Whale Watching & Vila Franca Islet Adventure

142 Ratings

Ponta Delgada

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Join a full-day expedition to witness majestic whales and dolphins, and explore the exclusive Vila Franca Islet. Includes lunch.

Duration: 7 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Marina Pêro de Teive - Experience the highlights of São Miguel with this full-day ocean adventure that combines whale watching and a visit to the renowned Vila Franca Islet.
Begin your day at the marina with a safety and species briefing conducted by our marine biologists, then set sail to observe whales and dolphins in their natural environment….

What's Included

Boat Tour
Islet Tickets
Lunch
Use of snorkeling equipment

What's Not Included

Hotel Pick up

Additional Information

This tour seamlessly combines two of São Miguel’s most iconic experiences in a single day: ethical whale watching led by marine biologists and a visit to the breathtaking, volcanic Vila Franca Islet.
Few tours provide this unique blend of ocean wildlife observation and the opportunity to swim or unwind within a volcanic crater lagoon. Participants will…

Location

Marina Pêro de Teive

Avenida Dom João III

Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings

4.4

(142 Ratings)

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Joanl514

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

Juliaph8273ye

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

Sam_f

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

Fredk08

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

765kirsteeng

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

Elizabethcz8202my

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

Ivas621

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

Amofra

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

Agron_a

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

Anala_t

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

Check Availability

From $136

up to 15 guests

1 Adult