Experience · Portugal

Whale watching in the Azores

The deep Atlantic around São Miguel and Pico is a whale motorway: sperm whales live here year-round, and spring brings blues, fins and seis on migration.

Best forFamily
Approx. flying time~10h 05m from Los Angeles
Nearest airportPonta Delgada (PDL)

Happens around the Azores, Portugal — nearest airport Ponta Delgada (PDL).

The experience

Trips run with marine biologists aboard and lookouts on clifftops directing the boats, so sighting rates are excellent. April and May are the jackpot months. Book a morning departure for calmer seas, dose anyone susceptible before boarding, and fill the afternoons with crater lakes and thermal pools.

Featured in Ten wildlife holidays that beat any screen

When to go

Daytime highs run from about 16°C in February to 25°C in August. Driest in July; wettest in January, with rain on about 16 days.

The year at a glance — pick a month for detail

August25° · rain 8 daysWarm with rain most weeks.

Monthly figures averaged from daily records for 2020–2024 at this location (ERA5 reanalysis).

Where to base yourself

Pick a budget to open live availability in the Azores. Prices are per night for two people.

Or see everything in the Azores

Flights

Los Angeles the Azores, Portugal

Flying from

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Roughly 10h 05m in the air from Los Angeles (LAX), estimated from the distance — check for a direct route. Pick a month to see every available flight with live prices.

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