Itinerary
Discover the magnificent South coast of the island of São Miguel, watch dolphins and whales in their natural habitat, taste the flavors of our land and visit a unique nature reserve. After a short stop at the Vila Franca harbor where we will enjoy a lunchbox. Our tour will then move on to the islet of Vila Franca do Campo, one of the most exclusive bathing areas of the island, classified as a Nature Reserve since 1983.
The type of boat used on this activity varies. It can be a Speedboat or a Fiberglass boat. If you would like to know which boat we're using on a specific day, please send us an email.
Stop At:
• Islet of Vila Franca do Campo, Parque Industrial de Vila Franca 500m Offshore, Vila Franca do Campo, Sao Miguel 9680-114 Portugal
See Availability.
Marina Pêro de Teive, Bosco Mota Amaral,, Av. Dom João III, 9500-767 Ponta Delgada, Portugal
08:30 AM
8 hours(approx.)
Returns to original departure point
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Posted By : Tim L
What a great experience! The skipper and marine biologists were exceptional which gave us the opportunity to see hundreds of dolphins and even a humpback whale. The dolphins were on both sides of the boat with many young ones with their mothers.
The boat ride was adventurous as it is powerful and fast! The waves would spray water onto us but the tour includes wet gear.
The perfect morning experience!
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Posted On : 2023-10-13
Posted By : Suraj_M
The guide was great, start was about an hour after we were told to meet up. Procedings were swift and the path quite clear communicated. Time til lunch was spent whale watching and after lunch the tour was moved to the snorkeling. 2 hours of that on the lovely volcano caldera and we got picked up for our return to PD.
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Posted On : 2023-10-09
Posted By : J1911FFmichaelp
We had a very nice day and saw lots of dolphins. Unfortunately there was no whales to see that day. The waves got at the end too high for a safe sailing, we got troubles with the boat and had to be rescued to a larger boat. Exciting day. The people from Picos de adventura handled the situation very good and no one got hurd
Birgitte and Michael, Denmark
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Posted On : 2023-10-04
Posted By : PenelopePPPP
Great day out spotting whales & dolphins, delicious lunch and snorkelling in an unreal location. Our marine biologist guide was also v friendly & full of information. You have to be lucky with what you see out there, but it was incredible. Recommend!
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Posted On : 2023-10-01
Posted By : annrQ3814HC
The weather was threatening and the guides took us really far out , away from the coast. On the way back, we were all pelted by the waves and cold. It seemed they were filling the time, instead of paying attention to the guests.
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Posted On : 2023-09-27
Posted By : andrea_p
This was an absolutely fabulous tour by Pico de Adventure. we departed in a Zodiac boat with 22 other people - felt safe the entire time. With our captain and tour guide we were able to spot 3 types of dolphins and sperm whales. After a nice lunch, we took the ferry to go snorkeling at the islet which was amazing! There were so many different types of fish to see. Would definitely recommend this.
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Posted On : 2023-09-23
Posted By : Lawrence17D
The experience itself was really enjoyable and intriguing, never done something like that.
Personell well prepeared and kind, with the only downside on the last part in the islet, where we weren't 100% coordinated and organized.
I absolutely recommend this activity to everybody since it's really accessible.
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Posted On : 2023-09-09
Posted By : Gabriella_S
The description provided is not correct. You are not riding a large boat with a bathroom and you are not having lunch at the Islet. You ride a small boat (which is be a rough and very wet ride). Lunch is a buffet at a banquet hall with other tours. Then you take the standard ferry to the Islet for less than an hour of snorkeling. Most of the full day tour was spent waiting for boats as it was poorly managed. My recommendation is to do a half day whale watching and separately take yourself to islet so you are able to spend as much time as you want at the islet. Plus the food at regular restaurants is far better than the buffet offered in this tour.
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Posted On : 2023-09-08
Posted By : Trish_K
Well, we traveled for a looong time and got bumped, slammed and jostled around ALOT , and did not see any whales! The tour was very un organized and timing was an issue- a lot of waiting around, and we only got a small amount of time to snorkel- my back was sore next day due to the slamming on the waves
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Posted On : 2023-09-08
Posted By : Ren_O
Upon arrival, we noticed that the 'big' boat (from the pictures) was not available. Only Zodiac boats, but the company had a big Zodiac that seats more than 24 persons.
It was an amazing tour, we saw two pairs of Sperm whale, two big groups of dolphins (two different species) and as the crown on the cake a big Sei whale.
After this great adventure we went for a nice lunch in town.
The snorkeling afternoon was also fantastic, what a beautiful underwater world. Almost all Caribbean colored fish but less in species.
The way back was an adventure, due to the weather change, large waves made it an quit wet experience, but the crew did their utmost to keep everybody comfortable.
Best day of our 3 island visiting holiday in 2023.
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Posted On : 2023-09-03