Animals in Portugal

Animals in Portugal are met mostly from a boat or under the water. Madeira is the whale and dolphin base: the sea there reaches 3,000 metres in places, and common, spotted and bottlenose dolphins, sperm whales, pilot whales and Bryde's whales are all listed as frequent sightings, close to shore and all year. On the mainland, dolphin trips run from Lisbon past the Bugio lighthouse, into the Sado estuary and along the Arrábida coast from Sesimbra. Birds belong to the estuaries: the Tagus, where winter flocks reach some 120,000 with flamingos among them, and the Ria Formosa lagoon at Faro. Under water, Madeira's Garajau reserve, created in 1986, bans all fishing, and in the Azores every animal encounter on this page is a dive.

Animal tours in Portugal are short, on small boats. Off Funchal the speedboats take up to 18 people for two hours, some with a marine biologist aboard, and the yacht from Calheta takes up to 12 for two and a half. Groups run from eight on the Ria Formosa solar boat, with binoculars, to 24 on the Tagus speedboat out of Lisbon, and the Sado dolphins are sold as a private half day. Horse riders get a half day on the sands at Comporta, with hotel pick-up. Divers choose a three-hour first dive or a course.

Practical. Funchal averages 23C by day over the year and cetacean trips run all year, but the speedboats are rough rides, with minimum ages from 6 to 10. Bring a windproof layer and sun cream, as the glare off the water burns. Terms differ by boat: the Funchal private charter asks for seven days' notice and the Calheta yacht is non-refundable, while shared Lisbon boats refund up to 24 hours ahead. The animals keep their own timetable.