Although I was tempted to spend every day at the beach when I was in Lagos, Portugal, I really wanted to get out on a boat and see the coastline from the water. And what is better than seeing the Algarve’s famous, rocky coastline from a boat?
Seeing dolphins too!
Dolphin watching in Lagos, Portugal is one of the most popular excursions along the Algarve coast, and I’m going to walk you through which dolphin watching tour is right for you.
There are quite a few different dolphin watching tours in Lagos, Portugal, which will quickly become apparent if you arrive via bus or train and walk past all the different kiosks selling dolphin watching tours in front of the Lagos marina.
Personally, I didn’t want to be rushed into choosing a tour on the spot. Instead, I went to my hotel and asked for their recommendation, then I did some online research, and eventually I found the perfect dolphin watching tour for me. Read on to see how my tour went (spoiler: yes, we saw dolphins!) and what other boat excursions you might find interesting.
Full disclosure: I paid for this dolphin watching excursion myself and didn’t disclose to the crew that I was a blogger, so this is an unbiased review.
My Recommendation: Dolphin Watching Half-Day Cruise (+ Water Activities!) in Lagos, Portugal
Ultimately, I decided to take this four-hour dolphin watching cruise from Lagos. There were a few main reasons why this dolphin watching tour stood out from others:
- It is a half day tour, unlike some other excursions that only go out for 90 minutes ⌚
- Because it’s on a large boat, there are areas to relax both in the sun and in the shade ☀️
- It includes a really fun swimming and snorkeling stop 🤿
- There is a marine biologist on board to answer questions about the dolphins and to ensure that they are not disturbed by the tour boat 🧑🏽🔬
- If you don’t see dolphins, they offer a voucher so you can try again on a later date 🐬
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What It’s Like on the Dolphin Watching Boat
The dolphin watching tour that I took was on a large catamaran. I chose this larger boat for a few reasons. As the tour was going to be four hours, I wanted access to a bathroom during the trip. And, because the sun seemingly never stop shining in the Algarve, I wanted a boat that had at least one shady area.
The top deck of the catamaran was wide open. Once we found some dolphins I liked to be up here, because you had a 360° view of the dolphins as they swam around the boat.
The lower deck of the catamaran had seating at the front, a walkway all around the lower deck, and an interior area that was protected from the sun (and from splashing waves).
You were welcome to bring your own food and drink on board, or you could purchase simple snacks from the bar. The tour also included a complimentary snack, which was a fresh fruit skewer and a chocolate chip cookie.
Did we see dolphins in Lagos?
Yes, we saw dolphins on our dolphin watching tour in Lagos! Actually, we saw lots of dolphins throughout our four-hour trip.
Dolphins tend to swim in pods, so when you spot one dolphin there’s a good chance that others are nearby too. Most of the pods we saw were small, consisting of two to five dolphins, but there were times when we could see the dolphins swimming near our boat and their friends further off in the distance.
The dolphins came very close to the boat and if you’re fast with your camera you can get great photos (especially from the lower decks). They were swimming, spinning and even jumping out of the water. As well, we saw both adult and juvenile dolphins. It’s hard to remember exactly how much time we spent watching them, but I would estimate that between the different groups we encountered it was about 45 minutes.
Swimming and Snorkeling on the Dolphin Watching Cruise
Another reason why I chose this dolphin watching tour in Lagos is because it includes a swimming and snorkeling stop on the way back. The shorter boat tours don’t include this, and I think that’s the biggest drawback to the shorter tours. Sure, you can swim from the beaches in Lagos, but it’s different being out in the open water.
As you can see from the top photo, the dolphin watching boat put down its anchor just off the beautiful coastline. I’m only an amateur wayfarer but it looked like we were close to Praia do Pinhão.
Once the boat had anchored, the crew got started inflating the giant water-slide that goes from the top deck down to the ocean. They also open up a gate on the opposite side of the top deck for anyone who wants to jump in. Since I’m a fearless female traveler I obviously had to try both – I preferred the water-slide just for the novelty. They also had a small number of masks and snorkels for anyone who wanted to look below the surface. I did take a peek but didn’t see anything noteworthy down there.
Helpful Hints for This Dolphin Watching Tour
If you do decide to take my recommended dolphin watching tour in Lagos, here are a few tips that will help you make the most of your day:
- The tour fills up early because they don’t overcrowd the boat. I booked one day in advance and there were only two spots left. Book your tour several days in advance if possible.
- There are usually two sailings: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I highly recommend the afternoon sailing because it’s a great activity to keep you (mostly) out of the hot afternoon sun.
- To keep cool, stay in the shady interior cabin for the outbound sailing, until dolphins are spotted. Then, head to the top deck for the best dolphin views or the outside lower deck for the best photography.
- Wear your bathing suit under lightweight, sun-protective clothing. Pack water, sunscreen and a towel – keep them in the inside cabin so they stay dry.
- This tour is 110% child-friendly. There were lots of babies, toddlers and children of all ages on board and they all seemed to be having a great time.
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Other Dolphin Watching Tours from Lagos, Portugal
The dolphin watching tour that I took in Lagos isn’t the only dolphin watching tour, of course. I didn’t personally try any of these tours, but I did see them when I was researching and they seem to have good reviews:
- Dolphin Watching & Benagil Cave – This tour takes 2.5 hours and includes some time dolphin watching and a visit to the Benagil Cave, a spectacular natural landmark down the Algarve Coast.
- Dolphin Watching on a Zodiac Boat – If you’ve never been on a zodiac boat, these inflatable speedboats can be quite the adventure. This 90-minute zodiac ride looks like lots of fun (but isn’t safe for small children, pregnant women or anyone with back problems).
⭐ And for a full list of my Top 10 favorite tours and excursions across Portugal, click here. (Yes, this dolphin watching trip made the cut!) ⭐
Planning a trip to Portugal? Check out all of my Portugal travel guides, including several other great day trips that you might want to add to your itinerary.
If you can’t decide where to stay on the Algarve, this comparison of Lagos, Albufeira and Faro should help.
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