Best Whale Watching Tours Around the World

25/11/2023

Maui

Opportunities to watch whales abound throughout the Hawaiian islands, but the southern and western shores of Maui are considered some of the best locations. Up to 10,000 humpback whales migrate from the frigid Alaskan waters to the islands each winter. The whales mate, have their calves and return north in the spring. Maui’s clear water makes it easy to spot the magnificent creatures from dawn to dusk.

Male humpback whales vocalize their otherworldly songs for up to a half hour at a time. Whale-watching tour-boat options range from luxury vessels fitted out with hydrophones that allow visitors to hear the whale songs to 24-long open-air rafts that increase the chances for an up-close encounter.

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25/11/2023

Valdes Peninsula

The Valdes Peninsula lies on the Atlantic coast of the Chubut Province in Argentina. A protected area, the peninsula’s arcing coastline is home to large populations of seals and sea lions, which attract orca whales during the spring. Although they’re actually a member of the dolphin family, orcas are commonly referred to as killer whales.

Whale-watchers can sometimes spot orcas riding the waves to the beach to sn**ch sea lion pups. Southern right whales are plentiful from July to November, and they can often be seen raising their flukes in the air. They mate and give birth in the calm waters stretching between the peninsula and the mainland.

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20/11/2023

Los Cabos

Each year, hundreds of gray whales and humpback whales migrate thousands of miles to winter in the warm waters of the Gulf of California between Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula and mainland. Located at the southern tip of the peninsula, Los Cabos is a popular destination for whale-watchers from around the world.

The tranquil lagoons of the gulf provide a safe place for the whales to breed, and it’s common to spot calves with their mothers while on a whale-watching boat tour, particularly between the months of January and April. Mammoth blue whales and s***m whales sometimes make an appearance as well.

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16/11/2023

Hervey Bay

Known as the home of the humpbacks, Hervey Bay in Queensland, Australia, offers multiple opportunities to observe the active and curious whales as they summer in the waters between Fraser Island and the mainland. Humpbacks are known for the way that they leap into the air and crash back into the water with a jubilant splash.

Catamaran whale-watching tours are a popular option in Hervey Bay. The boats are often equipped with underwater windows, special viewing platforms and hydrophones that amplify the whale’s vocalizations.

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16/11/2023

Evening Gold - Sunset across the San Juan Islands, Vancouver Is and beyond!

16/11/2023

San Juan Islands / Vancouver

Each spring, pods of orcas migrating north up the Pacific Coast swim into Washington state‘s Puget Sound. Traditionally, the best location to view the orcas is around Orca Island, which is part of the San Juan Islands archipelago, but the orcas swim in the waters around Vancouver as well.

Around 80 orcas remain in the Sound through the summer to feed on salmon, and experienced whale-watching operators can identify individual whales by sight. Grey whales, minke whales and humpback whales can be sighted as well. Tours featuring open-air zodiac boats let visitors enjoy close-up encounters.

16/11/2023

San Juan Islands, Vancouver

Each spring, pods of orcas migrating north up the Pacific Coast swim into Washington state‘s Puget Sound. Traditionally, the best location to view the orcas is around Orca Island, which is part of the San Juan Islands archipelago, but the orcas swim in the waters around Vancouver as well.

Around 80 orcas remain in the Sound through the summer to feed on salmon, and experienced whale-watching operators can identify individual whales by sight. Grey whales, minke whales and humpback whales can be sighted as well. Tours featuring open-air zodiac boats let visitors enjoy close-up encounters.

08/11/2023

Reykjavik, Iceland

With the opportunity to observe humpback, minke and blue whales as well as white-beaked dolphins and porpoises, it’s no wonder that Iceland is quickly becoming a favorite destination for sea mammal enthusiasts. Whale-watching boat tours in Iceland are available in the towns of Husavik, Dalvik and Hauganes as well as in the nation’s capital, Reykjavik.

Tours departing from Reykjavik into Faxafloi Bay include trips on Icelandic oak boats, some of which are schooners. Whales are known to come quite close to the boats, so passengers can expect some memorable encounters.