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Whale watching holidays

4.8/5

Average Customer Score
Based On 1280 Reviews

4.8/5

Average Customer Score
Based On 1280 Reviews

Overview

Powerful, graceful and engaging – encounters with the majestic giants of the deep remains one of the most fulfilling experiences in the natural world. Ever since the early days of Discover the World, when we operated the first ever commercial whale watching excursion in Iceland, whale watching has played an important role in our holidays.

Whether you watch orcas hunt, humpbacks break or sperm whale dive, encounters with any of these magnificent creatures of the deep are always inspiring. We offer a range of whale watching holidays in Iceland, Canada, Alaska, Costa Rica, Australasia and the Polar regions.

Doug in Nova Scotia Canada Cameras at the ready. Check out the seaside town of Tadoussac in Quebec, and get front row seats to watch belugas, fin whales and minkes doing their amazing whaley stuff.
Plan Your Trip

  • Whale watching experiences

    Canada

    Pacific coast or Atlantic coast, Canada is a true whale watching hotspot. The nutrient-rich waters of Bay of Fundy world’s entice humpback, fin and minkes, while the largest population of humpbacks can be found off Newfoundland. British Columbia’s coast has one of the highest populations of orca in the world.

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  • Whale watching experiences

    Iceland

    Blue whales, humpbacks and orcas are among the 20 species found in Iceland waters. Husavik in the north takes the plaudits as the ‘whale watching capital’, but you can also enjoy a whale spectacle from Akureyri, Reykjavik and the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.

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  • new-zealand-whale-watching-off-kaikoura-tnz

    Whale watching experiences

    New Zealand

    Sperm whales, the largest of the toothed whales are the big ticket encounter in New Zealand. The deep ocean trench that lies off the coast of Kaikoura attracts these giants of the deep year round providing consistently rewarding sightings. Look out for dusky dolphins here too, bottlenose dolphins in the Bay of Islands and diminutive Hector’s dolphins in Akaroa Harbour.

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  • Whale watching experiences

    Polar regions

    Being on the lookout for whales is a key element of expedition voyaging in the Arctic or Antarctica. Humpback and orca are the perpetual crowd pleasers, but sightings of rarer species such as beluga, narwhal and bowhead whales in the Arctic and southern right whales in Antarctica ensure bragging rights.

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Whale watching holiday ideas

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Discover the World & whale watching

“In 1989, there were still no whale watching excursions in Iceland. So we chartered a trawler with zoologist Mark Carwardine. The locals laughed at us, but this was commercial whale watching in its infancy with little or no data about what whales we might to see. But see them we did. Lots of them. Today around 350,000 people go whale watching in Iceland every year and it remains a highlight for many of our clients.” – Clive Stacey, Founder & Chairman.

There are options for indulging your passion for whale watching worldwide. Many of our wildlife holidays already include a focus on watching whales, or can be tailor made to take you to the best places in your chosen destination for cetacean spotting.

Whether as part of an independent touring holiday in New Zealand, a cruise into the pristine wilderness of Antarctica and Arctic regions, while paddling a kayak off the coasts of Canada or Alaska, or combined with your search for the northern lights in Iceland and Norway, we have cetacean encounters to tempt first-timers or dedicated whale-watchers.

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