Funchal whale trip prices, and what the higher fares buy
A seat on a whale and dolphin trip from Funchal Marina costs from ~$39 on the big eco catamaran up to ~$88 on a small all-inclusive one. The gap pays for a smaller group with drinks and a swim stop included, not for better odds with the whales. Below are the five trips side by side, then the costs the headline fares leave out.
Five trips in one table
The table holds the five boats on our home page, each at its regular "from" price per adult on GetYourGuide. Blue Safari and Xpoint are often shown lower on the booking page, so read these figures as the top of the range.
| Tour | From | Length | Boat and max group | Included | Swim stop | If nothing is seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VipDolphins (our pick) | ~$88 | 3 h | Luxury catamaran, 17 | Sparkling wine, open bar, local snacks, snorkel gear | Yes, 30 min at Cabo Girão | No promise in the listing |
| Blue Safari Madeira | ~$67 | 2 h | Fast custom boat, 18 | Guide, life jackets | No | Another ticket free |
| Magic Dolphin | ~$39 | 2.5–3 h | Hybrid-electric catamaran, 100 | Trip only; bars sell drinks and snacks | On 3-hour trips, weather allowing | No guarantee |
| Xpoint Madeira | ~$67 | 2.5 h | RIB, 18 (private boat possible) | Guide, life jackets | Optional dolphin swim, €20 | Another trip free within a year |
| Gaviao Madeira | ~$45 | 3 h | Sailing yacht, 20 | Drinks, snorkel gear | Yes, at Cabo Girão | No guarantee |
All five cancel free up to 24 hours before departure, and GetYourGuide lets you reserve now and pay later on each one. On an Atlantic island where a windy morning can call off a sailing, that flexibility counts for more than a few dollars.
Magic Dolphin keeps the fare lowest
Magic Dolphin from ~$39 is the cheapest of the five, and at 4.6 from 11,100+ reviews on GetYourGuide it is the most reviewed whale trip in Funchal. The low price comes from scale, since its catamaran carries up to 100 people.
The fare covers the trip and the guide, plus the land spotters who radio sightings to the skipper. Drinks and snacks are sold at the two bars on board, and no snorkel gear is handed out, so bring your own for the swim break.
That break happens on the 3-hour trips when the weather allows, though not on the 9 am departure in July and August. If a swim is part of the plan, choose your departure with that in view.
Gaviao adds drinks for a few dollars more
Gaviao's sailing trip from ~$45 costs only a little more than Magic Dolphin and puts drinks in the price. Reviewers mention wine and soft drinks, and the snorkel gear for the stop at Cabo Girão comes with the ticket too.
The yacht takes 20 people at most, a far smaller crowd for very little extra money. The trade is speed, because a sailing boat covers less sea in three hours than a motorboat, and the sail only goes up when there is enough wind.
Paying for a small, fast boat
Blue Safari from ~$67 and Xpoint from ~$67 both sit in the middle, and both are often shown lower. Your money buys a seat on a boat with 18 places at most that runs quickly to wherever the spotters have found animals.
Blue Safari's 2-hour trip has no swim stop and no food or drinks on board. You pay for searching and watching with a naturalist or marine biologist as your guide, and one reviewer still called it a bit overpriced.
Xpoint's RIB stays out for 2.5 hours, at least two of them on the water, with a photo stop under Cabo Girão. Its optional dolphin swim costs €20, charged on site only if you actually get in the water.
By law that swim may happen only with common or Atlantic spotted dolphins whose behavior permits it. Often it does not, which is why the fee is collected afterward. Our dolphin swim guide explains how it works.
What the top fare buys on VipDolphins
VipDolphins from ~$88 is the priciest trip here and our pick. A glass of sparkling wine on boarding comes with the fare, along with an open bar that includes alcohol. Local snacks come too, and so do the snorkels for the swim.
The catamaran takes 17 guests at most and has toilets plus seating both indoors and out. Across three hours you spend about 45 minutes heading out and about 30 minutes watching, then 30 minutes swimming at Cabo Girão before the cruise home along the coast.
The weak spot is that this is the least time with the animals of all five trips. Reviewers also describe the snacks as light, so have breakfast first. It scores 4.9 from 3,000+ reviews on GetYourGuide.
One fare, nothing to pay on board
VipDolphins folds drinks and snacks into the ticket, snorkel gear too, with 17 guests at most. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Dollars per minute with the animals
Comparing fares alone misleads, because the five trips spend their hours differently. A 2-hour fast boat spends nearly all of its time searching and watching. A 3-hour catamaran or yacht hands part of the morning to a swim stop and the coastal cruise back.
Blue Safari and Xpoint give you the most watching for each dollar if the animals are all you came for. VipDolphins and Gaviao fold a swim and a drink into one price for anyone after a half-day on the water.
Magic Dolphin sits between them, pairing the lowest fare with the steadiest hull, plus a swim break on the longer departures. You share the rail with far more people, and our guide to small-group trips looks at how much that matters.
Costs the listings leave out
- Drinks and snacks on Magic Dolphin, sold at the bars on board
- Xpoint's €20 dolphin swim, paid on site only if it takes place
- Getting to the waterfront, since every trip meets near Praça do Povo or at the marina gates, and one Xpoint reviewer found parking nearby limited
- Seasickness tablets from a pharmacy if you are prone to it (see our seasickness guide)
- A second trip if the first one comes back empty or is called off by the weather
That second try is the cost most people forget. Blue Safari and Xpoint both replace an empty trip at no charge, which takes much of the risk out of those two fares. Our guide on days without sightings sets out what every operator offers.
How to pay less
Compare a few dates on GetYourGuide before you settle, since the sale price on some trips moves from day to day. Reserving now and paying later locks in a seat and still leaves you free to cancel up to 24 hours ahead.
Book in the first days of your stay so a cancelled sailing can be moved rather than lost. Before you weigh fares, our guide to the boat types helps you pick a hull, and the month guide covers when the sea tends to be calmest.