Whale Watching Boat Trip in Sydney

Recommended by 97% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Sydney, Australia

Great choice

20+ bookings last month.

2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.9

· Jenny_P ·

Nov 2025

Experience of a lifetime! Friendly and informative staff on and off the boat. We saw dolphins and whales and I was lit up like a kid on Christmas morning! If you’re thinking about it, just do it! Absolutely worth it. I went solo and did the 12pm ride. Pack a rain jacket and a hat!

· rose_c ·

Nov 2025

Brilliant tour! A small group - 3 crew and 14 passengers. We saw a small group of whales - 2 adults and one baby. They showed themselves about 5 times altogether, but ones time they were only about 15 - 20 metres away. Great photo opportunities! The weather was dry but a bit breezy, which was quite pleasant.

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Overview

Escape the city and see Sydney’s marine life up close on a whale-watching cruise from Darling Harbour. Cruise through Sydney Harbour in search of migrating humpback whales, with live onboard commentary and insights into the local marine environment. A small vessel offers a more intimate experience and better viewing opportunities on the water.

Whale sighting guarantee or enjoy a return cruise for free
Enjoy fantastic views of Sydney Harbour along the way
Maximize your chances of spotting whales
Choose from morning or afternoon cruises to suit your schedule

What's Included

All Fees and Taxes

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

King Street Wharf Darling Harbour
The Promenade, Lime St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
We depart from King Street Wharf #7 in Darling harbour. The boat will arrive 15 minutes prior to departure time. *Please arrive 20 minutes BEFORE your departure time*

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Opera House

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Aleksandar_N

The tour was amazing . First of all the crew members were so nice and welcoming . Also we liked alle the stories about the ocean mammals our guide told us . We saw dolphins and two humpback whales . Is was an amazing experience and we would recommend it to everyone. Just make you can withstand motions sickness or prepare with some medication against it.

Reviews

4.9

based on 571 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Amazing experience!

Jenny_P, Nov 2025

Well worth the extra cost to be with a small group

rose_c, Nov 2025

Great experience!

Gita_s, Nov 2025

It was awesome, ans i decommend it yku tontry it! All.the staffs were helpful and they even semt ua some pics after.

Great time on the water! ...

Alison_S, Nov 2025

Great time on the water! Beautiful views of the city and coast line and lots of whales! Crew was great! Highly recommend!

You can’t miss this ever

SANJAY_P, Nov 2025

Whale watching .. what an amazing experience .. it’s unbelievable what you see .. Whale tales guys are very professional and wonderful guys explaining in depth everything about whales and their migration .Mawri / Alex were wonderful

Whale Tails - whale watching adventure

Kelly_D, Nov 2025

Our tour operators, Whale Tales, were great! Very knowledgeable about the whales we were looking for, helpful to people who were having motion sickness, and we saw whales! In any tour like this, it’s not always a guarantee, but our crew found the right spot and it was awesome.

We had a blast on this...

Molly_C, Oct 2025

We had a blast on this whale watching tour with Alex and Alex! We saw several humpback whales and it was so much fun! Highly recommend this tour!

An extraordinary Whale watching experience !

Raghav_A, Oct 2025

An extraordinary experience , we saw two adult and a baby . The whale tale staff was extraordinary, a special mention of Alex , Rex and Mary ( the whole crew).it was a small group and the experience was extraordinary

Great tour and excellent employees

William_S, Oct 2025

I really enjoyed this tour and the weather wasn’t what we had hoped but we had a great time. The crew was fantastic and it’s well worth the day. Had a lot of fun and would recommend.

A must see in Sydney

Vivianna_Z, Oct 2025

Amazing experience!! Alex and Alex were great and very informative. It was a short boat ride (maybe 45 min until we got to the site). We saw a few mother humpback wales and their calves. We even got to see some dolphins on the way back!!

A must do

Sheree_D, Oct 2025

I had the best time. Staff were so friendly and engaging. I got totally drenched and loved every second of it. Highly recommend.

Amazing experience, absolutely worth it!

Elena_S, Oct 2025

It's been a wonderful experience, Mette and Rex Alex did a wonderful job. We were in the top front of the boat and had great views of the whales. Before starting the trip they told us that the sea was choppy and the weather windy, in fact they offered a refund or date changing if you were not ok with that. Luckily we did not change our mind, we ended absolutely soaked but it was woth it :). Before the trip they suggested you before the trip to and there is a reason for that! Good idea to wear also water proof shoes and even clothes to change after the excursion.

Great whale watching experience

Kevin_S, Oct 2025

Rex and Mette gave us a wonderful tour in search of whales. Amazing we saw three humpback whales together and one separated a few minutes later Rex was keeping in touch with other skippers in the area locating them. Worked well for us. Mette provided an expert explanation of the humpback whales during the trip, as well as all other species. She took pictures if you wanted and then downloaded them to your phone. No cost cost A great morning excursion. Thanks both of you

Great whale watching experience.

Kari_B, Oct 2025

It was epic. We enjoyed the ride and the staff was great explaining what we might see and when we did see the whales they made sure to point them out. Highly recommend.

Perfect day out whale sightseeing

Fiona_H, Oct 2025

We had a fantastic day out on Sydney Harbour and beyond the Heads for our whale sighting tour. The weather was picture perfect adding a to great trip. Mette was extremely knowledgeable and provided a commentary on the whales' behaviour & how best to spot them. We were encouraged to stand up and move around so we could spot the whales (this was great for me as I normally suffer seasickness and didn't want to just sit). The Whale Tales website encouraged visitors to take medication if they suffer from seasickness 1 hour before, I did and had no problem at all. Our first sighting was a mother Humpback whale and her calf. Isaac, the Captain, found information that a pod of seven Humpback whales had been sighted a bit further along, he headed the boat in that direction and we soon sighted the whales as well as fake killer whales and a pod of bottlenose dolphins that playfully swam beside and in front of the boat. Alex, one of the crew members, took photos of the whales which were emailed to us, giving us a wonderful memento to look back on.

Exceeded expectations

Lyndsey_B, Oct 2025

Great experience. Not just humpbacks, including a mother and calf and the latter came very close to our boat but another pod of whales plus bottlenose dolphons playing around our bost. Lots of interesting whale information from Mette. Thanks also to Isaac and an our onboard photographer.

Great for people short on time.

jason_n, Oct 2025

This is ideal for people short of time, we saw at least 3 different adult humpback whales and two calfs, as well as,a dolphin, really good.

Breaching Babies

Iris_P, Oct 2025

Awesomeness!!! This is a smaller boat making the experience more personal. We were able to see whales breaching and swimming close by. The captain..?( nice man who manouvered the boat) and the young lady who taught us about whales in general and humpbacks in particular loved these whales.

Whale Watching

Lara_C, Oct 2025

Great experience. Guides were wonderful and very informative. Saw a bunch of moms and their babies migrating south.

Great whale tour

Mary_B, Oct 2025

Great team knew their stuff care for nature. A significant time with a group of whales including mother and baby. Loved it

Worth the trip!

Christine_M, Oct 2025

Great experience! The team was knowledgeable and did a great job getting us to where the possibility of spotting whales was likely and we did!!!

Fantastic whale watching trip! 🐳

Laura_C, Oct 2025

Thoroughly enjoyed this whale watching experience. Rex (skipper), Isaac (host and guide) and Alex (professional photographer) took good care of us and were great fun! They were knowledgeable, friendly, humorous and enthusiastic. We were extremely lucky to see several whales breaching - it was very exciting to spot and follow them. Be prepared to get a bit wet from the waves splashing but it’s not bad and all part of the fun! Thank you for a fantastic time guys! From Laura and Lucy (Scotland). 😊

Best experience, amazing company

Irina_H, Oct 2025

What an amazing pairing, captain Rex and whale professor extraordinaire Mawi, such an enjoyable and knowledgeable trip, they both captivated and survived the interrogation about whales from our son (Alex)! We cannot rate this trip and crew members highly enough, from the safety briefing, through the entire voyage, thoroughly enjoyable! And the whales, amazing, breathtaking and the experience was delivered in a way that the safety of the whales was paramount and dignified - 10/10 for the entire experience 🐋 This voyage felt personable and bespoke, not sure it would have been the same on a larger vessel and greater numbers of passengers. This is small family run business and it showed in their approach - perfect!! 🤩

Whales Tales delivered a...

Lynn_A, Sep 2025

Whales Tales delivered a great tour in comfort. We were blessed enough to see five breaches and their educator gave us lots of handy facts as we were observing. They also had a profession photographer on board who captured the great breaches and they emailed them to us for free. Great group and small family owned business! We highly recommend!

Saw one small sleeping...

William_R, Sep 2025

Saw one small sleeping whale gently surface 3 times after about an hour and a half of searching. The crew was awesome and the views from the boat were great as well. In summary, if you only have a couple days in Sydney, I wouldn’t recommend this. It’s a long time and you might not see whales or have a similar experience to what I saw. If you’re dead-set on maybe seeing a whale and get a fun boat ride, do it!

Whale Tales Adventure

Laurie_G, Sep 2025

We had an amazing time on our tour today. Alex, Alex, and Metie did an excellent job of searching out and finding whales for us to see! This included great customer service, great information, photos of the whales and of the journey! I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone interested in seeing whales in Sydney!

Lovely trip

Mary_H, Sep 2025

We saw whales and dolphins and it was amazing! Thank you Maui, Rex and crew for a lovely afternoon and some great information about the whales.

Excellent company went above and beyond for us to see whales

Sharon_G, Sep 2025

We had to contact the operator, as we where due to travel on the 9am tour but our uber dropped us at the wrong wharf. They were very helpful and booked us onto the 3pm tour instead. The tour did not disappoint and we saw whales. I nice touch was a photographer on board who took photos and we received them in the evening. Highly recommend.

Had a great time...

Makala_R, Sep 2025

Had a great time interacting with the whales. Alex and Rex got us close and personal with the whales and taught us how to cheer them on while they came to the boats. Alex also got some amazing photos of the whales. Our guides were experienced and passionate about their work. Highly recommend!

Amazing!

Mary_P, Sep 2025

Amazing experience! Absolutely loved it, our crew the very best and the whales; oh my god!! We tracked and hung with at least 5 or 6 whales for the duration! And so much action, spouting, diving, flapping, slapping, vocal and breaching!! And Viatour makes it so easy from the start to finish, reminders, eticket to save in your wallet. A must do if you want to see whales and Whale Tales the best.

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