Madeira Catamaran Tour: Dolphin and Whale Watching

Commence a soothing journey along the southern coast of Madeira aboard our cozy catamarans. This trip offers you the opportunity to observe dolphins, whales and sometimes turtles. In the summer season, if weather and sea conditions permit, you might even have the chance to take a dip in the pristine waters beneath the Cabo Girão sea cliff.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights

Experience a 3-hour trip by catamaran along the south coast of Madeira Island. We depart from Funchal Marina, giving a quick briefing about the trip and safety matters on board. The crew then starts their search for dolphins and whales, and any other marine wildlife, using binoculars equipped with a compass, doing their best with their experienced eyes….

What's Included
  • 3-hour dolphin and whale watching tour
  • Friendly and knowledgeable guide
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • We always recommend to bring: Sunscreen and windbreaker. For the summer months you could add a towel and bathing suit.
  • In the event you did not see any cetaceans, you will be offered the same trip again on an alternative occasion (valid for 1 year)
  • Swimming is subject to favorable weather and sea conditions
Location
Praça do Povo
Avenida Do Mar
VMT Madeira Kiosk - Funchal Marina. Check-In: 30 minutes before departure
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.3
(599 Ratings)
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1 star
David_s
May 23, 2025
Pilot Whale Watching - Enjoyable cruise out into the Atlantic for about an hour before suddenly slowing down to watch one or more pods of Pilot Whales for about 15 minutes. Very exciting. Then back to sailing along the coast and having the opportunity to swim close to I believe the tallest sea cliffs in Europe.
Review provided by Viator
Bvoordes
May 22, 2025
nice trip - Nice trip. Boat was not full so we had a lot of space. No Dolphins but Some Sperm Whales. Easy to book. They have several boats, so look which one you get.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
167katharinaz
Apr 24, 2025
Fascinating - We had booked the tour on the magic dolphin eco. The tour was very entertaining and you could feel the fun, but above all the knowledge of the staff. A small "dolphin lecture" was just as much a part of it as a dolphin capper who looked for and showed us the beautiful animals. However, you should be sea party, it is very swinging. We are very happy to be there again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Culture44050234508
Apr 22, 2025
We had the chance to see dolphins - We had the chance to see dolphins. Nothing else, but it makes for a beautiful sea walk. Excursion booked the night before. Very well organized
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brayden_f
Mar 21, 2025
Dolphin watching - Took a morning catamaran boat ride to see dolphins and it did not disappoint. Saw tons of dolphins once we got closer to the island we were headed towards. The tour guide was very communicative about the tour. Overall great, relaxing tour
Review provided by Viator
Carla_s
Feb 22, 2025
Both me and my daughter... - Both me and my daughter loved it. The staff were so helpful and friendly . We loved seeing the dolphins and also seeing madeira from the sea
Review provided by Viator
Normanl339
Mar 25, 2025
Restful catamaran ride - Great soothing ride along the cliffs with these dolphins around the boat. Beautiful I advise. The water was unfortunately too cold for me to bathe
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roy
Apr 22, 2025
ok - Dolphin sighting was magical. Unfortunately no whales, think they are much further out to sea and you should be lucky for this.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
E7871krgeorgec
May 5, 2025
Boat trip to spot dolphins rather than dolphin and whale watching trip - We were looking for the company we had gone with previously but was too late as they had already departed. A sales person persuaded us to go with VMT. As we were in Madeira for the day, there seem little choice but to go on their catamaran. I wish we were told before boarding that the upper deck was for smokers - we would definitely stayed downstairs. After a while, we saw a pod and stayed with them for a short while. But that was it for the dolphin watch!! The pilot then made a beeline for the cliffs for a handful of people to go swimming. The sales person didn’t inform us of that. We thought we were on a dolphin & whale watching trip. I asked the pilot if we are seeing / searching for any more dolphins and was told no, then said they could be anywhere….could be in the north of the island. Not friendly, not helpful. That was that and we headed back. Announcements were not clear. We just about heard “spotted dolphins” but goodness knows what else was said / read out. Maybe to those who wanted a boat trip and see dolphins, they succeeded. However, we would recommend Rota dos Cetáceos if they would like to go on a dolphin and whale watching trip. This company has great knowledge and seem to really care about the dolphins. They use rib boats which adds to the excitement but the down side is they do charge more. Still, worth it as they did bother to look for different pods of dolphins rather than settling for one. We feel quite robbed with VMT. We won’t make that same mistake next year….
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Arnen798
May 19, 2025
Promises were not kept. - It was told in advance that you can go swimming for 15 minutes, but then they left after 5 minutes when we were done with moving. Staff was just on the phone and didn't care.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $46
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).