Travel to Portugal for some Whale Watching

Do you have vacation time coming up and want to get away? Far away? Why not travel to Portugal for some whale watching? Okay, so Portugal isn't exactly the other side of the world, but it is easily a five hour flight from the closest airport on the east coast of the United States.

Portugal has much to offer travelers. Tourism is one of Portugal's most profitable industries so they are sure to have a lot for a traveler to do. One of the most popular things to do when you travel to Portugal is whale watching off of the Azores Islands.

The waters that surround the Azores are a well known migratory route for whales and dolphins. Until 1987, whaling was a large industry in Portugal. The remains of the whaling ports still exist, as do the vigias (watchtowers) where men would watch for whales and then send messages to the whalers telling them where the whales are. These vigias are still in use today, but for the purpose of telling whale watchers where to go to get the closest look at approaching whales.

Before you depart on your whale watching trip, be sure to visit the whaler's museum located at Lages do Pico. It may calm your nerves a bit to see the extremely small boats that whalers used to hunt whales. This is calming especially if you first had the opportunity to see the rubber rafts you will be using to get as close as 50 meters to whales. Yes, your travel to Portugal will bring you closer than ever to the whales.

The rubber rafts used are called RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats). They really are quite a bit more than a rubber raft, but if this is your first travel to Portugal to whale watch, they may look a little intimidating. These are small but very powerful boats that don't make a lot of waves and noise on the water, which might alert the whales of your presence. They are also very adept at staying afloat and upright if, perhaps, the whale decides to say hello by slapping his tail fin on the water.

The Whale Watching Code of Ethics suggests that 50 meters is the closest you venture to the large mammals. This distance will seem very close, but is far enough away that you will be safe. If you travel to Portugal to swim with the dolphins, RIBs can maneuver right up to a school and you can dive in and swim among them.

If you travel to Portugal, plan on taking a whale watching excursion. Include a licensed diver if you want to swim with the dolphins. Packages can run as low as �38.50 for a three hour tour. Don't worry, though, Gilligan, shipwrecks are rare. For the same price, you can take along the Professor and Maryanne, too. Go away. Far away. Travel to Portugal.

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