The 10 Best Destinations for Whale Watching Around the World

27/10/2025

24/04/2024

Azores

Located around 1,360 km (850 miles) west of Portugal, the nine islands that make up the Azores archipelago are some of the best whale-watching destinations in the world. They’re also a great place to view the largest whales on the planet: blue whales. With a heart the size of a small car, a blue whale can grow to be 30 meters (100 feet) long and can weigh as much as 130 tons.

Visitors can view the gentle behemoths from on-shore lookout towers known as “vigias” or can board tour boats for the chance of a closer view. S***m, pilot and northern bottlenose whales can be spotted as well.

24/04/2024

Maui

Opportunities to watch whales abound throughout the Hawaiian islands, but the southern and western shores of Maui are considered some of the best locations. Up to 10,000 humpback whales migrate from the frigid Alaskan waters to the islands each winter. The whales mate, have their calves and return north in the spring. Maui’s clear water makes it easy to spot the magnificent creatures from dawn to dusk.

Male humpback whales vocalize their otherworldly songs for up to a half hour at a time. Whale-watching tour-boat options range from luxury vessels fitted out with hydrophones that allow visitors to hear the whale songs to 24-long open-air rafts that increase the chances for an up-close encounter.

23/04/2024

Los Cabos

Each year, hundreds of gray whales and humpback whales migrate thousands of miles to winter in the warm waters of the Gulf of California between Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula and mainland. Located at the southern tip of the peninsula, Los Cabos is a popular destination for whale-watchers from around the world.

The tranquil lagoons of the gulf provide a safe place for the whales to breed, and it’s common to spot calves with their mothers while on a whale-watching boat tour, particularly between the months of January and April. Mammoth blue whales and s***m whales sometimes make an appearance as well.