruise from Funchal, with wildlife tips, route details, comfort notes, and honest value advice.
“Great experience. We saw lots of dolphins. First time and would do it again. Well worth the money. Go for it.”
Review of VipDolphins Luxury Whale Watching in Madeira, with small groups, drinks, snacks, swimming at Cabo Girao, and practical booking tips.
“This was a fantastic trip. The crew were lovely, very attentive and knowledgeable. The boat was spacious and very comfortable with a choice of seats for all. The drinks and snacks were delicious. There are two WCs. The whole trip was delightful, I cannot recommend it highly enough.”
Review of Madeira’s whale and dolphin tour from Calheta, with swimming, snorkeling, coastal views, small groups, pricing, and practical tips.
“The advertised cruise was not what we received. We have booked a tour on a small boat up to 6 people with snorkeling. But we were placed on a boat with more than 10 people, we wer able to dip in the ocean for 5 minutes, they had no snorkeling equipment on board. I adressed everything upon boarding but was told by the staff and the captain that this was what I had booked. It still was a nice cruise. Later back at our apartment I checked my booking and saw that we had actually not received what we had booked and adressed it via Whatsapp with the staff. They…”
Review of Madeira’s private dolphin and whale tour from Calheta, with yacht details, snorkeling, wildlife odds, price, timing, and practical booking advice.
“Tout était parfait : de la réservation à la fin de notre tour en bateau ! Équipe très agréable, bateau au top ! Merci pour ces beaux souvenirs !”
Review of Magic Dolphin’s Funchal sea safari, with dolphins, whales, turtles, birds, a small RIB boat, practical tips, value, and drawbacks.
“Fabulous experience! Even though it was windy and we got very wet, it was so much fun! Aside from that, Clara, our guide shared interesting information about the bottle nose dolphins that we saw.”
Review of Madeira’s three-hour wooden boat tour for whales, dolphins, Madeira wine, crew service, and swimming at Cabo Girão.
“Excellent trip. Crew were all friendly and helpful. Had to travel a little further to see the animals, but were rewarded with Dolphins and Whales a great experience. There was no time for swimming but everyone onboard wanted to see Whales so we were all happy.”
Review of Madeira’s Blue Safari whale and dolphin tour, with small groups, marine biologists, fast boats, practical tips, and honest drawbacks.
“We had a tour with Camilla and Thiago manning the boat. Both were extremely nice and helpful and we got to see two species of whale and dolphins. The trip is carried out by experts who help to protect these beautiful creatures and this is welcome.”
Review of Madeira’s 2.5-hour whale and dolphin cruise, with marine biologists, small boats, swimming chances, pricing, tips, and honest drawbacks.
“I couldn’t go as I had food poisoning the night before and was feeling to ill to go on the trip Contacted the tour 2 hours before the trip to say the situation and to see if I could change for a few days later but it was to short notice I thought they could of changed the date as I couldn’t help getting food poisoning”
Review of Funchal’s hop-on hop-off bus and catamaran cruise, with route details, whale watching tips, value advice, and practical planning help.
“I enjoyed riding the bus loop, it was easy to find. Was very dissappointed there was no internet. The region is very mountainous, So we visited areas we would not have reached on foot.”
Explore Funchal and Câmara de Lobos by open-top bus, then watch dolphins and whales from a catamaran with a swim stop.
“communication needs to be clearer, we thought start time referred to start of 48 hours but apparently it was the catamaran, so we nearly missed it. but the catamaran trip was lovely and we saw lots of dolphins close up so that was a bonus”
Review of Madeira’s 2.5-hour RIB tour from Funchal, with wild dolphins, whales, Cabo Girão views, and an optional dolphin swim.
“Fantastische activiteit, hele fijne gids en stuurman, heel veel respect voor de dieren, en veel dolfijnen met baby's gezien! Gids hielp ons heel prettig bij zeeziekte, echt een hele gave en fijne ervaring”
Pick a coast, a season or a boat.
