Oct 22, 2024
Amazing day with great crew! - We had such a wonderful time on this adventure, the staff of the company was amazing, and educational. They were very resourceful, and my friend and i really enjoyed the day! I would recommend to anyone who loves nature!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 13, 2024
Really incredible day - Really incredible day. We were lucky to see both dolphins and whales, the whales were pretty far away but I understand we don’t want to disturb their natural habitat. The true highlight for me was visiting the islet, it was a magical place. The water was crystal clear. It started raining lightly while we were there but it wasn’t cold and it just added to the experience. I will say some members of the group felt the day was a little long, but I thought they broke it up nicely with lunch and I truly enjoyed it all. I would maybe just recommend bringing dry clothes and don’t change into them until after the last boat ride to Ponta Delgada. Again, for us it was raining so it may be different for you. Also Bea, our guide, was lovely.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 19, 2024
Fun Day Out - We got to see a lot we wouldn’t otherwise have seen. Dolphins and a whole view of the beautiful island. Visiting and swimming in Vila Franca was awesome too. Plus the guides were friendly and fun.
Review provided by Viator
Sep 5, 2024
Very Nice Experience - We did the tour with Bea and Katharina. Both were excellent marine biologists and tour guides. We saw three different species of dolphins. Bea explained the differences very well. Also it was very animalfriendly. Once we saw the dolphins, the boat slowed down and the boat kept a distance to not disturb them. Some dolphins swam very close to the boat though. Also Bea mentioned an important point that those dolphins belong to the wild and not in an amusement or marine park!! Very well said! The stopover at that little island was very pleasant as well. Thank you☺️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 5, 2024
We saw many animals and had a great day at sea. - We saw a sperm whale, many dolphins, and exotic fish in snorkeling activity. Good Food and Excellent Guide. Highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 18, 2024
Take this tour! The guides are great! - A great tour! Our guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the the island of São Miguel and the whales / dolphins as a whole. She was able to answer all the questions we asked and was very considerate with my mother’s dietary restrictions (due to the lunch box). Getting to see the islet was amazing and the tour provided snorkel mask & tube. I really wish I remembered our guides names because they were amazing! I believe it was a J or M. They smiled the entire time and you could tell they really loved their jobs. They spoke multiple languages and the boat driver was safe but not sluggish. We will definitely do this tour (or another one with the same company) again!
Notes:
-if sandwiches are not something you like maybe bring your own lunch
-I’d suggest bringing water shoes and an umbrella/hat/shade for the islet!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 14, 2024
Nice experience with a space for improvements - Seeing the wild dolphins was a fantastic experience. We enjoyed it!
Our lunch was, unfortunately, a pack to go rather not great.
And the trip to Vila Franca Islet could have been much better organised. You need to sit in the crowded local boat in the shining sun ( this is the only way you can get there).
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 20, 2024
Nice, but... - I put 4 dots, because in the end the day was good, but I'm not sure I would do it again and would recommend it
You go with a large fast speedboat where you sit on the sides (about 30 people), the speedboat has a marquee that is fine if there is strong sun but makes you stay in the shade for most of the excursion.
The morning begins with the search for dolphins and whales: no problem for the dolphins, there are dozens who live permanently outside Ponta Delgada so seeing them is 100% certain. The whale part instead is based on luck even if in our case they did practically nothing to look for them (we went on August 14 and maybe they already knew it was too late), the fact is that they went straight to where they knew there were dolphins and then off like a rocket to the island of Vila Franca do Campo. Not a shadow of whales (luckily we had seen them in Terceira)
Packed lunch (two different sandwiches, water, orange juice, chips and treat: all in all good) that you can eat either on the short trip to the island that you do with the official reserve boat that you take from the port of Vila Franca do Campo or just arrived on the island. The island honestly is much more beautiful in pictures (the famous photo from above) than live. You can't say for sure it's ugly but I'm not sure it's worth an internal day and all the money sent. However you stay in the island about 3 hours with the possibility of swimming inside, you can not go out. The water is nice, but in the Azores you swim in much nicer waters.
So in the end I do not know whether to recommend this excursion. Still nice tour around the island. We even made two, one with the Picos speedboat and one with the official boat on the way back with passage even inside the stack (I don't know if they always do)
Return to Ponta Delgada at 16.30/16.45
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 16, 2024
Only second part, Island worth visiting. - Very un organized! To much time driving for a couple Whales far away from boat. Dolphins was better. Vila Franca Islet, we had enough time for swimming and snorkeling.
Review provided by Viator
Aug 25, 2024
No lunch, hours waiting for the boat - The guide was great! The lunch was a joke! A salad sanwich and 2 apples. The way back was awful because of the waves, even dangerous.
Review provided by Viator