Top 10 Whale Watching Tours Around The World

There is something magical about any encounter with these enormous sea creatures, whether it is a humpback whale breaching the waves in a bold display or a grey whale and her calf gently cresting the surface of the water. One of the most well-known ways to see wildlife is to go whale watching, and there are now more opportunities than ever to see these sea mammals.

There are whales in every ocean, but some locations are better than others for whale-watching tours. If you want to get close to a gentle giant, these are some of the best places to go.

10 Best Whale Watching Tours

• Reykjavik
• San Juan Islands
• Hervey Bay
• Los Cabos
• Valdes Peninsula
• Mauibelindah
• Azores
• Cape Cod
• Hermanus
• Kaikoura

10. Reykjavik

Reykjavik With its opportunities to see blue, humpback, and minke whales, as well as white-beaked dolphins and porpoises, Iceland is quickly becoming a popular destination for people who are interested in sea mammals. In addition to the nation's capital, Reykjavik, whale-watching boat tours are available in the towns of Husavik, Dalvik, and Hauganes in Iceland.

Tours into Faxafloi Bay that leave from Reykjavik take passengers on Icelandic oak boats, some of which are schooners. Since whales are known to approach the boats very close, passengers can anticipate memorable encounters.

9. San Juan Islands

San Juan Islands Every spring, orca pods that are heading north up the Pacific Coast swim into Puget Sound in Washington State. Orcas swim in the waters around Vancouver as well, despite the fact that Orca Island, which is part of the San Juan Islands archipelago, is traditionally considered to be the best place to observe them.

READ ALSO » Top 10 Best Brewery Tours In The World

During the summer, around 80 orcas remain in the Sound to eat salmon, and experienced whale watchers are able to spot individual whales. Additionally, minke, humpback, and grey whales can be observed. Visitors can get up close and personal with animals on open-air zodiac boat tours.

8. Hervey Bay

Hervey BayeGuide Travel Known as the home of humpback whales, Hervey Bay in Queensland, Australia, provides numerous opportunities to observe the curious and active whales during the summer months when they live in the waters between Fraser Island and the mainland. The way humpbacks leap into the air and splash back into the water with glee is what makes them famous.

In Hervey Bay, catamaran whale watching tours are a popular choice. Underwater windows, specialized viewing platforms, and hydrophones that amplify the whale's vocalizations are frequently included on the boats.

7. Los Cabos

Los Cabos Every year, hundreds of humpback and gray whales travel thousands of miles to spend the winter in the warm waters of the Gulf of California, which lie between the mainland of Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula. Los Cabos, which is at the southernmost point of the peninsula, is a popular spot for whale watchers from all over the world.

During a whale-watching boat tour, between the months of January and April, it is common to see calves with their mothers because the calm lagoons of the gulf provide a safe place for the whales to breed. Sperm and mammoth blue whales occasionally make an appearance as well.

6. Valdes Peninsula

The Valdes Peninsula is located in Argentina's Chubut Province along the Atlantic coast. The peninsula's arcing coastline, which is a protected area, is home to a lot of seals and sea lions, which draw orcas in the spring. Orcas are often referred to as killer whales, despite the fact that they are actually members of the dolphin family.

Orcas can sometimes be seen by whale watchers riding the waves to the beach to steal sea lion pups. From July to November, there are a lot of Southern right whales, and you can often see them flapping their fins in the air. In the calm waters that run between the peninsula and the mainland, they mate and give birth.

5. Maui

READ ALSO » Top 10 Awesome Helicopter Rides Around The World

The southern and western shores of Maui are regarded as some of the best locations to observe whales, but there are numerous opportunities to do so throughout the Hawaiian islands. Each winter, up to 10,000 humpback whales travel to the islands from the icy waters of Alaska. In the spring, the whales mate, give birth to their young, and then migrate north. From dawn to dusk, the magnificent creatures are easy to spot in the crystal-clear waters of Maui.

For up to half an hour at a time, male humpback whales sing in a strange way. The options for whale-watching tour boats range from 24-foot open-air rafts that increase the likelihood of an up-close encounter to luxurious vessels outfitted with hydrophones that enable visitors to hear the whales' songs.

4. Azores

The nine islands that make up the Azores archipelago are some of the best places in the world to watch whales. They are about 1,360 kilometers (850 miles) west of Portugal. They're also a great place to see the world's largest whales: baleen whales A blue whale can reach 30 meters (100 feet) in length and 130 tons in weight with a heart the size of a small car.

The gentle giants can be seen from lookout towers on the shore, known as vigias, or from tour boats for a closer look. Additionally, pilot, northern, and sperm whales can be observed.

3. Cape Cod

The numerous humpback, minke, and finback whales that come to Cape Cod each year to feed are the reason why Massachusetts is ranked by the World Wildlife Fund as one of the best places in the world to watch whales.

Because of the high number of sightings of humpback whales spouting and breaching, many tour operators in Boston will refund tickets if none are observed during the trip. They are easy to identify due to their wavy-edged flukes and long, white fins. When mothers bring their calves to feed in the region's submerged sand banks in the spring, the highly endangered northern right whale can sometimes be seen.

2. Hermanus

Hermanus Known for its shore-based whale-watching, Hermanus is on the southern coast of Africa, close to Cape Town. Southern right whales migrate to the area annually to mate and breed due to the shallow, sheltered waters. Adults can reach a length of 17 meters (55 feet), while calves can reach 6 meters (20 feet) at birth.

Visitors can observe these social animals as they raise their flukes in the sea breezes on a six-mile cliffside walk with built-in telescopes and benches. There is even a whale crier in the town who informs visitors of whale sightings. Hermanus also offers boat tours that allow visitors to observe whales.

1. Kaikoura

READ ALSO » Top 10 Best River Cruises Around The World

Kaikoura, a small town on New Zealand's South Island about 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of Christchurch, is regarded as the best place in the world to observe sperm whales. The sperm whale known as Moby Dick can dive as deep as 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) and remain below for more than two hours. It can reach a length of up to 18 meters (60 feet).

The coast of Kaikoura is surrounded by a deep underwater canyon that attracts a wide range of marine life, including pilot, blue, humpback, and dolphins. Whale-watching drives Kaikoura's economy, which is supported by boat tours and light aircraft flyovers.