38.44° N · 9.10° W · Serra da Arrábida
In the Sado estuary and Setúbal bay lives one of the few resident populations of bottlenose dolphins in Europe. Boats leave from Setúbal and Sesimbra, and in two or three hours they run along the Arrábida coast looking for them. With Vertente Natural, from Sesimbra and with a marine biologist on board, from €50.
Part of Serra da Arrábida
Who offers it
Independent companies: you book with them, on their terms. Prices are as they publish them and may change.
Step by step
You turn up at shop 6 in the sheltered harbour, they give you the safety instructions and you board.
The boat runs along the cliffs of the mountains to the east while the biologist explains how dolphins live and how to recognise them.
When they appear, the boat slows down and keeps its distance. They are observed without being chased.
Return to Sesimbra along the coast.
The Sado dolphins do not migrate: they live all year round between the estuary and the bay, and go out to fish along the coast of the mountains. That is why there are trips at any time of year, although nobody can promise you will see them.
At the mouth of the River Sado, opposite Setúbal, lives a group of bottlenose dolphins that does not leave with the seasons. It is a resident population, something uncommon in Europe, and it moves between the estuary, Setúbal bay and the coast of the Arrábida mountains, where the mountain drops straight into the sea. The boat trips run along that coast looking for them, and on the way show you the limestone cliffs, the coves and the green of the mountains from the water, which is how they are best seen.
What sets one trip apart from another is who is on board. With Vertente Natural, which has worked in the Arrábida since 2004, a marine biologist goes out from Sesimbra and explains how the dolphins live and how to recognise each one. The company publishes a sighting rate above 90%, and if you are not satisfied it offers you another activity.
For almost everyone: children, teenagers and adults, as long as boats do not make you seasick. In a calm sea the trip is peaceful; in a ground swell, the boat moves. If you are prone to seasickness, take something before boarding and look at the horizon. It is not for those looking to swim with dolphins: they are observed from the boat, at a distance, without chasing them.
Vertente Natural leaves from shop 6 in Sesimbra's sheltered harbour. Sesimbra is on the other side of the mountains from Setúbal, and from Lisbon you get there by car, crossing the Tagus, or by bus. If you are staying in Setúbal, the high road of the mountains passes through Azeitão and goes down to Sesimbra. In summer, take note: the road to the Arrábida beaches, the coastal one, is closed to private cars from 7:00 to 20:00 between 4 June and 15 September, but that does not affect the high road.
There are trips all year, because the dolphins are there all year. What rules is the sea: look for a calm day with little wind. The morning is usually better than the afternoon, when the wind rises, and has better light for photos. In July and August book ahead.
From €50 per person, with the biologist on board and priority boarding. There is a family pack from €99. The booking is confirmed immediately on the website.
In a ground swell or strong wind the trip is uncomfortable and may not run. Ask the company when booking what it does in those cases. As a land plan, Cabo Espichel, with its sanctuary and dinosaur footprints, is a few kilometres from Sesimbra.
Who it's for
You are travelling with children, you like nature explained by someone who studies it or you want to see the Arrábida coast from the sea.
You get seasick easily and the day has a ground swell, or you want to swim with the dolphins: here they are watched from the boat.
What to bring
Map
What you have around the starting point.
More to do
Tips
In a ground swell the boat moves and they are harder to see.
The light is better and the wind usually rises in the afternoon.
Vertente Natural has a family rate from €99.
You have the harbour at hand and save yourself the mountain road first thing.
The same coast can be explored by kayak, closer to the coves.
Questions
No. They are wild animals and nobody guarantees it, although the company publishes a sighting rate above 90%.
Between two and three hours, depending on where the dolphins are.
From €50 per person with Vertente Natural, with a marine biologist on board.
From Sesimbra and from Setúbal. Vertente Natural leaves from Sesimbra's sheltered harbour.
All year. It is a resident population that does not migrate.
No. They are observed from the boat, at a distance and without being chased.
Yes, if the sea is calm. Watching dolphins from the boat appeals to almost any age, and there is a family rate.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/lisbon-region/arrabida/things-to-do/sado-dolphins
