Portugal · AZORES TOURS

Azores Tours and Whale Trips: The Best 15

122 tours  ·  from $24

São Miguel puts crater lakes, hot springs and deep whale water within an hour of Ponta Delgada. These 15 cover all three, priced and timed, with a note on which sailings the swell can cancel.

From Ponta Delgada: Whale and Dolphin Watching Trip - Choosing between the catamaran and Zodiac
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From Ponta Delgada: Whale and Dolphin Watching Trip

1.Whale and Dolphin Watching Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 4,109 reviews · 3 hours · from $82Our pick

Set out from Ponta Delgada with a marine biologist or nature guide to search for whales, dolphins, turtles, and seabirds. Choose a catamaran or Zodiac boat, learn responsible viewing rules, and spend about 2 hours 45 minutes offshore. Spring favors migrating baleen whales, while dolphins and sperm whales can appear year-round.

“Absolutely loved it! The guides were extremley respectful towards the animals and tried their best to show us as many animals as possible. We saw three species in total and it was such a surreal and also informative experience!”

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Azores Whale Watching & Islet Boat Tour - Meeting the crew at Vila Franca do Campo Marina
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Azores Whale Watching & Islet Boat Tour

2.Azores Whale Watching & Islet Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 2,146 reviews · from $70

Set out from Vila Franca do Campo with a marine biologist or naturalist, watching for sperm whales, dolphins, seabirds, turtles, and other sea life. A Zodiac RIB carries 12 to 28 people, with warm waterproof gear supplied. After nearly three hours offshore, circle the volcanic islet and return to the marina.

“Fantastic. Knowledgeable guides who follow an ethical approach. Lots of fun, exhilarating and educational. Was perfect for the whole family.”

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São Miguel West: Full-Day Van Tour with Lunch - Pico do Carvão opens the views
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São Miguel West: Full-Day Van Tour with Lunch

3.São Miguel West: Full-Day Van Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,948 reviews · 8 hours · from $88

Spend eight hours exploring western São Miguel with a guide such as João, Daniel, Max, or Katya. Visit Lagoa do Canário, Boca do Inferno, Sete Cidades, Mosteiros, and Lagoa do Fogo, with a Portuguese buffet lunch included. The small van carries up to eight people, and guides may adjust the route when clouds or rain block a viewpoint.

“Great guide Daniel, great lunch and great trip. We had an amazing time.”

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São Miguel West Full Day Tour with Setes Cidades Including Lunch - Ponta da Cintrão brings the first big coastal view
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São Miguel West Full Day Tour with Setes Cidades Including Lunch

4.São Miguel West Full Day Tour with Setes Cidades Including Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,391 reviews · from $86Top rated

Spend about eight hours exploring São Miguel’s west side in a group of no more than eight. Your driver-guide takes you from Ribeira Grande and Lagoa do Fogo to Sete Cidades, Mosteiros, coastal cliffs, and natural pools. Lunch includes food, a drink, dessert, and coffee, with pickup in Ponta Delgada, Lagoa, or Ribeira Grande.

“Joao is a pleasant tour guide who is effervescent and enthusiastic about his tours and just a wonderful people person. He provided lots of info about the Azores and São Miguel, in particular. Also fun personal stories about being a tour guide.”

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São Miguel East Van Tour with Lunch: Furnas & Nordeste - Furnas: steam, mineral water, and volcanic ground
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São Miguel East Van Tour with Lunch: Furnas & Nordeste

5.São Miguel East Van Tour with Lunch: Furnas & Nordeste

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,210 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $90

Spend about eight hours exploring São Miguel’s east with an English-speaking guide such as João, Max, Márcio, Cátia, Daniel, or Hugo. Visit Furnas, taste mineral waters, see volcanic vents, enjoy cozido cooked in the earth, and stop at waterfalls, hilltop chapels, and coastal viewpoints. Optional thermal bathing is available at your own cost.

“My sister and I had a wonderful time on Daniel's tour. He was excellent and the thermal springs were great. (Bring a towel!)”

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São Miguel East: Full-Day Van Tour with Lunch - Santa Iria Lookout starts the day with open sea views
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São Miguel East: Full-Day Van Tour with Lunch

6.São Miguel East: Full-Day Van Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,124 reviews · from $85

Spend eight hours exploring São Miguel’s east with a local English or Portuguese-speaking guide. Visit Furnas, Santa Iria Lookout, Ribeira dos Caldeirões, and Nordeste, then eat cozido cooked in volcanic soil. Choose between Furnas hot springs or extra geothermal sights. Pickup, lunch, drinks, dessert, coffee, water, and entry to Furnas Lake are included.

“It was an absolutely amazing day, great itinerary and Joao was a fantastic guide! We had so many adventures, but also relaxing in the hot springs and enjoying a family-style meal together.”

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Azores Whale Watching & Islet Boat Tour - Meeting the crew at Vila Franca do Campo Marina
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Azores Whale Watching & Islet Boat Tour

7.Azores Whale Watching & Islet Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,059 reviews · from $71

Set out from Vila Franca do Campo in a Zodiac RIB with a marine biologist guide and skipper. After a safety and wildlife briefing, you search for sperm whales, dolphins, turtles, and other sea life with help from an inland lookout. The three-hour trip ends with a close circuit of the Princess Ring Islet.

“It was a beautiful day out on the oceans, great crew! We saw also a rare species Pilot whale, beautiful sights 😍💙”

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São Miguel Azores: Half-Day Whale Watching Trip - How the whale search works
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São Miguel Azores: Half-Day Whale Watching Trip

8.São Miguel Azores: Half-Day Whale Watching Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 983 reviews · from $74

Join Picos de Aventura in Ponta Delgada, or Rabo do Peixe on selected days, for a 3 to 3.5-hour whale-watching trip. Marine biologists, skippers, and shore-based lookouts work together to find dolphins and whales. Choose a catamaran or faster zodiac, then return along São Miguel’s volcanic coast.

“Very nice huides and a really cool activity. The zodiac boat is really fun but not for elderly or weak people, because it can be really bumpy. (The guides give this advice before the trip, so nothing unexpected)”

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Canyoning Experience at Ribeira Grande - Entering the stream and learning the basics
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Canyoning Experience at Ribeira Grande

9.Canyoning Experience at Ribeira Grande

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 965 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $90

Meet at Caldeiras da Ribeira Grande for a safety briefing, fitted neoprene gear, and a guided canyoning route through clear water and green forest. Guides such as Carolina, Bruno, Paulo, and Dawid support beginners through rappels, waterfalls, optional jumps, and possible zipline sections. Pickup from Ponta Delgada costs extra.

“Outstanding guides and experience, very highly recommended if you’re looking for a fun, thrilling and safe adventure!”

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Small-Group Ponta Delgada Food Tour in Azores - Cheese shops and local products
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Small-Group Ponta Delgada Food Tour in Azores

10.Small-Group Ponta Delgada Food Tour in Azores

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 884 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $139

You’ll spend about 3.5 hours walking 2 kilometers through Ponta Delgada with a local guide, stopping at the market, cheese shops, taverns, and cafés for Azorean food and drinks. Guides such as Marco, André, Nadja, Rafael, and Fred have led this tour, which serves generous tastings and helpful restaurant advice. Come hungry and wear comfortable shoes.

“The guide was great, but I didn’t think this was worth the $. It was a full hour before we ate - half a bread roll with some cheese and half a cup of tea. We then had a scraping of cheese at the end of a butter knife. The meal at A Tasca was portioned very small - two entrees and two bread w cheese appetizers for 9 people. The final food was a “meal” back at their headquarters. Everyone was polite, but I would opt to take myself for a nice meal instead.”

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Quad Biking - Sete Cidades from North Coast (Half Day) - Pico da Cruz gives you the tour’s highest view
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Quad Biking – Sete Cidades from North Coast (Half Day)

11.Quad Biking – Sete Cidades from North Coast (Half Day)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 883 reviews · 3 to 4 hours (approx.) · from $82

Drive a quad from Fenais da Luz through north-coast dirt roads, Serra Devassa, and the Sete Cidades crater. Guides such as Bruno, Filip, and Filipe lead the route, help with tricky terrain, and stop at Pico da Cruz, Miradouro das Cumeeiras, and the lakes. Bring warm layers, rain gear, and a valid driving license.

“We planned this trip with a Jeep Tour and then at the last moment changed our mind to the Quad bike/buggy tour….. what an incredible thrill to actually be in charge of the vehicle going up, steep hills/mountains through the terrain… We recovered so much of the area and it’s just hard to explain, but our guide was fantastic. We plan to come back to the Azores and this is something I would do again.”

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Sao Miguel: Caldeiroes Canyoning Experience - The 45-minute ride from Ponta Delgada
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Sao Miguel: Caldeiroes Canyoning Experience

12.Sao Miguel: Caldeiroes Canyoning Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 751 reviews · 2.5 - 3 hours · from $82

At Ribeira dos Caldeirões Natural Park, guides such as Guilherme, Ricardo, Teresa, and João lead a 2.5 to 3-hour canyoning outing through flowing water, with optional jumps, 5 to 15-meter rappels, a natural slide, and a possible zipline. You get a wetsuit, boots, helmet, harness, photos, and clear instruction.

“It was fun, the guides were very kind and also very professional I would recommend it for all ages. 10/10”

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Azores Whale Watching Tour – Ponta Delgada - What you may see, and what the guarantee really means
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Azores Whale Watching Tour – Ponta Delgada

13.Azores Whale Watching Tour – Ponta Delgada

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 740 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $78

Meet the marine biologists at Marina Pêro de Teive in Ponta Delgada for a 2 to 3 hour search for Azorean whales and dolphins. Choose a speedy rigid inflatable boat or a steadier catamaran. The route follows recent sightings, and the crew explains local species and conservation. A whale or dolphin sighting is guaranteed, or you receive a full refund.

“Saw Sei whales and Atlantic spotted dolphins. Very cool tour with a decent amount of time out on the water. Would recommend this tour!”

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Jeep Tour Full Day Sete Cidades & Lagoa do Fogo with lunch and drinks included. - Three hours around the village and lakes
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Jeep Tour Full Day Sete Cidades & Lagoa do Fogo with lunch and drinks included.

14.Jeep Tour Full Day Sete Cidades & Lagoa do Fogo with lunch and drinks included.

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 668 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $108

Spend about eight hours exploring São Miguel with a local guide such as Sergio, Eduardo, Mariano, or Daniel. Ride rough crater tracks, see Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo from high viewpoints, visit villages and the Wall of Nine Windows, then enjoy an included Azorean lunch with wine, beer, or soft drinks. Hotel pickup is offered in Ponta Delgada.

“Excellent from the begining to the end. Sergio, our tour guide was very nice and gave us time for everything we wanted.”

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Canyoning Experience - half day - Why the Small Group Matters
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Canyoning Experience – half day

15.Canyoning Experience – half day

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 636 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $98

Spend about 3½ hours canyoning in Ribeira dos Caldeirões Natural Park with guides such as Tomás, Alberto, Nico, Ipa, or Warren. You’ll hike uphill, then tackle water slides, jumps, zip lines, and rappels, including an optional 15-meter descent. Wetsuits, boots, helmets, safety gear, and activity photos and videos are included.

“It is physical. You need to be capable of walking up some steep hills and in some spots climbing. Our guides were wonderful. Thomas and Alberto were considerate of the pace wanted to set and helped us along the whole way. They kept it light and fun. I would highly recommend taking on the challenge. Even if you are a little unsure of the challenge. It is not overly difficult but you will feel satisfied when you complete it.”

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