Bird, Whale and Dolphin Watching
For privileged views of seabirds, dolphins & whales, join our whale watching trips off Machico, Madeira led by responsible naturalists, who follow the best practices of the World Cetacean Alliance (WCA).
For privileged views of seabirds, dolphins & whales, join our whale watching trips off Machico, Madeira led by responsible naturalists, who follow the best practices of the World Cetacean Alliance (WCA).
Discover Madeira ocean's wildlife on this marine adventure! Enjoy cetaceans and seabirds framed by the amazing landscape of the island's east tip.
45 EUR person
Seabirds (Cory's and Manx shearwaters, Fea's and Bulwer's Petrels), Dolphins & Whales.
The trip departs from Machico harbour wall, in Machico and rides in search for birds, dolphins & whales.
This trip has a duration of 2 hours. Morning or afternoon trips are equally good to watch marine wildlife.
Watch Birds, Dolphins and Whales at close range
Easy parking close to Machico harbour
Experienced professional sailors, birdwatchers and naturalists as crew
Shock mitigation seats (that absorb the impact of waves) for all passengers
An hydrophone may be used to hear the cetaceans, if sea conditions allow.
English, Spanish and Portuguese speaking crew
Take a warm & waterproof jumper, fast drying clothes, appropriate footwear (tennis or sandals), sun protector and a tie up hat.
Minimum people to run the trip: 9
Maximum group size: 12
Staff to Guest ratio: 1/6
By Machico harbour wall, in Machico city (Southeast Madeira, VR1 Dual carriageway, exits 25 and 26). Easy parking by the harbour.
Transfers from the city centers of Funchal, Caniço and Santa Cruz and return are available on request for a surcharge of 7.5 euros person and subject to availability.
Trips only run between May and October when more species are around Madeira; not everyday and only when the boat is fully booked (or almost) to minimize the impact on the wildlife.
The adventure starts immediately after leaving Machico harbour, in search of a feeding frenzy of seabirds normally associated with dolphins and/or whales. The crew is always looking for seabirds and cetaceans so there is no itinerary on this trip and it is always dependable on weather and sea conditions.
The essence of these Madeira whale watching trips is to respect and understand nature, knowing that everyday is different, that the ocean is big and wildlife is not guaranteed. We are a proud boat trip operator who strives for the sustainability of this ecotourism activity! Consequently we operate in an area with less sea trip operators, therefore minimizing the impact and disturbance on marine wildlife.
The Atlantic Ocean around Madeira Islands can be considered blissful for marine mammals, as more than 20 species of cetaceans have been recorded to these warm waters, roughly one quarter of the entire world's species. Though almost all these marine species use Madeira waters as passage point, feeding area or for giving birth to its calves, cetaceans can be watched all year around.
Many ask when is the "Whale Watching Season in Madeira?" or "What is the best time to visit Madeira?" Having said that we observe Whales and Dolphins all year around, lets be fair, May to October is the best season in Europe for Wildlife and Madeira is no different. This is the time when sea conditions are better to spot cetaceans and when a bigger number of seabirds and sea mammals are around. Between November and February seabirds are hardly observed and the number of cetacean species around is smaller, being the Short-finned Pilot Whale Globicephala macrorhynchus, Common Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus and Short-beaked Common Dolphins Delphinus delphis the most sighted species in the winter.
The aim of Wind Birds' bird, dolphin and whale watching trips is to establish a connection between you and these magnificent marine animals in their natural habitat and to allow you the chance to admire the beautiful natural scenery of Madeira.
For best experience our Madeira Whale Watching and Birdwatching operation is between April and October. Departures from Machico
Madeira Whale Watching Wind Birds May30
Madeira Whale Watching6 places availableBook Now
Madeira Whale Watching Wind Birds Jun8
Madeira Whale Watching10 places availableBook Now
Madeira Whale Watching Wind Birds Jun14
Madeira Whale Watching9 places availableBook Now
Madeira Whale Watching Wind Birds Jun24
Madeira Whale Watching12 places availableBook Now
Due to the current pandemic we have reduced our schedule to match demand. If you need a specific date, please email us and we will try to adapt our inventory.
Mon, May 30
Wed, Jun 8
Tue, Jun 14
Fri, Jun 24
Fri, Jul 8
Mon, Jul 11
Sun, Jul 17
Sat, Jul 23
Wed, Jul 27
Sat, Jul 30
Tue, Aug 2
Sun, Aug 7
Thu, Aug 11
Fri, Aug 19
Fri, Aug 19
Fri, Aug 26
Fri, Sep 2
Thu, Sep 8
Sat, Sep 10
Thu, Sep 15
Sat, Sep 17
Thu, Sep 22
Sat, Sep 24
Thu, Sep 29
Sat, Oct 1
Wed, Oct 5
Sat, Oct 8
Thu, Oct 13
Sat, Oct 15
Sat, Oct 22
Thu, Oct 27
If you have other questions, please contact us.
Our naturalist leaders are bilingual with standard languages being English and Portuguese. Our birdwatching specialists speak English and know most of the bird names in this language.
We recommend you bring a warm and waterproof jumper, hat or cap, sun protection lotion, and a bottle of water. Please do not bring walking boots onboard, instead bring sandals or tennis shoes.
If the forecasts for the day of your activity are not suitable for whalewatching and birdwatching or not safe to operate, we will try to postpone or cancel it (refundable).
We accept Visa, MasterCard, Amex and cash. Google Pay and ApplePay are also accepted.
We aim to watch wild species and do our best to find them, though we can not guarantee them. We can not refund customers or offer another trip if we do not see specific birds or cetaceans. As an example, on sea trips that we do not see cetaceans, we end up covering a distance that is the same between Madeira and Porto Santo (25 nautical miles) as opposed to a trip that we see wildlife.