Whale and Dolphin Watching Tour: Marine Biologist-Led Excursion

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…
What's Included
  • Local guide
  • Professional guide
  • Tour escort/host
  • Use of snorkeling equipment
  • Live commentary on board
  • All activities
What's Not Included
  • 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…

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.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(322 Ratings)
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1 star
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.
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584ulrikep
Sep 27, 2025
A fun excursion - It was a successful trip with pilot whales and a lot of interesting information. Really recommendable.
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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!
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446fredf
Sep 21, 2025
Most beautiful tour in a long time - What a great trip with such a professional and friendly team. Whale and dolphin watching was booked and you got that 100%. Here you not only drive around a bit on the sea hoping that by chance you will see a few whales or dolphins, but you will drive to the exact spot where spotters from land have seen the animals. It couldn't be better! So if you want to experience something like this, you have to book with Rota dos Cetaceos.
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Alan
Sep 14, 2025
Best Trips for Whales and Dolphins - Well organised and uses RIB rather than larger boats. Not for everyone as need to be reasonably agile on the RIB and probably not good if you get queasy. Advantage is they are fast and adaptable, so once there is a sighting you are first there. They use land based spotter to direct to likely sightings. We went on the 9am trip and saw beaked whales, bottle nosed dolphins and amazing pilot whales. Knowledgeable crew made our day. Second time with RDC would use no other
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Bobasse
Sep 1, 2025
Nice experience! - Nice experience! We were led by a team that we felt passionate about his subject. Another good point is that respect for nature is never left out. We had the chance to meet some dolphins in just a few minutes, very nice show!
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Aly-maman
Sep 4, 2025
Very nice. - It was great, we had a great time and saw a lot of dolphins. We would have liked to see another whale but it's nature, we have to deal with
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Stevesj8961bm
Sep 3, 2025
Dolphins-Yes, Whales-No - Well dolphins are considered in the whale family but the trip was basically to see dolphins, don't expect to see whales. Added , is a quick swim and than back to the habour. Friendly staff and knowledgeable team.
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Loreleik542
Sep 1, 2025
Great guides, no swimming??? - Really amazing tour guides, you can tell they really care! I’m sad we didn’t get to go swimming though even though it was advertised ?
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $69
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).