Bay of Biscay wildlife cruise
| country: | Spain |
| departures: | 2010: 24 Jun, 24 Jul, 27 Jul, 14 Aug, 17 Aug, 20 Aug, 26 Aug, 29 Aug, 7 Sep, 10 Sep |
| price: | From £245 (4 days) excluding flights |
| more info: | Price is per person based on 2 persons sharing an inside cabin. Price includes 3 nights accommodation on the Pride of Bilbao, guided walk in Spain and the services of two professional naturalist guides. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
There are few locations in the world that offer such an extraordinary diversity of marine life as the Bay of Biscay. We are therefore proud to present this superb whale and wildlife watching mini-cruise from Portsmouth to northern Spain. You will travel onboard the cruise-ferry Pride of Bilbao, through the rich, deep waters of the Bay of Biscay in search of whales, dolphins, seabirds and sharks.
With an abundance of marine life from Basking Sharks to Blue Whales and Striped Dolphins to Sooty Shearwaters, it is surprising that the Bay has remained such a well kept secret for so long!
Located in warm temperate waters with a fantastic range of water depth and habitat type, the Bay supports almost every whale and dolphin species in the North Atlantic. Both the number and density of cetaceans is quite amazing and because these waters are tempting for rarities from the tropical south and the sub-polar north, we continue to discover more new species for the region.
An impressive total of 20 species of cetacean have been recorded from the Pride of Bilbao over the last 10 years!
Featured highlights:
A relaxing short break cruising through the rich, deep waters of the Bay of Biscay. Exclusive access to the ship’s viewing platform where we hope to see several of the 20 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises that have been recorded in the Bay. A half-day guided walk in to the foothills of Northern Spain. Escorted by professional naturalists who provide informative talks and slideshows and a chance to contribute to scientific research.
Important travel information:
The trip will start and finish at Portsmouth Ferry Terminal. Full details of meeting place and time, and how to get there will be provided in our extensive pre departure information, which will be sent to you upon booking.
With an abundance of marine life from Basking Sharks to Blue Whales and Striped Dolphins to Sooty Shearwaters, it is surprising that the Bay has remained such a well kept secret for so long!
Located in warm temperate waters with a fantastic range of water depth and habitat type, the Bay supports almost every whale and dolphin species in the North Atlantic. Both the number and density of cetaceans is quite amazing and because these waters are tempting for rarities from the tropical south and the sub-polar north, we continue to discover more new species for the region.
An impressive total of 20 species of cetacean have been recorded from the Pride of Bilbao over the last 10 years!
Featured highlights:
Important travel information:
The trip will start and finish at Portsmouth Ferry Terminal. Full details of meeting place and time, and how to get there will be provided in our extensive pre departure information, which will be sent to you upon booking.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Depart Portsmouth. Early evening departure from Portsmouth Ferryport and introductory onboard talk and short-guided tour of the vessel. |
| Day 2: | Start watch. Illustrated lecture on the wildlife of the Bay of Biscay followed by our first visit to exclusive viewing platform to start watch. |
| Day 3: | Arrive in northern Spain followed by a morning walk into the surrounding foothills in search of birds, butterflies and wild flowers. After lunch back aboard we return to our viewing platform for another whale watching session. |
| Day 4: | Marine watch and return to Portsmouth. During the morning we will be travelling through the Southwest Approaches in to the English Channel looking for basking sharks, bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoise. We disembark the ship in Portsmouth late afternoon. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment:
To minimise our carbon dioxide emissions our captains pay very close attention to route planning according to the tide, current, wind and wave conditions at any given time. By working ships with the prevailing conditions wherever possible we make a significant difference to the amount of fuel used. Our fleet of conventional ferries uses medium speed engines making them very efficient. Even excess heat they produce is put to good use, for hot water, pre-heating fuel for better combustion, and heating crew and passenger accommodation. Conservation - Passengers on our Portsmouth to Bilbao service will be aware of the on board presentations about whales and dolphins that can frequently be seen from the ship. Talks led by the on board naturalist are informative and fun, and provide a fascinating insight into the incredible variety of marine life teeming in the deep ocean waters below the ship as it crosses the Bay of Biscay. But there’s a much more serious side to the work carried out on board, for the past 13 years data has been collected by guides and passengers alike as part of a long term monitoring programme. The result of this is a unique database of the changing populations of these animals illustrating that the public can play an important role in improving our understanding of these little studied animals and the threats that they face. By participating in this trip you’ll be making a valuable financial contribution to the vital conservation work of WDCS, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. Community: Over the years we have supported many charities and conservation campaigns and one we are passionate about is supporting sustainable travel. The Travel Foundation is a UK charity that cares for the places we all love to visit. We're working with The Foundation to take action on sustainable tourism; anyone who takes a holiday can make a positive difference when they travel by purchasing local food, using local guides, suppliers and outfitters. Sustainable travel isn't about specialist or 'eco' breaks, it’s for every person who takes a holiday... and it can make a huge difference. It can help protect the natural environment, traditions and culture - the things that make holidays special. And it can improve the well-being of destination communities - ensuring that local people benefit from tourism and are happy to give visitors a warm welcome. |
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. |