FUNCHAL · DOLPHIN WATCHING
Every trip has one free morning too few. These 14 dolphin watching tours justify the slot, priced and timed so you can decide in minutes and get back to packing.
Review of Madeira’s eco catamaran cruise from Funchal, with dolphins, whales, coastal views, practical tips, value, and honest drawbacks.
“Got to see dolphins, sperm and pilot whales. Also opportunity to learn more about them and the area. Plenty of room on board with helpful staff making sure you got to see the wildlife.”
Review of VipDolphins Luxury Whale Watching in Funchal, with small groups, drinks, snacks, wildlife sightings, and a Cabo Girao swim.
“So relaxing and fun! Sheila and Liv took great care of us and were super friendly. They brought us all kinds of local treats to try and beverages. It was nice to have a smaller sized group and have room to move about on the boat. The captain kept us informed and jumped down to help me back on the boat after swimming. We were also able to see a group of pilot whales with babies! It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon and be pampered.”
Review of Madeira’s small-group whale and dolphin tour from Calheta, with swimming, snorkeling, coastal views, drinks, pricing, and practical tips.
“It was so good....We did it twice in 3 days! We was so impressed by the Crew and our first trip @16:30 pm. We decided to book another trip @10 am two days later. Two totally different experiences but both of them were so special!!! Emanuel the Captain and Thiago the biologists took us 6 on a magic trip and it felt like a private tour. Both times we did see dolphins - calmly swimming by our boat. It was so quiet and peaceful. Thank you guys for all the effort and love you shared with us. We will be back for a 100 %!”
Review of Madeira’s private dolphin and whale tour from Calheta, with yacht comfort, snorkeling, drinks, wildlife odds, pricing, and practical tips.
“Crew attentive and very flexible to adapt to people (family including children from 2 to 9 years). Beautiful navigation and boat in good condition. We recommend.Auto-translated”
Review of Magic Dolphin’s Funchal sea safari, with dolphins, whales, turtles, birds, guides, pricing, boat details, and practical tips.
“Amazing trip! We were lucky enough to see spotted and bottlenose dolphins. A worthwhile experience with an experienced biologist as our guide.”
Review of Blue Safari Madeira’s small-group whale and dolphin tour, with wildlife odds, boat comfort, safety tips, price value, and booking advice.
“Excellent biologist guide Camellia and very competent captain Francesco gave us time with two schools of dolphins displaying two different activities. We were safe, informed and given special attention.”
Review of Madeira’s 2.5-hour whale and dolphin cruise, with marine biologists, small boats, swimming opportunities, pricing, and practical tips.
“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 Magic Dolphin Celebrity in Madeira: small-group catamaran sailing, dolphins, whales, swimming, value, timing, and booking tips.
“This is the option to choose! Went last week with my wife and two sons. Normal maximum capacity is 25, which is much better than the (strangely) more popular Magic Dolphin Eco boat with well over 100, but it was just the 4 of us! Great guide (Clavine - hope I got that right) and great spotter and captain on a very comfortable catamaran. Being smaller and quieter, the spotted dolphins came right up to us to swim - fantastic! We got some great photos and especially videos but not posting - you need to go and see them for yourselves 😊”
Funchal hop-on hop-off bus plus catamaran whale and dolphin cruise, with Old Town stops, viewpoints, Madeira wine, and useful discounts.
“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 by catamaran with wine and embroidery extras.
“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 Cabo Girão, mountain jeep ride, wine and poncha tasting, and dolphin cruise from Funchal, with practical booking tips.
“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…”
Review of Madeira’s wine, skywalk, 4x4 and dolphin tour, with honest advice on views, guides, timing, value, and what to expect.
“The first part of the tour was excellent. Small group, 7 people in total and a guide (Paulo) who told us all about the area we were driving through and the vegetation etc. Had a lot of fun but that also depends on the people on your tour. We were lucky and had a nice group and had a great time during the skywalk and wine tasting. After this Paulo told us that this was the end of his tour and that he would take us to the next tour, which was dolphin watching. We were the only 3 of the 7 who had combined this. What a disappointment this…”
Review of Madeira’s 2.5-hour RIB whale and dolphin tour, with small groups, Cabo Girão views, wildlife odds, costs, and practical tips.
“Easy to book. Punctual, informative, educational. Hair raising in an adrenaline fix fun way. So lucky to see wild animals and we appreciate the opportunity to do so.”
Explore Pico do Arieiro, Cristo Rei, and Madeira’s coast by jeep and catamaran, with dolphin and whale watching from Funchal.
“We saw many dolphins and even a tropical whale - amazing views and memories !”
Pick a coast, or pick the kind of morning you want.
