Whale and dolphin watching in Madeira
| country: | Portugal |
| location: | Madeira |
| trip type: | Is Madeira safe now? Check the FCO advice here |
| departures: | 2010: 20 Sep |
| price: | From €1499 (10 days) excluding flights |
| more info: | Price includes 5 whale watching trips, airport transfers, transfer to/from boat, 2 island excursions (1 full day, 1 half day), accommodation in a double studio hotel including half board, information and lectures about cetaceans |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Whale and dolphin watching in Madeira
A new, enchanting offer: Madeira. This green little island (approx. 800 km˛) in the Atlantic Ocean is located about 1,000kms southwest of Lisbon and is known as the beautiful Flower Island. The archipelago consists furthermore of the beach island of Porto Sancho (45 kms˛) and the uninhabited Islas Desertas and Islas Sevagens. The island is of volcanic origin and fascinates with upland and highland scenery. The highest point of Madeira is Pico Ruivo with 1,862m. Madeira, like the Azores, the Canary Islands and the Cabo Verde Islands, belongs to the Blissful Islands – Makaronesia. On Madeira, you will find blissful moments in the lush, blossomy nature of the island or, of course, out on the ocean in an encounter with wild dolphins and whales.
The Atlantic off Madeira’s coast has an almost unique biodiversity and is one of best places in the world where we humans can interact with whales and dolphins in their natural habitat. Here, the possibilities of meeting with a Bryde’s Whale (baleen whale) or Risso’s dolphins are huge!
The starting point of our ship Ribera Brava is the harbour of Calheta, a picturesque and tranquil town on the south-western coast. Our pretty, little boat, carrying a maximum of 18 passengers, is an original Portuguese fishing boat, the only one on Madeira still equipped with a trapeze-shaped sail which is still in use according to wind conditions. 50 years ago, the scenery of the harbour was characterized by boats like this.
One of the holidays’ highlights will definitely be the Hotel Jardim Atlântico were you are accommodated in a beautiful ocean view studio. The hotel is situated near the tiny village Prazeres on the south west coast of Madeira amidst unspoilt nature overlooking the ocean and the fishing villages Paul do Mar and Jardim do Mar as well as the mountains with the famous Madeira Nature Park (2 km away, with 230 km˛).
The hotel blends beautifully into the surrounding nature. Its management has always set great value on being an environmentally friendly hotel and as a result has received 26 awards during the past years for being an environmental role model. Their conservational thinking is exceptional, as well as their precise thinking and far-sighted environmental policy integrating not only every employee but the surrounding communities in environmental education and training.
Its vital centre offers: a beauty farm, massages, gym, sauna, whirl pool and heated indoor pool. In the 20.000 m˛ garden is an outdoor pool, tennis and badminton court. The hotel specializes not only in Portuguese cuisine but also in delicious vegetarian and whole food dishes.
The Atlantic off Madeira’s coast has an almost unique biodiversity and is one of best places in the world where we humans can interact with whales and dolphins in their natural habitat. Here, the possibilities of meeting with a Bryde’s Whale (baleen whale) or Risso’s dolphins are huge!
The starting point of our ship Ribera Brava is the harbour of Calheta, a picturesque and tranquil town on the south-western coast. Our pretty, little boat, carrying a maximum of 18 passengers, is an original Portuguese fishing boat, the only one on Madeira still equipped with a trapeze-shaped sail which is still in use according to wind conditions. 50 years ago, the scenery of the harbour was characterized by boats like this.
One of the holidays’ highlights will definitely be the Hotel Jardim Atlântico were you are accommodated in a beautiful ocean view studio. The hotel is situated near the tiny village Prazeres on the south west coast of Madeira amidst unspoilt nature overlooking the ocean and the fishing villages Paul do Mar and Jardim do Mar as well as the mountains with the famous Madeira Nature Park (2 km away, with 230 km˛).
The hotel blends beautifully into the surrounding nature. Its management has always set great value on being an environmentally friendly hotel and as a result has received 26 awards during the past years for being an environmental role model. Their conservational thinking is exceptional, as well as their precise thinking and far-sighted environmental policy integrating not only every employee but the surrounding communities in environmental education and training.
Its vital centre offers: a beauty farm, massages, gym, sauna, whirl pool and heated indoor pool. In the 20.000 m˛ garden is an outdoor pool, tennis and badminton court. The hotel specializes not only in Portuguese cuisine but also in delicious vegetarian and whole food dishes.
how this holiday makes a difference
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For our oceanic weeks programmes we work together with small, locally owned hotel or apartments and other businesses (e.g. car rental companies), run by local families and encourage our guests to frequent local facilities like supermarkets and restaurants and we offer our clients the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions caused by their flights through Atmosfair.
The Hotel Jardim Atlântico has received 30 awards since 1993 for environmental activities from international organisations e.g. Green Globe (WTTC), IHRA (International Hotel & Restaurant Associations), from tour operators from which we have received 7 awards alone. At the World Travel Market they received the 1st Sustainable Tourism Award from First Choice and other public entities. They are certificated with the NP EN ISO14001 Norm, Eco-Hotel (TUV Rheinland) and since 2004 they have the “European Ecolabel” from the European Union, the highest environmental Certification. We provide plenty of information about the local environment and culture and all tours (boat and island) are guided personally by our team providing our guests with interesting and useful information. We only do respectful, ecological whale watching with small groups. The skippers are specialized and educated in whale watching and to avoid stress for the mammals, we behave like guests. The animals are our hosts and decide if they want close contact to the boat. We place great value on sharing our knowledge on cetaceans off Madeira and their habitat, answer questions and show that encounters of humans and cetaceans can happen with consideration and respect. With every booking you support as well the non profit association M.E.E.R. e.V. With these measures we enhance the knowledge and awareness of our guests towards this beautiful island and its people, towards the enchanting cetaceans and their endangered habitat and give useful tips on how to contribute to preserve these treasures! |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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