Dolphin Watching from Palma

Q: What time does the Palma dolphin boat leave?

10:30 or 14:00, from the Muelle de las Golondrinas on Palma's Paseo Marítimo. It is the only listing here with no pre-dawn departure at all. Be at the boarding point fifteen minutes early — the boat leaves on time and summer traffic through Palma does not.

Q: Can I be picked up from Magaluf or the Playa de Palma?

Yes, at extra cost. Coach transfers run from Maioris, El Arenal, Playa de Palma, Can Pastilla and the Calvià resorts including Magaluf, Palmanova, Son Caliu, Portals Nous, Illetes, Génova and Cala Major. You choose your pickup point during booking; the listing has thirteen meeting points in all.

Q: Are sightings as good as on the north coast?

No, and it is worth being clear about it. Both of the operators who guarantee time with the dolphins sail from Port d'Alcúdia . Palma Cruises reports high chances from long experience but makes no guarantee, and at 4.4 from 378 guests it carries the lowest rating of the ten boats on this site. What Palma buys you is a sane departure time and no cross-island drive.

Q: How long is the trip?

Just under four hours, which is the longest dolphin tour listed here. Most of the extra time goes on coastal cruising and the swim stop rather than on the animals — expect around half an hour with the dolphins, as on every other boat.

Q: Is there a swim stop?

Yes, in a secluded cove after the dolphin watching. Snorkel gear can be borrowed on board against a twenty-euro deposit. Bring swimwear and a towel, which are not provided, and remember the water is only reliably warm from June to November.

Q: Is there food on board?

There is a bar. Snacks and drinks are available to buy but are not included in the fare.

Q: Is it suitable for young children?

The boat is large and stable and families book it regularly, but it is not suitable for people with mobility impairments. One guest describes a rescheduled sailing on a rough day where the swim was not comfortable for smaller children, so check the forecast before a mid-day departure. Our guide to dolphin tours with kids compares the options by age.

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The Experience

What the Palma Cruise Includes

What a morning out of the Muelle de las Golondrinas gives you.

Highlights

Sail from Palma's Paseo Marítimo rather than driving to the north coast at dawn
Depart at 10:30 or 14:00 — the only boat here with no pre-dawn departure at all
Look for dolphins in the open water off Mallorca's south coast
Anchor in a secluded cove for a swim in clear water
Borrow snorkel gear on board against a small deposit
Add a coach transfer from Magaluf, Palmanova, El Arenal or Playa de Palma

What's Included

Boat cruise of just under four hours from Palma
Dolphin watching in open water off the south coast
Swim stop in a secluded cove
Snorkel gear, available against a €20 deposit
A bar on board
Coastal cruising along the Bay of Palma

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Booking from Palma

Four steps from this page to the Paseo Marítimo.

Pick 10:30 or 14:00
Both departures leave from the Muelle de las Golondrinas on Palma's Paseo Marítimo and run just under four hours. It is the only listing here with no pre-dawn departure at all.
Add a transfer if you are out of town
Coach pickup can be added at extra cost from Maioris, El Arenal, Playa de Palma, Can Pastilla and the Calvià resorts — Magaluf, Palmanova, Son Caliu, Portals Nous, Illetes, Génova and Cala Major. Choose your point when you book.
Allow for Palma traffic
The boat leaves on time and summer traffic through the city does not. Be at the boarding point fifteen minutes early; the listing asks for exactly that.
Book with free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund, and reserve now, pay later if you would rather hold the date.

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Photo Gallery

The Bay of Palma from the Water

The south coast, and the coves the boat anchors in.

Passengers along the rail of the Palma boat watching dolphins in the bay

Swimmers in clear turquoise water at the trip's cove stop

Two children at the bow rail looking out over the Bay of Palma

Guests on the upper deck as the boat passes the Mallorcan coastline

Passengers watching from the rail with the coast on the horizon

The Palma Cruises boat moored below a rocky headland

From Palma, or Across the Island?

What the extra hour in the car on the way to Alcúdia actually buys.

Feature	FROM PALMA Palma Morning Cruise	North Coast Small Boat	Marine Park Dolphin Show
Departure Time	10:30 or 14:00	Before sunrise — around 05:30 in June, closer to 07:00 in October	Park opening hours
Getting There from Palma	Walk or tram to the Paseo Marítimo, or a paid resort transfer	About an hour's drive across the island, in the dark	Twenty minutes to Costa d'en Blanes
Passengers	A full excursion boat	12 on the small departures	A theatre
Sightings	High chances from experience, no guarantee	30 minutes guaranteed by two operators	Certain, and captive
Duration	Just under 4 hours	2 to 3 hours	A timed show
Swim Stop	✓ a secluded cove, snorkel gear on deposit	✓ on most boats — Es Coll Baix	✗
Rating	4.4 from 378 guests	4.8 to 5.0 across six listings	Not sold here
Starting Price	From $54/per person	From $67 per person	Ticketed separately
Best For	Staying in Palma, no car, and no appetite for a 4am alarm	Coming to Mallorca for the animals	A rainy afternoon with small children
	Check Dates	See Alcúdia Boats	Read the Comparison

More Options

Every Dolphin Boat, Compared

Ten departures from five ports, ranked by what guests actually rated them.

MOST REVIEWED

Peguera Dolphin Watching Cruise in a Glass-Bottom Boat

The southwest coast's high-volume dolphin cruise: a glass-bottom boat off Platja Torà in Peguera, with a sun deck, a bar and a choice of trip lengths.

4.6 (3,816)

2 hours

HIGHEST RATED

Can Picafort Small-Group Dolphin Watching Boat Tour

The highest-rated dolphin boat in the catalogue: a small-group RIB out of Can Picafort, with sea caves and a swim on the way home.

5.0 (101)

3 hours

HOTEL PICKUP

Alcúdia Sunrise Dolphin Watching with Hotel Pickup

The Alcúdia sunrise trip that collects you from your hotel: eighteen pickup points across Alcúdia and Can Picafort, a guided boat, and 35 minutes in the bay with the dolphins.

4.9 (943)

2 hours

PHOTOS INCLUDED

Alcúdia Sunrise Dolphin Watching by Speedboat

JetFun's twelve-seat speedboat out of Alcudiamar, with thirty minutes alongside the dolphins guaranteed, then sea caves and the Coll Baix reserve.

4.9 (418)

2 hours

SAILS FROM PALMA

Palma Morning Dolphin Watching Cruise with Swim Stop

The south-coast option: just under four hours out of Palma with dolphin watching in open water and a swim stop in a cove, with paid transfers from the resorts.

4.4 (378)

4 hours

The South Coast

The Case For and Against Sailing from Palma

No dawn alarm, no cross-island drive — and no guarantee either.

If you are staying in Palma, Magaluf or along the Playa de Palma, the north-coast fleet asks a lot of you: a drive across the island in the dark to be at a marina by half past five. This is the alternative, and it is the only one on the island.

What you gain

Palma Cruises leaves the Muelle de las Golondrinas on the Paseo Marítimo at 10:30 and 14:00. Nothing about the morning is heroic. You have breakfast, you walk to the boat, and you are back with an afternoon left over.

The trip runs just under four hours, which makes it the longest dolphin tour on this site. It goes down the coast first, out into open water where the operator’s crews know the ground, and into a cove to swim before turning back. There is a bar on board and snorkel gear against a twenty-euro deposit. Coach transfers can be added for a fare from Maioris, El Arenal, Playa de Palma, Can Pastilla and the Calvià resorts including Magaluf, Palmanova, Son Caliu, Portals Nous, Illetes, Génova and Cala Major — which removes the hire car from the equation entirely.

What you give up

Two things, and it is fairer to say them than to let you find out.

The first is certainty. Both of the operators who guarantee time with the dolphins sail from Port d’Alcúdia on the north coast, and neither has an equivalent here. Palma Cruises reports high chances from long experience and makes no promise. Its rating, 4.4 from 378 guests, is the lowest of the ten boats on this site, and the reviews suggest why: several describe a good trip with fewer animals than they hoped for.

The second is the sea. Dawn is when the water off Mallorca is flattest and the pods are most active. A 10:30 departure is a different sea and, some mornings, a different set of odds. One guest describes a rescheduled sailing on a rough day where the swim stop was not comfortable for younger children.

Who should still book it

Plenty of people, honestly. If a 5am start would sour the holiday, or you have no car, or you are in Palma for two nights and a cross-island expedition is not on, this is a real dolphin trip on the real Mediterranean with a swim stop and a civilised start time. It costs $54, which is less than every north-coast boat except the catamaran.

If the animals are the whole point of the day, book the north coast and set an alarm. The Alcúdia boats include the island’s two guaranteed departures, and the Can Picafort trips add a sea cave and a swim at a cove with no road to it.

The middle option

There is one more possibility worth knowing about if you are based in the southwest. The Santa Ponsa and Peguera boats sail the Calvià coast for $46, carry more reviews between them than any other listing on the island, and leave from harbours that are twenty to thirty minutes from Palma rather than an hour across the mountains. Our guide to sunrise against daytime departures sets out what the timing actually changes.

Or check availability here and take the 10:30.

Guest Reviews

What Palma Guests Say

4.4/5 from 378 verified guests

Ratings and review counts are the tour operators' live figures on GetYourGuide and may shift slightly day to day.

"A very well-organised and enjoyable trip. A professional team and could easily make this trip again to see more dolphins. Worth every Euro!"

"We really enjoyed this boat trip. We were lucky enough to get a great spot at the front of the boat and the view of the dolphins was amazing, although the boat turns around so I assume everyone can see them. Swimming off the boat was good fun too, overall a wonderful experience and would definitely do it again if we return"

"The date was moved due to poor weather on 25 Aug to 26 Aug but the weather on 25 was beautiful and the 26 was poor with quite a rough ride - swimming was not for younger children as it was not calm - although we saw dolphins fins but from a distance ."

"Amazing experience and a great opportunity to see dolphins in their natural habitat! We were hoping to see more dolphins, but it was still absolutely magical when they appeared. The swimming stop was also in a beautiful area with incredibly crystal-clear water. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to see while snorkeling, since there was no fish or marine life, but the stunning water and surroundings made it a lovely stop nonetheless. Overall, a wonderful experience that I would definitely recommend!"

"Really enjoyed this activity, seeing the dolphins was amazing, all the staff were friendly and welcoming, highly recommended"

"It was a nice trip, the crew was friendly and the service was great. Meeting point and bus transfer was very good organised. Dolphins 🐬 check as promised ! At the snorkeling area was nice to swim but no fish visible. That was a shame but in total the trip was great and we had a good time !"

"Very good, glad they offer hotel pick up and drop off we got to see dolphins too which were incredible only thing is its definitely not 3 hours, all in all it was approximately 6 hours. I wish we got free water because it was so hot"

"⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Absolute highlight of our trip – highly recommended! We had an absolutely fantastic dolphin boat tour, and I cannot recommend this experience enough! The entire trip was professionally organized from start to finish. The day began with a very punctual pickup in a modern, clean, and comfortable bus. The driver was incredibly friendly, making the journey to and from the harbor very pleasant. The boat itself was in excellent condition—clean, spacious, and well-maintained. Onboard, the service was top-notch. Seeing the dolphins up close was, of course, the absolute highlight of the day and a truly magical experience! I also want to give a special shoutout to the amazing crew. During the journey out, I struggled a bit with motion sickness (I have a sensitive stomach when it comes to the seas). The crew noticed right away and took such good care of me. They checked in on me constantly, made sure I was okay, and did everything they could to comfort me. Thank you so much, dear crew,"

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