Rota dos Cetáceos
Funchal
- Outdoors
- From 6
- Children from 35 €
- Booking advised
Two and a half hours out of Funchal marina in a fast rigid inflatable with a marine biologist aboard and spotters on the cliffs radioing the skipper onto the animals.
The best sighting odds on the island and the roughest ride, and those are the same fact. A RIB sits low and close to the water, which older children love, and it bangs hard in any swell, which is what parents of younger ones write about afterwards. There is no shade and no toilet for two and a half hours, and no stated minimum age - the boat is the gate, not the age: under about six, or for a child prone to seasickness, take a catamaran instead.
Worth knowing: If nothing is sighted you get a free second trip, not your money back - so book it early in the holiday. On your last day the guarantee is worth nothing. Trips are also called off at short notice when the sea gets up.
Opening hours
- Mon
- 09:00, 12:30, 16:00 (May-Oct); 09:00, 13:30 (Nov-Apr)
- Tue
- 09:00, 12:30, 16:00 (May-Oct); 09:00, 13:30 (Nov-Apr)
- Wed
- 09:00, 12:30, 16:00 (May-Oct); 09:00, 13:30 (Nov-Apr)
- Thu
- 09:00, 12:30, 16:00 (May-Oct); 09:00, 13:30 (Nov-Apr)
- Fri
- 09:00, 12:30, 16:00 (May-Oct); 09:00, 13:30 (Nov-Apr)
- Sat
- 09:00, 12:30, 16:00 (May-Oct); 09:00, 13:30 (Nov-Apr)
- Sun
- 09:00, 12:30, 16:00 (May-Oct); 09:00, 13:30 (Nov-Apr)
Prices
Adult from 12 years 60 €, ages 6-11 35 €, free under 5. Private charter for up to eighteen 990 €. The operator's own page is inconsistent about whether the free band ends at five or six - confirm when you book.
Season
Year round: three departures a day May to October, two a day November to April.
Getting there
Prices and opening times change without notice, and on this island they change often. Everything here carries the date it was checked in our research notes; if a place has moved or closed, tell us and we will fix it.