Wildlife vacations in Azores
Tours & vacations in 2018 & 2019

Memorable parts? The boat trips out to see the whales. There were so many different types including dolphins. We actually saw 16 blue whales in one day. Tips? You are out at sea for 7 hours so make sure you take some sea sickness medication with you just in case. If you don't know that you suffer from sea sickness (like me) then take some anyway as seven hours is a long time to be feeling ill. Also I would recommend that on the free days to book one or both (tour of Pico) of the island... (more)Anne Arietti

Memorable parts? The whale and dolphin watching trips - the full day marine biologist trip on the RIB was the best of all of the trips. Tips? The trips on the RIB boats were much better than on the catamaran as the boat is much smaller and closer to the water so you get closer to the animals. Local benefits? Yes Overall rating? It was fantastic - a brilliant family vacation with two children (6 and 9) (more)Paul Purslow

Im not normally inclined to book group vacations because I’m not really the sociable kind although in fulfilling my wife’s long held dream to go Whale Watching I had little choice given how everything is structured. After some research I decided the Azores was the place to go therefore I booked one weeks vacation through Amanda finally settling on Pico Island as the destination. Whale researcher Rui is the man on the ground working full time gathering data about the Azorean whales in order to collaborate... (more)Richard Christie

Memorable parts? Difficult to decide. Seeing so many whales and dolphins, the insight that the leader (Lisa) imparted in describing their behaviour, the beauty of Faial island. Tips? Stay relaxed and enjoy the experience and learn from the tour leader. Local benefits? Yes, right from the extensive briefing information received before the tour to seeing some of the oceanic problems at first hand. This then gets imparted to the local community encouraging them to act responsibly. Overall... (more)Roger Hull

Seeing and swimming with dolphins and whale watching was amazing. There are lots of them out there! Also really enjoyed the kayak and crater lake activity day. (more)Helen Allen

Swimming with dolphins. On our trip we spotted a large pod of Atlantic spotted dolphins (our guide estimated 500) and we slipped into the water and swam with them. They were everywhere and you could hear their clicking a high pitched whistling as well as almost being able to touch them they were so close. (more)Roy White

Canyoning - really thrilling! Great! (more)Ilona Kish

The highlight was the blue whales. A superb experience, and we would have changed hardly anything once we were there, although we had big problems with the flights both ways. (more)Wendy Cadman

Actually getting to see the whales as described - Blue, Fin, Sperm and Sei, as well as 3 different types of dolphins. Lisa is so experienced and enthusiastic, and the skipper of the boat was very skilled too. (more)Swee-Im Ung

Informative, even as to the exact moment to click the camera shutter, skilled in being in the right place at the right time, positioning the boat for everyone's advantage, including the whale's, knowing the whales' routines, and even helping organise the non-water days. (more)Jean Tuck

The highlight was seeing whales, dolphins, turtles at sea together with the beautiful scenery. (more)Mark Davey

The highlight was seeing a blue whale from our catamaran! (more)Kathryn Dodd

I enjoyed it very much. It was all very interesting and I learned a lot. The food was exceptionally good. The people we met were all charming. The amount of whale watching and other activities was just right. (more)Jo Fallon

Memorable parts? Seeing the whales at close quarters, particularly a mother and calf on our firs day at sea. Tips? If there is any possibility you might be seasick take medication before you go out to sea. On all three days I went out at least one person was sick and so was unable to enjoy the whale watching. Local benefits? Yes. The whale watching trips were very respectful of the wildlife, and were also used to record information about the local whale population. We were... (more)Margaret Woskett

Memorable parts? The tours around the island were all brilliant but the whalewatching was unbelievably wonderful; really emotional and very special. But all the activities and tours were excellent; the three partners you chose were each really good; they knew their stuff and were very empathetic and engaging. Tips? Go!! The Azores were wonderful. Your choice of partners made it extra special - we appreciated being in our own family group and being looked after by biologists and environmentalists... (more)Fiona Godwin-Brown

Memorable parts? Hiking Pico, some other excursions: whale watching, hiking other volcanoes, swimming with dolphins, tasting great wine, fishing and being able to have it cooked at a restaurant that served it to us. Tips? Local benefits? just a few local people, I would say, not a group of people Overall rating? I would say it's between a three and four stars.....didn't like a few of the hotels and it was hard with the leader who had to leave, not having someone right... (more)Kat Muto

The anticipation and then the excitement of actually seeing the sperm and pilot whales that honoured us with their presence! (more)Vivian Munn

It fully lived up to our expectations.....Seeing a group of four sperm whales resting together on the surface just in front of the boat (more)Siobhan Chapman

We were on the cat and a huge gasp went up from everyone on board; a fin whale had swum in front of the boat and opened its mouth out of the water to feed. It was only a split second but that sight is engraved on my memory. My partner didn't see it, he was looking the other way at the time. (more)Margaret Merris