18 Best places to go whale-watching

The deep waters and nutrient-rich food supply off the Andenes coast make the waters here an essential feeding ground for a variety of whales – and a global whale-watching hotspot. Sperm whales are present all year-round; humpback, fin and orca in winter months – a 1-hour boat ride from shore. Half-day tours, all year-round.

This stretch of coast is the world’s whale-watching hotspot from December to April, when whales in their thousands migrate here from the north to breed and feed. Humpbacks, blue, minke, orca, fin, Bryde’s, sperm, sei and grey whales are regularly seen. Grey whales calve in the lagoons of the Sea of Cortez from mid-January through mid-April.

This marine national park off Uvita is one of the best places in the Americas to see humpback whales, with near year-round whale-watching (except June & July). You’ll also spot dolphins, Olive Ridley and Hawksbills turtles, boobies and pelicans.

From mid-January to end of March, the Samana Peninsula is the place to see humpback whales. Thousands migrate from Norway’s coast to breed and socialise in the warm waters and sheltered bays. Short-finned pilot, false killer, and melon head whales can also be seen. Sperm whales are present all year round.

Southern right whales congregate just offshore from the stylish holiday town of Hermanus, 2-hours’ drive from Cape Town, from July to October. You can see them breaching from the cliff-top boardwalks – or join a boat tour for a closer look. There’s a quaint, celebratory festival at the season’s end.

In July and August, more than 60,000 beluga whales inhabit the Hudson region – 3,000 of which can be found in the Churchill River estuary. It’s the best and most reliable place in the world to spot striking, white beluga whales. 2-hour tours on either inflatable zodiacs or sea kayaks get you right up close.

Iceland’s pristine waters are the place to spot minke, humpback and blue whales as these gentle giants pass by on their annual migration. You’ll see the whales up close, plus dolphins, porpoises and puffins. Husavik is the main departure port, but you can also take tours from Reykjavik or see them on an Iceland cruise. May to September is best.

There are many remarkable things about whale-watching here, not least their 95% success rate at finding giant sperm whales – the world’s largest toothed predator – that are present here all year-round. Owner run by local Maori families, it combines state-of-the-art whale finding technology and traditional Maori folklore. You can whale-watch on kayaks too.

A brilliant, but relatively unknown, whale-watching destination, with sperm whales spotted year-round, and pilot and Gray’s beaked in season. Full-day whale-watching tours include swimming with dolphins and a beach stop for a BBQ lunch and snorkelling on local reefs. Not a bad day’s work..!

The world’s largest mammal, the blue whale, is paradoxically difficult to see – except here, on Sri Lanka’s southern coast. It’s the best, most accessible and most reliable place in the world to see (and snorkel) with the big blues. Tours depart from Galle and Mirissa between February and mid-March, when the whales feed on giant shoals of krill.

The Stellwagen Bank Marine Life Sanctuary off Cape Cod is the main summer feeding grounds of the fin, humpback, and right whales, making this an excellent spot for whale-watching from mid-May to October. Depart from Barnstable or Provincetown, the closest towns.

In summer months, May to October, the St Lawrence Estuary is rich in fish and plankton, attracting a pick ‘n’ mix of minke (May-Oct), fin (July-Oct), humpback (June-July), blue (Aug-Oct), and beluga whales (year-round). It all makes for excellent whale-watching; full-day tours depart from Quebec City, 3-hour tours from Tadoussac – or can you can watch them from shore.

The dreamy environs of French Polynesia – best known for golden beaches, overwater bungalows and honeymooners – is one of the best places to see – and snorkel – with humpback whales. Moorea, a small island 15kms from Tahiti, is especially good, where the whales come to breed in its warm, sheltered bays from August to October. Full or half-day, private tours available from Moorea.

Europe’s best whale-watching destination – this archipelago sees blue, humpback and fin whales swim by on their migration from late March to early June; sperm whales are here all year round. Weather conditions are usually good, and water visibility is excellent.

Everyone’s idyllic archipelago is also beloved, it seems, by whales. They’re here year-round, but different species appear at different times; blue whales (November to May) and humpbacks (June to October) are the headliners, but minke, fin, sperm, melon-head and Bryde’s and beaked whale can also be spotted. Organise tours through your hotel.

Every year, from July to October, humpback whales migrate to the warm Tonga waters from Antarctica to breed, before heading back in November. Whale-watching tours (usually part of multi-day packages) depart from Vava’u, Ha’apai, ‘Eua, and Tongatapu islands, and it’s one of the few places in the world you can snorkel with them too.

The remote fjords north of Tromso are the best, most reliable place to see orcas; each winter, 50-60 arrive to feed on the vast herring shoals. Multi-day live-a-board expedition cruises operate from the end of October to early February. If you can bear the cold (dry suits provided), you can swim with them too.

One of North America’s best whale-watching spots, where a resident orca pod has lived – and been studied – for generations. It’s one of the best and most reliable places to see orca, from May to September. 20,000 grey whales also migrate past from March to April. Half-day tours run all year round.