I did the full day whale watching and the Islet of Vila Franca do Campo. It was a great experience. As other reviews say, it seems most of the whale watching tours (at least the 3 hour ones) are 1 hour of driving each way, and an hour (or less) of seeing dolphins and whales. I went in September where it is mostly only sperm whales - so this may be different/better in a different season. The staff were great. They provided a rain jacket for the boat and a snorkle for the islet, which was fun to explore. The staff on the boat were knowledgable and friendly.

Everything was awesome from start to finish: the gear, the trail, the obstacles, the views and especially the Hugo and Mário instructors mood throughout the activity : )

The tour war great. We went in the afternoon on the speed boat. We ended up seeing two sperm whales and a big pod of dolphins, probably close to 40! The calves were very playful jumping out of the water and swimming very close to our boat. It was an amazing experience. Our guide was very knowledgeable and you could tell she loved her job.

Amazing trip! The skipper was amazing and she made the speedboat journey a lot more comfortable! She also did not get too close to the animals unlike other companies. She was very respectful, but we still managed to see so much marine life in a safe way for both us and the animals. Would highly recommend, especially for a more ethical tour. Other companies followed the whales and got very very close which can cause them a lot of distress.

The staff were friendly and courteous, boat in good condition. After leaving the marina, we sailed for around 45 minutes before we saw dolphins and 2 whales (very rare in one trip according to one of the deck hands). The only thing to be wary about is the water can be quite rough, even on the catamaran, so not ideal for those who get seasick easily!

We saw dolphins but no whales. Many passengers suffered sea sickness. Disappointed 😞 I do not recommend this tour. Try a visit to Sete Cidades.

AMAZING TOUR! We saw 5 highly active whales jumping out of the water, diving deep and smacking the water with their tails! Mark and... I forget his name (sorry) were amazing tour guides! Apparently it was the most active the whales were all year. This was a dream for my Fiancee and a surreal experience for both of us! I'm really late on this review as we went July 12th 2024. It was the day before we flew back to Canada and honestly, was the best way to end a trip. Oh! and we saw dolphins surrounded our boat! I will definetly do this tour again when I go back. Muito obrigado Picos de Aventura outre vez!

Seeing the wild dolphins was a fantastic experience. We enjoyed it! Our lunch was, unfortunately, a pack to go rather not great. And the trip to Vila Franca Islet could have been much better organised. You need to sit in the crowded local boat in the shining sun ( this is the only way you can get there).

even if I was by myself and it was Sunday morning, I was able to visit a really nice cave in Pico. the guide was amazing, had so many stories, a great great guy. 100% recommend. his passion for his island, Pico, is almost a religion. exceptional!

The trip was great. The staff was really nice, pro active, always there to answer our questions. The organisation was very clear about the fact that they did not promise that we would see whales, but that we would see some sort of sea mammals - or our money back. In a way this was sort of exhilarating to know that sea mammals are still free to wander wherever they want and we can be fortunate enough to see them. We saw dolphins and turtles, a flying fish and everything was great. Warning: wear sunscreen :) (you will get a sunburn for sure)

This was beyond our expectations The company was friendly efficient and professional We had the best experience

The Guide is fabulous! We got to see all 3 types of Dolphins and that was fabulous. Highly recommend this.

Honestly it was pretty boring and uncomfortable. First the positives: the water was truly stunning - crystal clear and deep blue. And of course the whales and dolphins. The negatives: everything else. Two hours of full speed boating - 1 hour out and 1 our back with probably about 30 minutes of time to enjoy the whales and dolphins. The day we went out the waves were just brutal so the 2 hours of full speed boating was not even remotely enjoyable. The boat was crowded and uncomfortable seating. In fact, there was no seating for the 3 of us together up top or the front stadium seating so we ended up sitting in the back near the engineer by ourselves. It was so loud and we had the smell of non stop fuel fumes from the engine. However, that ended up being a park when numerous people upstairs started throwing up. They do not sell any food or drinks so come prepared.

it was great. dolphins, spermwhale, a family of orchas, turtles. out there in the ocean there's a lot of life and Picos de aventura biologists very prepared and enthusiastic. i suggest to everyone going in azzore, to take time for a trip with them

it was good experience in June, we have met to a lot of Dolphins and with 2 whales, meeting with whales was from so big distance and it was almost impossible to see them, in general experience was good but I expected more.