Whale watching tours in the Azores
| country: | Azores |
| departures: | 2010: 26 May, 13 Aug |
| price: | From £1799 (10 days) including flights from the UK. Price includes whale and dolphin watching day trips onboard ‘Physeter’, transfers between airport on Faial and accommodation |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
The Portuguese Azorean archipelago is a haven of calm and tranquillity and a short flight of just over 2 hours from the mainland. These lush, green volcanic islands are untouched by mass tourism and the waters surrounding them are home to a wide variety of whales and dolphins. No fewer than 26 species have been seen in recent years with 6-8 species normally seen on any one tour.
Our chartered boat, 'Physeter' offers plenty of room to stretch out and relax, both in and out of the sun. It has a wide bow and three other deck areas, perfect for watching and photographing whales and dolphins. We'll be helping to search for sperm whales, bottlenose, Risso's, common, spotted, and striped dolphins, pilot whales, Cuvier's and Sowerby's beaked whales, together with rarer sightings of false killer whales, blue whales, minkes, fin and sei whales and more! There will also be opportunities to spend time ashore and explore some of the beautiful towns and islands of the Azores.
Highlights include:
Our chartered boat, 'Physeter' offers plenty of room to stretch out and relax, both in and out of the sun. It has a wide bow and three other deck areas, perfect for watching and photographing whales and dolphins. We'll be helping to search for sperm whales, bottlenose, Risso's, common, spotted, and striped dolphins, pilot whales, Cuvier's and Sowerby's beaked whales, together with rarer sightings of false killer whales, blue whales, minkes, fin and sei whales and more! There will also be opportunities to spend time ashore and explore some of the beautiful towns and islands of the Azores.
Highlights include:
- Explore the waters surrounding the beautiful islands of the Azores archipelago.
- Accompany the Whale Watch Azores Project as we look for sperm whales, beaked, pilot and baleen whales, Risso's, bottlenose, common, spotted and striped dolphins, loggerhead turtles and much more.
- Enjoy beautiful, unspoilt island scenery.
- Relax in sunshine, peace and tranquillity, onboard our chartered catamaran, 'Physeter', a specially modified whale watch and whale research vessel.
- Onboard experienced naturalist/ scientific staff, slide show, talks, with your presence onboard contributing to scientific research.
- Stay in the environmentally friendly eco lodge, in the quiet backstreets of Horta town
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly to Horta, via Lisbon. Meet guide and transfer to the ecolodge hotel to relax before welcome evening meal. |
| Day 2-9: | 6 days (weather permitting) at sea watching whales & dolphins onboard 'Physeter'; 2 shore days, exploring the islands including a half-day guided taxi tour. |
| Day 10: | Return flight to the UK. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment
Our tours help the cetaceans of the Azores by adhering to a strict code of conduct in the way we operate our vessel, to create the minimum of disturbance to them. We use a boat that creates minimal noise underwater and low wave disturbance and we never go too close too the animals. We use low energy appliances, a super insulated fridge, compost our kitchen waste and grow some of our food in our garden. We carry out scientific research during the tours and guests on board are funding this by their presence. Our guests get to learn about the species here and get an insight into their lives. We have discovered several new species for this area and worked with several universities to collect and share data on the animals, to learn more about their lives. Community Our accommodation uses locally produced foods wherever possible, uses local transport, low flow water taps, renewable energy, and eco friendly cleaning products. Profits from this tour have enabled Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society to support our research by enabling the purchase of cameras and has also sponsored local children to go to sea for free to learn about Azorean cetaceans. |
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