Madeira · SAILING
This is the shortlist to send a friend: 15 sailing trips worth a day of an island week, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to know before you commit.
Eco-friendly dolphin and whale watching from Funchal on a hybrid-electric catamaran with silent cruising, big viewing nets, and expert spotting.
“A lovely afternoon and highly recommended. The highlight was seeing pilot whales 🐋”
3-hour catamaran cruise from Funchal to Cabo Girão, chasing dolphins, whales, and turtles with a swim option and onboard drinks.
“We loved our morning out on the boat and we’re lucky enough to see a pod of short finned pilot whales right up close to the boat ! There was plenty of space on the boat to move around and for everyone to take photos. It was a beautiful and memory-making experience. We enjoyed the swim stop - the sea was lovely and warm and some of the guests had fun diving off the boat . I used the steps which were very easy to use. All in all a lovely trip and great value for money.”
Luxury catamaran dolphin and whale watch from Funchal, with snorkeling at Cabo Girão and big ocean views in 3 hours.
“Very nice cruise, unfortunately no dolphins but we saw a flying fish.”
Sunset sailing from Funchal with open bar and snorkeling gear. Swim at Cabo Girão, spot dolphins and whales, and enjoy Madeira at dusk.
“We loved our trip. We saw lots of whales (apparently 90% guaranteed to see something!). The open bar was great and they were very generous with the drinks. The sunset was beautiful. The crew were very informative, friendly and helpful. We had a great time, would definitely recommend!!”
Madeira dolphin and whale watching from Funchal on an eco-friendly catamaran, with land spotters, quiet hybrid-electric cruising, and sea-cliff views.
“Highly recommended! Excellent value for money. Experienced and professional tour guides. Special thanks to Salvador, a truly pleasant and knowledgeable member of staff! The boat wasn't overcrowded. Everything was extremely well organized. We received a lot of information and even saw dolphins and whales several times.”
Luxury catamaran sailing from Funchal to Cabo Girão to watch dolphins and whales, with an onboard guide and summer swim stop.
“A wonderful tour with a fabulously charismatic and knowledgeable marine biologist. We saw dolphins and experienced a beautiful day on the stunning catamaran. Absolute bargain, highly recommended!!! 10/10”
3-hour Funchal sailing trip from Praça do Povo, snorkel near Cabo Girão, and cruise up to 3 miles offshore for dolphins and whales.
“My husband and I had a fantastic 3 hour trip on this lovely sailboat. We weren’t lucky enough to spot any sea life, but nevertheless, the crew took good care of us, and were very skilled and knowledgeable. Seeing the island from the ocean gave a whole new perspective, and snorkeling in the warm waters was a special touch! Definitely recommend 🫶🏼”
3-hour Funchal sunset catamaran with dolphin and whale chances, Cabo Girão swim stop, and a free second trip if none are seen.
“We had an amazing time , we thought we won’t see dolphins but we went further up and next thing we knew we were surrounded by dolphins literally playfully following our boat 🥰 it was the highlight of our holiday , we had the best time”
3 hours on a Madeira catamaran from Funchal to spot dolphins and whales, with a possible ocean swim near Cabo Girão.
“There is bar on board and toilets. They make home-made poncha. Be careful when on netting, water will splash. We saw big group of dolphins near ship. One of them was baby.”
3-hour Seaborn catamaran from Funchal for Madeira coast views, wildlife spotting, and onboard drinks, with a Cabo Girão stop.
“The booking was fine and the price very good. I had booked for 8 people. Unfortunately, we arrived on a cruise ship and the way to Seaborn was longer than expected. So we delayed for 10 minutes, although half of us were there on time, but my 86 yo mum could not walk so fast and as we tried a taxi, we were told they only offer tours. So the group with my mum delayed for 10 minutes. Seaborn told us it is impossible to wait, but offered us to take the next tour at 3 o'clock or on another day. This, however was impossible to us, since our ship…”
Eco-friendly catamaran dolphin and whale watching off Madeira from Funchal, with land spotters, live commentary, and south-coast cruising.
“No vimos ballenas y los Delfines muy poco rato y con prismáticos,además había mucha gente en el barco y no todos los vieron,luego en el momento del baño dijo que como nos habíamos entretenido mucho con los Delfines no había baño (fueron 5 min y la excursión era 3h),no la recomiendo para nada,he hecho muchas excursiones para ver Delfines y está ha sido la peor además de no ver ballenas”
Full-day catamaran from Funchal to Madeira’s Desertas Islands reserve, with volcanic beaches, snorkeling, paddleboarding, and monk seal conservation.
“Everything about this trip was spot on. We had beautiful weather both there and back to Desertas. The highlight of the trip was spotting a group of killer whales on the way there and a couple of bottle nosed dolphins on the way back. Something I'll never forget. I would do this trip again in a heartbeat. Excellent staff and crew. Couldn't have asked for anything more.”
3-hour luxury catamaran from Funchal, with chance to see dolphins, whales, and turtles, plus a swim and snorkeling gear.
“The boat looked really nice and we took off at 15.00. (Afternoon route). We've got the best views from the boats roof top, spoted some whales (for about 5 min) and had to swim away quicly as other boats were waiting to see them too. Stopped for a swim,but it was too cold so no one went in. Unfortunately the weather wasn't pleasant. It was very cold breeze and loads if clouds. We were quite disappointed with the crue entertainment what was... 0! We red on the advertising that you can purchase some beverides but no prices or drinks were shown. You had to play a guess game and ask…”
Sunset cruise from Funchal to Cabo Girão on a luxury catamaran with snorkeling, Atlantic marine life spotting, and 3 hours of sea views.
“Was a Last minute booking and thank god we did book! We had the most amazing time! The guide was so lovely and helpful explaining how to kayak and stayed with us while we were travelling to the beach so make sure we were all doing okay! when we got to the beach he told us a bit of history about the island and animals which was really interesting! Had the best time snorkelling and saw some amazing fish! The colours on them were gorgeous. All together had the most amazing time, we go given 2 waters and 2 redballs for the trip and got given snorkelling equipment as well.…”
Sail a comfortable catamaran off Funchal for sunset. Live commentary, possible dolphins or whales, and a short swim break.
“The boat ride was amazing, we managed to see dolphins and baby whales. The sunset and the view were so beautiful.”
Every kind of day on the island, and the best of each.
