Water activity

Faro: Dolphin and Wildlife Watching in the Atlantic Ocean

Activity provider: Ocean Vibes Algarve
Water activity

Faro: Dolphin and Wildlife Watching in the Atlantic Ocean

Activity provider: Ocean Vibes Algarve
Likely to sell out

From US$ 65.07 per person

Likely to sell out

Explore the Atlantic in search of marine wildlife with marine biologists on board, and learn more about dolphins in their natural habitat.

About this activity

Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Reserve now & pay later
Keep your travel plans flexible — book your spot and pay nothing today.
Covid-19 precautions
Special health and safety measures are in place. Check your activity voucher once you book for full details.
Duration 2.5 hours
Check availability to see starting times.
Live tour guide
English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Small group
Limited to 9 participants

Experience

Highlights
  • Admire dolphins in their natural habitat
  • Learn about dolphins and other local wildlife from your marine biologist guide
  • Marvel at the views over Ria Formosa Barrier Islands
  • Search for different species of cetaceans like dolphns or even orcas and whales
Full description
Discover different species of cetaceans, birds and other marine life on this exciting experience in the Algarve. Leaving from Faro, cross through Ria Formosa Natural Park towards the Atlantic Ocean. Enjoy the views of the Barrier Islands (Deserta and Culatra) or the marshlands as you cruise to the coastline. Once you reach the ocean, spot wildlife such as dolphins, whales, and porpoises. Whale season is between February and May, while dolphins are resident all year round. You will also see birds such as gannets and shearwaters flying overhead. When it comes to fish, spot species such as ocean sunfish, blue sharks, and hammerhead sharks, as well as a few marine turtles. A team of two marine biologists will help you find as many species as possible during your time on the ocean, and give you facts and information about the fauna and the surroundings.  After spotting a group of dolphins, enjoy 30 minutes free to watch the group. Feel free to ask any questions regarding dolphins and other marine life to one of your guides and take the opportunity to learn more about how biologists collect data for scientific research on dolphin populations. Once your observation time is over, return to Ria Formosa and cruise back to Faro.
Includes
  • Guided boat tour
  • Marine biologist guide
  • Life jackets
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Not suitable for
  • Children under 2 years
  • Pregnant women
  • People with back problems
  • People with mobility impairments

Select participants and date

Participants

Date

Meeting point

Ocean Vibes Algarve office. Look for the shared store with a banner saying "Ocean Emotions" in Faro harbour/marina.

Open in Google Maps ⟶
Important information

What to bring

  • Comfortable clothes

Not allowed

  • Smoking
  • Pets (assistance dogs allowed)
  • Feeding animals
  • Touching marine life
  • Touching animals

Know before you go

  • This tour is not recommended for people with limited mobility.
  • You may get a little bit wet on windy days. Please bring a jacket as the wind can be cold even on warm days.
  • Dolphins are swimming freely in the wild, therefore a 100% sighting rate cannot be guaranteed. Normally 9 out of 10 tours are successful.
  • You should bring water and suncream for the tour.
Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.8 /5

based on 136 reviews

Review summary

  • Guide
    4.9/5
  • Transportation
    5/5
  • Service
    4.8/5
  • Organization
    5/5

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We really enjoyed the trip. Saw a pod of about 30 bottle nosed dolphins. They were very playful and put on a show. Unfortunately our trip had to be cut a little short due to another sick passenger. So we didn’t get to see much other wildlife. Would also be nice if our guides would have been more interactive with the passengers and given more information on the wildlife or maybe the ocean or maybe the history of the city of Faro. Something that would make it more informative and exciting.

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March 28, 2023

We had the most amazing experience with Ocean Vibes! The boat ride itself was already fun, but we also got to spot several puffins, a turtle and a group of dolphins at sunset which was just breathtakingly beautiful. The guides were very friendly as well. Not only did they have lots of knowledge about the animals, they were also very passionate about them which was great to see. This was definitely the highlight of our holiday and I would definitely recommend it!

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March 28, 2023

This was an amazing experience! We saw around three groups of dolphin's, two groups of common dolphin's and one group of bottlenose dolphin's! The guides were super informative and were really respectful of the dolphin's habitat. I learned so much from this trip and I definitely do recommend this to anyone who visits Faro!!! Also a note, I did this trip in November - in other words you can see the dolphin's in Winter time.

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March 28, 2023

Product ID: 274562