13 Luxury Whale Watching Around the World

1.Funchal Bay: Dolphin & Whale Watch Luxury Catamaran Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 2,684 reviews · 3 hours · from $47Our pick

Spot whales and dolphins, swim beneath Cabo Girão, and enjoy Madeira’s coast on a relaxed three-hour catamaran cruise.

“Here is the revised version without the part about needing anything: ⸻ My mother and I had an absolutely amazing catamaran trip in Madeira! The skipper was incredibly friendly and made the whole experience unforgettable. He even sang along to the music, which created such a fun and relaxed atmosphere on board. His positive energy really set the tone for the entire trip. The combination of beautiful views, great music, and his fantastic mood made this one of the highlights of our stay in Madeira. It was such a special experience for both of us, and we truly enjoyed every minute. Highly recommended – we would definitely do it again!”

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2.All Inclusive Whale and Dolphin Watching Luxury Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 2,573 reviews · 3 hours · from $93

Review of Madeira’s luxury whale and dolphin catamaran tour, with Cabo Girão, swimming, unlimited drinks, snacks, pricing, and practical tips.

“We had the best day! The team were great, constantly looking for wildlife and serving us drinks and snacks. Maggie, Clare and Sousa were amazing! We saw some whales and the general scenery from Funchal to Cabo Girao was beautiful! Diving off the boat was equally as fun! The pastel de nata was the best ever!”

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3.Luxury Catamaran Whale Watching Cabo San Lucas

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,107 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $129Top rated

Review of Cabo’s luxury catamaran whale watch, with whale sightings, Arch views, drinks, snacks, transport costs, and practical booking tips.

“The organization of this excursion was seamless. Every staff member was amazing. We got to see several whales (even a baby) and lots of dolphins! It was truly remarkable.”

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4.Funchal: Dolphin and Whale Watching by Luxury Catamaran

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,709 reviews · 3 hours · from $47

Review of Funchal’s luxury catamaran whale watching tour, with Cabo Girão views, marine life, swimming, crew tips, and honest value advice.

“This was excellent. Loved every minute. Really chilled out trip. The guides were amazing, made us feel really welcome and looked after. Made us all feel at home. the boat was spacious and plenty of seats anywhere on the boat or under the canopy in the shade if needed. One free drink and then very inexpensive to buy another £2.50 for a beer. The whole thing was great. The guides did their very best to get us to see the dolphins which were mostly quite a few meters from the boat but we got quite close at one point with 3 swimming directly in front of the boat. Actually the…”

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5.VipDolphins Luxury Whale Watching

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,709 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $95

Review of VipDolphins Luxury Whale Watching in Madeira, with small groups, drinks, snacks, wildlife sightings, and a Cabo Girao swim.

“Saw two different pods of whales! Including One small group of three in a rare sighting of beaked nose whales…beautiful trip, wonderful crew, tasty filling snacks more like appetizers, you can eat, drink as much as you’d like… informative super friendly cheerful crew, fun swim. Perfect size smaller boat.”

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6.Whales and Dolphins Watching-Luxury Super Grade Cruiser(Hotel Pick up offered)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,268 reviews · from $65

Review of Mirissa’s $65 whale and dolphin cruise, with breakfast, hotel pickup, restroom, safety crew, group size, and honest booking advice.

“Firstly and in fairness - we did see whales. Two fin whales swimming together and they were beautiful to watch. However, the trip itself was very disappointing. Firstly, we booked for collection in Galle and heard nothing and, so I chasRead more”

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7.From Fremantle: 2-Hour Luxury Whale-Watching Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 455 reviews · 2 hours · from $67

Review of Fremantle’s luxury 2-hour whale-watching cruise, with practical tips on whales, boat comfort, sea sickness, value, and booking.

“It was great. We were out for a longer time to try and see extra whales/dolphins. Great trip and very informative”

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8.Whales and Snorkeling Tour on a Luxury Yacht

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 443 reviews · 3 hours · from $101

Review of Tenerife’s small-group luxury yacht tour, with whale watching, snorkeling, tapas, unlimited drinks, coastal views, and practical tips.

“Micheal picked us up from XSur and was very welcoming. On arrival to the yacht we met the captain who went through the running order of the day, explained the boat and about the sea life we would hopefully encounter. We are a family of 4 from the UK and shared our journey with a family from Belgium. We loved that it was just such a small number on the boat, made it very personal and special. The other family said this was the third time they had been on the boat and that speaks volumes for our crew! Micheal kept our glasses filled on the trip and explained more…”

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9.Tadoussac/Charlevoix: VIP Lounge OR UpperDeck Whale Watching

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 313 reviews · 3 hours · from $160

Review of AML Cruises’ VIP whale watching tour in Tadoussac and Charlevoix, with lounge, upper deck, pricing, wildlife, and practical tips.

“You could see many sightings of whales and it was worth every penny.”

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10.VIP (12 Guests ONLY) Ultimate Whale Watch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 198 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $125

Small-group Maui whale watching on a fast raft, with a marine naturalist, hydrophone, whale guarantee, and close views from Lahaina.

“Best whale outing ever! Even had one go under the zodiac. Crew was great! Highly recommend. Lots of Q&A, knowledgeable staff.”

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11.Newport Beach: Luxury Whale Watching Catamaran Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 194 reviews · 2h 30m · from $58

Review of Newport Beach’s 150-minute catamaran whale watch, with dolphins, coastal views, guide tips, parking advice, and honest value notes.

“Kayla and Addy took us on a wonderful cruise down the coast and back! We saw upwards of 1000 dolphins, two types, many babies and mommas! Such a delight! 10/10 recommend. Kayla and Addy were excellent hosts and tour guides. Prepare to get a little wet and bring a hat or beanie to keep your ears warm!”

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12.Luxury Whale Watch Cruise to The Arch Los Cabos

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 126 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $95

Review the Cabo whale watch catamaran, with Arch views, small groups, hotel transfers, open bar, seasonal whale sightings, and practical booking advice.

“We all loved the boat and our crew, Ulises and Jose1 They were very good and fun. They gave us a great whale watching experience.”

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13.Luxury Private Whale & Dolphin Watching Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 14 reviews · 3 - 6 hours

Review of Tenerife’s private yacht cruise for whale, dolphin, and turtle sightings, with cava, snorkeling, food, and flexible 3 or 6-hour trips.

“We had a private boat trip for 11 of us and it was amazing , the captain was fabulous let us play our own music. There was snacks and drinks included and to top it al off to got to see some whales and also have some swim time. Would highly recommend and will definitely be back. Thank you”

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