"Great morning trip and thrilled to see the dolphins. Slightly over priced."
First Light
Sunrise Dolphin Tours in Mallorca
Seven dawn boats. From $67.
From
$67
per person
Free cancellation
- 4.6 / 5 2,370+ Reviews
- 3 hours Duration
- Wild Dolphins at Sea
- Instant Confirmation
- Free Cancellation
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Select your preferred date and time. Instant confirmation — free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
The Experience
What a Sunrise Departure Includes
What the biggest of the dawn boats actually gives you.
Highlights
- Leave Port d'Alcúdia before dawn and watch the sun come up from open water
- Spend about half an hour in the waters where the north-coast pods feed
- Eat breakfast on board on the run back into the bay
- Sail a catamaran steady enough for guests who are wary of small boats
- Take the free return ticket if the rare morning passes without a sighting
- Cruise the Alcúdia coastline in the best light of the day
What's Included
- Three-hour sunrise catamaran cruise from Port d'Alcúdia
- About 30 minutes of dolphin watching in the bay
- Breakfast served on board
- Sunrise viewing stop of about 15 minutes
- Coastal sightseeing legs out and back
- A free return ticket on the rare trip with no sighting
Planning a Dawn Departure
Four things to get right before a 5am alarm.
Check when the sun actually rises
At Port d'Alcúdia sunrise falls around 06:19 in mid-June, 07:00 in mid-August and 07:58 by mid-October, and the clocks go back on the last Sunday of October. Boats set their departure against the day's real sunrise, not a fixed time.
Read the confirmation email
The exact departure time arrives the evening before. A time someone quoted you in July is not the time you sail in September, and this is the single most common cause of a missed boat.
Sort the transport the day before
Early-morning taxis in Alcúdia are scarce and want booking in advance. One operator removes the problem entirely by collecting you from your hotel and building the coach ride into the fare.
Dress for a colder sea than the day
You are on open water before the sun is up, often moving at speed. Warm outdoor clothing is worth packing even in August, and every small-boat listing asks for it.
Photo Gallery
Mallorca Before the Day Starts
The hour the dawn boats are built around.
Three Ways to Be at Sea for Sunrise
And one way to see dolphins without setting an alarm at all.
| Feature | MOST BOOKED Sunrise Catamaran, Alcúdia | Twelve-Seat Sunrise Boats | Daytime Cruise from Palma |
|---|---|---|---|
| Departure | Set against the day's sunrise — about 05:30 in June, nearer 07:00 in October | 5:30am, or about 30 minutes before sunrise | 10:30 or 14:00 |
| Passengers | 150 to 200 | 12 maximum | A full excursion boat |
| Time With the Dolphins | About 30 minutes | 30 minutes, guaranteed by both operators | About 30 minutes |
| If Nothing Is Spotted | A free ticket to come back another day | The skipper keeps looking — the guarantee covers the time | No stated remedy |
| Sea Conditions | Flattest of the day, and a hull that barely moves | Flattest of the day, but you will feel it | Whatever the mid-morning breeze has built |
| Breakfast | ✓ served on board on the way home | ✗ | ✗ — a bar on board |
| Rating | 4.6 from 2,370 guests | 4.8 and 4.9 | 4.4 from 378 guests |
| Starting Price | From $67/per person | From $91 per person | From $54 per person |
| Best For | The full dawn experience without the small-boat ride | Getting as close as the animals allow | Staying in Palma and keeping the alarm off |
| Check Dates | See the Small Boats | See the 10:30 Boat |
More Options
Every Dolphin Boat, Compared
Ten departures from five ports, ranked by what guests actually rated them.
MOST REVIEWEDPeguera 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.
HIGHEST RATEDCan 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.
HOTEL PICKUPAlcúdia 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.
PHOTOS INCLUDEDAlcúdia 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.
SAILS FROM PALMAPalma 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.
Why Dawn
What the Early Start Actually Buys You
Flatter water, more active animals, and a departure time that moves all season.
Seven of the ten dolphin boats on this site leave before the sun is up. That is not an aesthetic choice, and the photographs are a side effect rather than the reason.
Why the fleet goes at dawn
Two things happen in the hour around sunrise off Mallorca. The sea is at its flattest, because the thermal breeze that builds through the morning has not started yet — which matters enormously on a twelve-seat boat and not much at all on a 150-seat catamaran. And the dolphins are working. The north-coast pods feed early, and a skipper going out at first light is going out when the animals are where he expects them to be.
The light is the bonus. It is also, on the evidence of the reviews, the thing guests mention first.
What time you are actually getting up
This is where people come unstuck, because “sunrise departure” is not a time. At Port d’Alcúdia the sun comes up at roughly:
- 06:19 in mid-June, the earliest of the year
- 06:32 in mid-July
- 07:00 in mid-August
- 07:29 in mid-September
- 07:58 in mid-October, before the clocks go back on the last Sunday of the month
Boats set their departure against that. Alcudia Sea Explorer runs a 5:30am option in high summer; JetFun sets its sunrise start about thirty minutes before the sun itself. So the same listing can be a 5:30 boat in June and nearer a 7am boat in September, and the confirmation email the evening before is the only time that counts.
Add the drive. If you are staying in Palma or Magaluf, a north-coast dawn boat means leaving your hotel around 4am in summer. That is the calculation the Palma morning cruise exists to avoid.
Which dawn boat
The sunrise catamaran from Port d’Alcúdia is the most-booked of the dawn departures and the gentlest. Three hours, breakfast served on the way home, a schedule published stop by stop — an hour of sailing, a quarter of an hour for the sunrise, half an hour with the dolphins — and, on the rare morning when nothing is spotted, a free ticket to come back. It carries 150 to 200 people and costs $67.
The semi-private cruise and JetFun’s speedboat both cap at twelve and both guarantee thirty minutes with the animals. The first adds a swim at Es Coll Baix; the second explicitly does not stop to swim, and hands over the captain’s photographs instead.
If the alarm is the obstacle rather than the boat, the trip with free hotel pickup collects you from eighteen points across Alcúdia and Can Picafort. And the Can Picafort boats run their own early departures, with a sea cave and the Coll Baix swim on the way home.
Dress for the water, not the forecast
Every small-boat listing asks for warm clothing, and they mean it. Open water before dawn at speed is cold in a way that a 30°C afternoon does not prepare you for. Bring a jacket, something for your legs, and sunglasses for the hour after the sun clears the horizon.
If the early start is the sticking point, our guide to sunrise against daytime departures sets out what the timing changes and what it does not. Otherwise, check availability, pick a morning, and read the email the night before.
Guest Reviews
What Sunrise Guests Say
4.6/5
from 2370 verified guests
Ratings and review counts are the tour operators' live figures on GetYourGuide and may shift slightly day to day.
"This trip was absolutely perfect, I was slightly apprehensive that being in a larger boat I wouldn’t experience the dolphins in the same way, but we saw so many of them, it was beautiful. A smooth boat ride, a long while with the dolphins, some breakfast and a lovely journey back. The music was a lovely addition. I would recommend this trip to everyone I know, thank you to the crew!!"
"Overall it was a truly magical experience - sunrise and dolphins. We were lucky to see dolphins coming up and down on the waters surface and the sunrise was beautiful albeit fast. A few tips: - Take sea sickness pills; if you suffer from motion sickness the waves might get to you - there were sick bags onboard which was just as well as there were quite a few people being sick (my son included) - sit on the left hand side of the boat - you’ll miss the sunrise if you don’t as the boat is only positioned in that direction from the left hand side. We missed the actual rising due to my kids being asleep and sick so we couldn’t really move from the right side to see the sun rise. Such a shame. The boat should really turn both ways to keep it fair for everyone to see"
"Even though the boat was quite large and there were many people on board, we were still able to enjoy watching dolphins and a beautiful sunrise. I highly recommend this trip to anyone who loves nature. We had originally planned to go on a smaller boat, but those need to be booked well in advance rather than just a day before. In the end, we don’t regret choosing the larger boat because the value for money was excellent. We traveled with our 3-year-old, who became seasick and vomited near the end of the trip. If your child is sensitive to motion (especially if they don’t enjoy swings or carousels), I recommend giving them seasickness medicine before departure. Our little one continued to have motion sickness with different types of transport for the next day and a half."
"this was a wonderful experience and addition to our holiday! the staff were friendly and welcoming. the sunrise was beautiful and we were able to see many dolphins."
"Well organised, loved watching the sunrise & dolphins. Coffee & pastries nice touch"
"we have already been on a boat tour this year to see dolphins in portugal, we got very lucky on this tour got to see a lot of dolphins very well which was not the case on our other tour! the sunrise was beautiful and getting up at 5 am was definitely worth it!"
"We saw some dolphins. It was really great and super fun. Unfortunately, we didn't get a seat upstairs because it was already full, and it wasn't well signposted which ship it was exactly. That's why we first went to the wrong one. Otherwise, everything was great. It also stopped to photograph the sunrise. That was also awesome."
Read all 2370 verified reviews
See All ReviewsSail Before the Island Wakes Up
Three hours from Port d'Alcúdia: out in the dark, the sun up over the bay, half an hour with the dolphins and breakfast on the way home. A free return ticket on the rare morning nothing is spotted. Starting from $67 per person.
Check Availability & BookCan't Make These Dates?
Browse More Available Options
Find a tour that fits your schedule — all with instant confirmation and free cancellation.
Sunrise Dolphin Tours: Common Questions
What guests ask before setting a 5am alarm on holiday.
About 06:19 in mid-June, 06:32 in mid-July, 07:00 in mid-August, 07:29 in mid-September and 07:58 in mid-October, after which the clocks go back on the last Sunday of the month. Boats set their departure against the day's actual sunrise — one runs a 5:30am start in high summer, another leaves about thirty minutes before the sun — so your departure time moves through the season with it.
Two reasons that have nothing to do with photographs. The sea off Mallorca is flattest before the thermal breeze builds through the morning, which matters a great deal on a twelve-seat boat. And the north-coast pods feed early, so a skipper leaving at first light is going out when the animals are where he expects them.
It arrives by email the evening before, and that is the only time that counts. A time someone quoted you in July is not the time you sail in September. Check your inbox and your spam folder the night before — the operators say so in their own listings.
The sunrise catamaran is the most-booked and the gentlest: three hours, breakfast on the way home, and a free return ticket on the rare blank morning. The semi-private cruise and JetFun's speedboat both cap at twelve passengers and guarantee thirty minutes with the dolphins.
Colder than the day that follows. You are on open water before the sun is up, often moving at speed, and every small-boat listing asks for warm outdoor clothing — in August as much as in May. Bring a jacket and something for your legs, plus sunglasses for the hour after the sun clears the horizon.
Early-morning taxis in Alcúdia are scarce and want booking the day before; the semi-private cruise says so in its own listing. If that is the obstacle, one operator collects you from your hotel from eighteen points across Alcúdia and Can Picafort and builds the coach ride into the fare.
One. The Palma morning cruise leaves the Paseo Marítimo at 10:30 and 14:00. It is the only listing here with no pre-dawn departure at all, and it costs $54 — though it makes no sighting guarantee and carries the lowest rating of the ten boats here.
Still have questions? Email us at info@mallorcadolphintours.com
Keep Exploring
Explore More
Every dolphin boat and planning guide on this site, in one place.
By Departure Port
Individual Tours
- Alcúdia Semi-Private Dolphin Cruise (Max 12)
- Alcúdia Sunrise Dolphin Cruise with Breakfast
- Alcúdia Sunrise Dolphin Speedboat, 12 Guests
- Alcúdia Sunrise Dolphins, Free Hotel Pickup
- Can Picafort Dolphin & Sea Cave Boat Trip
- Can Picafort Dolphin Speedboat & Swim Stop
- Can Picafort Small-Group Dolphin Boat Tour
- Palma Morning Dolphin Cruise with Swim Stop
- Peguera Dolphin Cruise, Glass-Bottom Boat
- Santa Ponsa Dolphin Cruise with Swim Stop