Whale watching in Rio de Janeiro

At a glance

When to go whale watching in Rio

The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) grows to about 16 m and around 40 tonnes. The Brazilian population feeds in Antarctic waters and comes north in winter and spring to breed and calve, a round trip of nearly 9,000 km. Most gather at the Abrolhos Bank between southern Bahia and northern Espírito Santo, and the Rio coast lies on their route. The Instituto Baleia Jubarte counts more than 30,000 humpbacks in the Brazilian population today, up from about 1,000 in 1988; in 2014 the species came off Brazil’s official list of threatened species.

Visit Rio, the city’s convention and visitors bureau, places sightings off Rio between June and early August. More broadly, whales are seen in Brazilian waters from June to November, mainly in the Southeast and Northeast. As of October the Rio season is over, and we take requests for June to August 2027.

How a trip works

Trips head for open water, most often toward the Cagarras Islands, which Visit Rio calls the most common spot. The archipelago lies about 5 km off Ipanema, and ICMBio’s plan for this natural monument describes it as one of the best refuges for whales and dolphins on the city’s coast. Visit Rio lists what you may see: the spout when the whale breathes, the tail above the water, fin slaps and breaches. Tours leave from Marina da Glória and pass Praia Vermelha. Recreational drones are not allowed inside the Cagarras monument, so film from the deck.

From shore, Visit Rio names Praia Vermelha and São Conrado as part of the whales’ route, adding that a sighting from the sand takes luck.

Whale approach rules in Brazil

Law 7.643 of 1987 prohibits any intentional harassment of cetaceans in Brazilian waters. IBAMA Portaria 117 of 1996 (amended in 2002) sets the boat rules:

• no closer than 100 m with the engine in gear, and the engine kept in neutral near humpbacks;
• put the engine back in gear to leave only after clearly seeing the whale at the surface;
• do not follow a whale with the engine on for more than 30 minutes;
• do not cut across a whale’s path, split a group, or approach a whale that already has two other boats near it;
• no loud noise such as music within 300 m and nothing dumped within 500 m;
• no swimming or diving within 50 m of a whale;
• aircraft stay at least 100 m above whales.

The rules are the same for a tour boat and a private yacht. Visit Rio advises choosing a serious operator and avoiding unlicensed boats.

No one guarantees a sighting

Whales are wild and their position on the day is unknown, so we never sell a trip as a guaranteed encounter. What helps: going in season, keeping the trip off your last day so there is a spare date, and booking a full trip into the open sea instead of a short bay cruise.

Shared trip or private boat

We pick a private boat the same way as for any day out: yacht charter in Rio. Tell us from the start that it is for whales, so we look for a skipper who knows the approach rules.

Elsewhere in Brazil

Closer to Rio, ICMBio publishes a map of a cetacean sighting route on the page of the Arraial do Cabo marine reserve: Arraial do Cabo from Rio. Further north, the Abrolhos Bank is where most humpbacks gather, and visits to the Abrolhos Marine National Park run only through authorized tourism companies. That trip fits with Salvador and Bahia.

What to tell us in your request

• Dates (whale trips off Rio make sense from June to early August)
• How many people and the ages of any children
• Shared trip or private boat
• Whether anyone gets seasick
• Where you are staying

Terms

We sell a single trip at no more than the same provider charges on booking platforms, and our fee is already included in the price. Terms and payment are set out in the proposal; you pay nothing before you confirm. Cancel at no cost up to 48 hours before, one date change with 48 hours’ notice if the provider has another date, a new date or full deposit refund for weather, and a replacement or full refund if the provider fails. Check entry requirements on official websites. More on the water: scuba diving in Rio and adventure activities.