The 15 Best Whale & Dolphin Trips from Funchal

1.Madeira Dolphin and Whale Watching on a Ecological Catamaran

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,957 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $42Our pick

Eco-catamaran dolphin and whale watching from Funchal, Madeira. Hybrid-electric sailing, shore spotters, and coastal sights on a 3-hour trip.

“This was a great trip with a friendly professional team, from boarding the catamaran we felt very comfortable and were kept informed throughout. The catamaran was spotlessly clean, well equipped and with plenty of of seats and viewing areas. As soon as any wildlife was spotted we stopped far enough away so as not to disturb anything which is really important. The dolphins actually came towards us and came up from under the catamaran and were a delight to see and then later we were informed that there was a pod of pilot whales just resting ahead of. We stopped and the captain gently turned the catamaran around so everyone…”

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2.VipDolphins Luxury Whale Watching

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,709 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $95Top rated

Luxury catamaran whale and dolphin watching from Funchal, with champagne, snacks, and a snorkeling swim at Cabo Girao.

“Saw two different pods of whales! Including One small group of three in a rare sighting of beaked nose whales…beautiful trip, wonderful crew, tasty filling snacks more like appetizers, you can eat, drink as much as you’d like… informative super friendly cheerful crew, fun swim. Perfect size smaller boat.”

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3.Whale and Dolphin Watching Tour in Madeira

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,192 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $83

Small-group whale and dolphin watching from Calheta in Madeira, with snorkeling, warm-water swims, towels, drinks, and sea views.

“The team is very professional and the experience was great! Thanks to Emanuel and the whole team! My family loved it.”

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4.Private Dolphin and Whale Watching Tour in Madeira

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 539 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $592

Private 2.5-hour yacht cruise from Calheta with snorkeling gear, sparkling wine, and a real shot at dolphins and whales around Madeira.

“Die Mitarbeiterin am Hafen war sehr nett und zuvorkommend. Doch leider wurde auf dem Boot, weder die Route richtig erklärt, noch gab es irgendwelche Informationen zu den Walen oder Delfinen. Wir sind zu einer Stelle zum schnorcheln gefahren, die man schneller mit dem Auto erreicht hätte, es gab nichts dort zu sehen. Auch wurden wir vorab nicht gefragt, ob wir schonmal an dem Ort waren.Es gab keine Erklärung wie weit wir von dem Boot wegschwimmen dürfen….Außerdem sind wir später losgefahren und früher zurück gekommen. Die Skipper haben nicht den Anschein gemacht, wirklich nach Delfinen Ausschau zu halten….Kein gutes Preis Leistungs Verhältnis!”

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5.Dolphin – Whale – Turtle – Bird Watching

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 350 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $60

Two hours on a 500 HP RIB in Funchal, with expert guides, live commentary, and a real shot at dolphins, whales, turtles, and birds.

“My teen daughter and I absolutely loved this! One of the best experiences we’ve ever had. Our guides were kind and very knowledgeable. We spotted Bottlenose dolphins, Common dolphins, and Pilot whales. The speedboat was so much fun!”

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6.Whales and Dolphins wooden boat excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 247 reviews · 3 hours · from $41Best value

3-hour wooden boat trip from Funchal to spot whales and dolphins, with Madeira wine and a Cabo Girão swim stop when seas allow.

“I loved the Dolphin watching trip on Bonita da Madeira, not as crowded as some of the other boats, the crew were excellent. Miguel, Oriana and Ana were so welcoming, friendly, informative and kind. We saw several Dolphins and to see them in thier natural environment is spectacular. All in all an unforgettable day and one I can highly recommend.”

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7.Responsible Whales and/or Dolphins Watching Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 237 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $59

A small-group, high-speed whale and dolphin tour from Funchal, Madeira, with marine biologists, a responsible approach, and 2 hours at sea.

“Went Monday last week (it's Monday today) and seriously screwed up my back. They were competing with another speedboat to get to the dolphins first and it was quite choppy. The boat kept slamming over the waves. The skipper, Francisco, was in the back of the boat and thus didn't feel the impact as much as the front (where I was sitting). After I was really hurt (have not had back problems before) and changed seats towards the back, he did not hold back and seemed to even speed up more on the way back. Even the person that had switched to my front seat asked to switch further back…”

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8.Whale Watching and Swimming with Dolphins Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 111 reviews · 2.5 hours · from $94

A 2.5-hour Madeira sea cruise to spot whales and wild dolphins with a marine biologist, plus optional swimming in the right conditions.

“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”

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9.Magic Dolphin Celebrity

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 77 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $48

Magic Dolphin Celebrity in Funchal mixes Jeep sightseeing with a small catamaran sea safari, spotting dolphins and sometimes whales.

“We really enjoyed the trip pleasant guide and friendly crew. Nice refreshing drink and stunning view . We managed to spot some whales but unfortunately no dolphins this time.”

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10.Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour and Catamaran Whale & Dolphin Watching

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 53 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $55

Hop-on hop-off bus and catamaran cruise in Funchal, with Madeira wine, embroidery stop, and a chance to spot whales and dolphins.

“Fantastic sunny day with yellow bus. I love it. The bus driver was excellent. The panoramic bus was great.”

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11.Hop-on Hop-off Bus & Whale & Dolphin boat Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 41 reviews · 2 days · from $54

A 2-day Madeira deal pairing a 48-hour hop-on hop-off bus, whale and dolphin catamaran, swim stop, wine tasting, and embroidery entry.

“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”

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12.Amazing Skywalk, Wine Tasting & 4×4 Adventure + Dolphin Watching

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 40 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $106

Madeira’s best cliff views plus a 4x4 jeep route and an afternoon dolphin and whale cruise from Funchal, with pickup included.

“We were collected from our hotel at Cabo Girao at the advised time and met our fellow travellers - there were 7 of us in our 4WD vehicle plus the guide and driver and joined a convoy of approximately 8 vehicles. Our guide was knowledgeable on the area and gave us a good commentary of local information. We were taken up some very steep roads that would not have been accessible without 4WD! We stopped at a few locations to see the sights and take photographs, this also included a stop at a coffee shop where we were able to enjoy some delicious homemade cake. After the jeep tour we…”

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13.Wines Tasting Experience and Skywalk with Dolphin Watching

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 34 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $130

Funchal Madeira day tour: jeep viewpoints, São Vicente wine tasting and Cabo Girão skywalk, then afternoon dolphin and whale watching.

“Amazing tour with guide David, a real family man. The wine tasting was incredible with really stunning views.”

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14.Guarantee Wild Dolphin&Whale Watching by RIB

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 28 reviews · 2.5 hours · from $70

Small-group RIB dolphin and whale watching from Funchal, Madeira. 2.5 hours on the open sea, with optional swim add-on when conditions allow.

“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”

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15.Sunset over water by RIB boat +opt Dolphin/Whale

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1 reviews · 1.5 - 2 hours · from $61

Ride a small-group RIB at sunset from Funchal, with Cabo Girão views, Camara de Lobos stops, and optional dolphin or whale watching.

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