Lobosonda - Madeira Whale Watching
Lobosonda - Madeira Whale Watching
Lobosonda - Madeira Whale Watching
5
Swim with DolphinsBoat ToursDolphin & Whale WatchingNature & Wildlife Tours
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Full view
About
Our mission is to provide clients with a special experience raising awareness and understanding of the entire marine biodiversity of Madeira. There is one rule that we always keep in mind: We are the guests out there so we need to behave accordingly! We believe that our work is far more than a source of income and are committed to the Ocean and all its marine biodiversity. As a thank you for all the beautiful sightings of marine mammals, we had over the past years, the Lobosonda team works with heart and soul daily on ocean issues and its protection. We will take you into the “blue office” a beautiful and sensitive workplace. In the Ocean there are also laws that apply, the most important one: respect! Each species has a different character, varies their behaviour and the daily condition of the animals also plays a role on each sighting. Therefore we cannot guarantee sightings on every sailing but, our team does their best daily.
Calheta, Portugal
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2023
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingSimilar Experiences
Lobosonda - Madeira Whale Watching
Booking unavailable on Tripadvisor
Want other options you can book now?
Show optionsTravelers talk about
(27 reviews)
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
763 reviews
Excellent
660
Very good
71
Average
15
Poor
7
Terrible
10
krissiarti
1 contribution
Feb 2024 • Family
Nice tour, good explanation. Our children (teenage) enjoy it. Pity we didn’t see whale, but it’s up to the nature. We are the guest 🙂
Written February 21, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vind
Copenhagen, Denmark3 contributions
Feb 2024 • Family
Great trip also suitable for children (aged 6-12) with a very knowledgeable guide (marine biologist) and a company that takes marine wildlife very seriously.
Written February 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MarieKavish
Highland Park, NJ1 contribution
Jan 2024
We enjoyed the trip so much! The company was well-organized, the staff was knowledgeable and friendly. I could feel how much they love and respect the sea animals, which for me is very important. I loved being out on the water with them, meeting dolphins and whales. An experience to be cherished.
Written January 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Genie278
1 contribution
Jan 2024
We had a very nice expierience with Lobosonda, starting from the booking over a rebooking because of sickness and the actual tour on the sea. We saw a couple of Dolphins that day. I was amazing.
Written January 28, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mberneaud
1 contribution
Jan 2024
I did the Whale watching experience with "Stenella" and it was a fantastic trip.
The crew did a very good job during the briefing and the whole trip. A lot of information (German & English) about the wildlife in the waters around Madeira.
And most important: The crew treated the Whales & Dolphins we found with respect and are always careful to not disturb them.
I would always book again a tour with Lobosonda.
The crew did a very good job during the briefing and the whole trip. A lot of information (German & English) about the wildlife in the waters around Madeira.
And most important: The crew treated the Whales & Dolphins we found with respect and are always careful to not disturb them.
I would always book again a tour with Lobosonda.
Written January 27, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DaS2312
Bern, Switzerland1 contribution
Dec 2023
I attended already several whale watching tours elsewhere and this one was one of the best tours I ever had. All the Lobosonda team members were very friendly and helpful and they had an excellent knowledge about the different dolphin and whale species. None of my questions remained unanswered. I appreciate very much that the team is very thougtful towards the whales and accurate in collecting data for research and was impressed by hearing the dolphin communication sounds via underwater microphone. Last but not least I liked very much the small leaflet which we received afterwards, mentioning all species that we saw and the opportunity to see very nice pictures of the day tour and other days online.
Written January 16, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
revjm
Dublin, Ireland20 contributions
Jan 2024
My wife and I had a great time on the boat tour. We knew that it would be quieter for sightings due to the time of year, but we still managed to see pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins, plus a very quick sighing of a flying fish! Great to be out on the water for a couple of hours, though I would say going later in the year might mean more visibility of our friends from the deep.
Written January 3, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Charade3750
East Sussex, UK40 contributions
Dec 2023 • Couples
Whilst we fully understand nature is not predictable and therefore not guaranteed, with a success of sighting claim as this company have we were extremely disappointed to not see anything at all, well besides some seaweed.
That said, the main reason for the low rating is in relation to the boat ride itself. Paula did say during the briefing that it was a “little choppy” and if you sat at the front it could get “a bit bumpy”, we did not expect the ride we had. For approximately 50% of the time we were “hitting” waves and thumping down which was just about bearable but it was the last 10 minutes that were terrible. We appeared to have gone to far away from the marina towards the end of our time and therefore the captain was in a hurry to return. The result was hitting waves extremely hard and fast continuously which meant I left the boat with pain all down my back. Not helped by the captains response of “well there was nothing I could do about it”. 4 days later and I am still suffering with back pain.
To summarise, the company are very friendly and I’m sure on a calmer day it would have been a different experience even without seeing anything but the pain I’ve been left with impacted the rest of my holiday and beyond.
That said, the main reason for the low rating is in relation to the boat ride itself. Paula did say during the briefing that it was a “little choppy” and if you sat at the front it could get “a bit bumpy”, we did not expect the ride we had. For approximately 50% of the time we were “hitting” waves and thumping down which was just about bearable but it was the last 10 minutes that were terrible. We appeared to have gone to far away from the marina towards the end of our time and therefore the captain was in a hurry to return. The result was hitting waves extremely hard and fast continuously which meant I left the boat with pain all down my back. Not helped by the captains response of “well there was nothing I could do about it”. 4 days later and I am still suffering with back pain.
To summarise, the company are very friendly and I’m sure on a calmer day it would have been a different experience even without seeing anything but the pain I’ve been left with impacted the rest of my holiday and beyond.
Written December 31, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
iris00711
London, UK4 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
Our family had the most amazing trip with Drummond and Paula today.
They were extremely friendly and professional and felt very safe with our young children.
We saw 2 different types of Whales and dolphins.
We loved the fact they respected the animals we even got to hear the whale and dolphins sounds as they had a microphone that went in the water.
Cant recommend these guys enough. They even let my daughters steer the boat back to shore.
We were incredibly lucky that we chose this
company to whale watch with it really is best!!!
They were extremely friendly and professional and felt very safe with our young children.
We saw 2 different types of Whales and dolphins.
We loved the fact they respected the animals we even got to hear the whale and dolphins sounds as they had a microphone that went in the water.
Cant recommend these guys enough. They even let my daughters steer the boat back to shore.
We were incredibly lucky that we chose this
company to whale watch with it really is best!!!
Written December 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FransRimmelzwaan
Rijswijk, The Netherlands1 contribution
Dec 2023
We made a trip with Lobosonda in the winter time (decembre) and expected no whales. We did see 2 different species of Dolfins and had a very pleasant and special sea trip!
Written December 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ich bin am 3.12.2019 mit der "Ribera brava" vormittags gefahren. Es war sehr schön. Es wurden vom Guide Fotos gemacht; von den Gästen und unter Wasser auch von den Delfinen. Wo kann man diese Bilder auf Eurer Seite sehen?
Written December 15, 2019
Claudia Gomes
Vila Baleira, Portugal
Hallo, die Fotos unserer Touren gibt es im Blog (mit Zeitverzögerung Von 7-10 Tagen). Es gibt auch die Möglichkeit im Archiv per Datum zu suchen, aber der 3.12.2019 ist já noch nocht so lange vorbei.
Viel Spass beim Schauen, lesen und Revue passieren lassen Ihrer Ausfahrt.
Sonnige Grüsse aus Calheta und dem Atlantik
Written January 16, 2020
Gibt es einen Transfer von Funchal oder muss man eigenständig anreisen?
Do they offer a transfer hotel - boat boat -hotel ?
Written May 15, 2019
Hello Sabrina, we also do arrange pick-ups in Funchal I am happy to give you more details by e-mail.
Best wishes,
Written May 15, 2019
Hi I am staying in Calheta at the beginning of March and I would be interested in seeing whales, I just wondered how much this experience would cost. Also how do we book when we arrive in Madeira. Thank you
Written January 19, 2018
Dear Tracy,
The price depends on wich boat you choose. The rib costs 55€ p/ pax and the tradicional vessel costs 44€ p/ pax. You can book in our shop at the harbor of Calheta, by e-mail or by phone +351 968 400 980. I hope to see you soon.
Best wishes,
Joana Gomes/ Lobosonda
Written January 25, 2018
Dear Zuzana,
In a general point of view we usually have more dolphin sightings. But all year long it is also possible to observe different kinds of whales, just not as often as dolphins.
For example: we have Sperm whale sightings all year long, but they come in waves, sometimes we can see them for weeks in row, other times they disappear for a while.
In early spring we sometimes meet Finnback whales on their way up North. And during the summertime we have the chance to see Tropical whales and Blainville Beaked whales.
You can also learn more about our sightings in our Blog (on the website), where we keep a daily report on what species we have sighted.
I hope this information helped you out, maybe we'll see you soon.
Best wishes,
Your Lobosonda team
Written November 30, 2016
How much does it cost?
Is there a pickup at the Baia Azul hotel in Funchal?
How long does the trip last
Written August 5, 2016
Dear lizzieb62,
You can find all the information you need on our website.
The tours have different prices depending on the boats. We also do pick-ups, for more informations please contact us via email or phone.
Best wishes,
Joana Gomes
Lobosonda
Written August 8, 2016
Showing results 1-5 of 5