Madeira Dolphin & Whale Watching Tour

Badge of ExcellenceMadeira, Portugal

2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Madeira’s strategic placement in the North Atlantic Ocean makes it a great location for dolphin and whale watching. On this exciting tour, observe the cetaceans in their natural habitat without disturbing them. You can also observe other wildlife such as fish, sharks, and birds during your adventure.

Learn about whales and dolphins from a marine biologist
Take in the views of Madeira's coast while you sail
Choose from several sail times to suit your schedule

What's Included

Life jacket

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

VENTURA| Nature Emotions
Cais 8, Marina do Funchal, 9000-055 Funchal, Portugal
Pier 8, Marina do Funchal, 9000-055 Funchal VENTURA NATURE EMOTIONS KIOSK Please arrive at the kiosk 30 minutes before the trip.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems

Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Jill_B

Excellent experience. Very knowledgeable and helpful guide. We had fantastic views of two species of dolphins.

Reviews

5.0

325 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 325 reviews

Dolphins

Jill_B, May 2024

Excellent experience. Very knowledgeable and helpful guide. We had fantastic views of two species of dolphins.

Great program

Eszter_W, Feb 2024

Everybody was really kind! It was a great program! You could see a lot of beautiful views also from the ocean to the cities and cliffs

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Dear Eszter, Thank you for your feedback. We are glad that you have enjoyed this experience. We hope to see you soon! Best regards, Ventura Team

Go….. it was great fun!

Matt_D, Feb 2024

We went on this trip on a sunny February morning. We saw some common dolphins hunting and playing and it was magical. I’d really recommend going. The guides really tried to find the wildlife and we spent a good amount of time with the dolphins when they were spotted. The speedboat in itself is a fantastic experience.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Dear Matt, Thank you for your feedback. We are glad that you have enjoyed this experience. We hope to see you soon! Best regards, Ventura Team

A great trip

Phil_L, Feb 2024

A great trip with very informative tour guide - Raquel. Definitely recommended. Always prefer the rib to get up close.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Dear Phil, Thank you for your feedback. We are glad that you have enjoyed this experience. We hope to see you soon! Best regards, Ventura Team

A whale of a time(groan)!

Peter_S, Feb 2024

Finding the Pilot whales miles out in choppy seas took an experienced team. I don’t know how they located the family of whales, and at one point thought I was just going to enjoy a high speed boat ride with a sea view of Madeira. But much to everyone’s delight our target was located. The guide was knowledgeable and informative about these Pilot Whales and everyone had a good time.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Dear Peter, Thank you for your feedback. We are glad that you have enjoyed this experience. We hope to see you soon! Best regards, Ventura Team

Lots to see on the sea.

Frank_G, Oct 2023

Great tour. Lots of action. Saw many pilot whales and two different schools of dolphins on a three hour tour. Our tour guide was very knowledgable and made the whole experience memorable.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Thank you for your feedback. We are glad that you have enjoyed this experience. We hope to see you soon! Best regards, Ventura Team

Great boat ride with great communication.

Lee_S, Sep 2023

Great experience great price great tour guides. Slight issue with the starting point, wrong link for the destination. But guide rang and all was good.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Thank you for your feedback. We are glad that you have enjoyed this experience. We hope to see you soon! Best regards, Ventura Team

Great!!

Camille_L, Sep 2023

We saw 2 different species of dolphins. It was really great with the commentaries of the biologist Raquel. I recommend this activity!

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Thank you for your feedback. We are glad that you have enjoyed this experience. We hope to see you soon! Best regards, Ventura Team

A must when in Madeira

Iwona_D, Jun 2023

We had a fantastic time. Spotted few different species including pilot whales and common dolphins. We felt safe onboard and our guide was attentive and told us multiple interesting stories. Worth it 😁

Excellent!

Kostakis_I, Jun 2023

Great tour ! We only saw dolphins some rear ones but the tour was very well organized, about 2,5 hours and we took all of our chances for the whales!

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Thank you for your feedback! Hope to see you again!

A great fun experience

ChristineHall, Jun 2023

Loved this tour. Our hosts went above and beyond and we saw Pilot Whales and Bottlenose Dolphins. Thoroughly enjoyable on a 'speed boat'.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Thank you for your feedback! We hope to see you soon!

Fun fun and more fun

Caroline_M, Jun 2023

Had a fabulous time. Seen a hammerhead shark, bottle nose dolphins and quite a few pilot whales. I didn’t want the trip to end. Really enjoyed the trip back and the shower of sea water every so often.

Spotting spotted dolphinhos

Ana_G, May 2023

We had a wonderful time during the excursion with Hugo and João. We went fairly early in the season (May). While we didn't spot any whale, we came across many playful dolphins. If you like an exhilarating ride and being extra close to the dolphins, this is the way to go.

Saw no Whales but still 100% amazing experience (read on)

Andy_H, Nov 2022

We unfortunately didn't see any whales on the trip; HOWEVER, we did see the most dolphins I've ever seen. Two huge pods of 50+ dolphins, they were super fun and interactive with the RIB (Speedboat). We got so close you felt like you could almost touch the dolphins. Absolutely would recommend this experience to anyone. Bonus: We saw a flying fish and it blew my mind!

Fun, amazing experience

Gemma_T, Sep 2022

Very good trip the boat was a fun part but seeing whales was amazing and the guide was very knowledgable.

Dolphins and speedboat

Michal_S, Sep 2022

Many thanks to Ventura. Everything was perfect. They approach very professional from safety aspects to dolphin watching. Recommend to everyone. Also Many thanks to pick up the rubbish from the ocean.

Lovely experience, saw...

Jamie_L, Aug 2022

Lovely experience, saw spotted dolphins, whales and bottleneck dolphins. Guide and skipper were great

Great time on a RIB searching for sea life

Alexander_D, Aug 2022

Great time had and we did get to see some dolphins which was great. It was great to see that the marine biologist and the driver as well as on the look out for dolphins/whales they also scooped up any plastics or general items that could harm marine life. The lady marine biologist who’s name escapes me, kept us always informed of what was happening and what we saw. Can recommend for sure.

Dazzling Dolphins

Sara_b, Jul 2022

Best way to see sea life on a rib by far. Everyone had great view of turtles, dolphins and brydes whale. Plus beaut views of the island. Great crew very passionate about the environment, slowing down to pick up a plastic wrapper and looked after our 80 year old mother. Well done guys great excursion 10/10

Would do it again!

Alina_T, Nov 2020

My girlfriend and I did the dolphin & whale watching in November 2020. We choose to go with the speedboat, which already makes a lot of fun on it’s own. Our guides Marco and Alex did a really good Job. They could answer all our questions and had a lot of Knowledge about the Marine Life here in Madeira. Even though we did this tour off-season, we still managed to see two different types of dolphins. And Not just a few, but huge groups together. And we’ve Seen Pilot Whales. There are rules that there’s only two boats allowed around the animals, and Not longer than 10 minutes to avoid stress for the animals. Marco and Alex take really good care of that.

Response from Host, Dec 2020

Dear sailor, We appreciate your review. Our team always try to do our best so that everyone gets the best out of it. Looking forward to welcoming you aboard again!