Private, shared, sailing and whale watching compared. The best boat trips in Madeira, what they cost and who each one suits. Written by Chifbay, a private boat company in Funchal, so we say where we fit and where another trip is the better pick.
Madeira has four kinds of boat trip, and they are sold side by side on the same booking pages. The first thing to check is the unit: a shared trip is priced per person, a private boat is priced for the whole boat.
A big boat on a fixed route and timetable, often with dozens of other guests. The cheapest way onto the water, and the right pick for one or two people on a budget.
Trips built around finding marine life, by catamaran, traditional boat or fast RIB. Pick this if the animals are the reason you are going.
Slower and quieter, under sail when the wind allows. Shared sailing trips and private sailing boats both exist; private sunset sails start around €500 per boat.
The whole boat for your group, with a skipper. You choose the pace, stay longer to swim, and nobody else is aboard. Prices run from about €150 to €3,500 per boat.
* From our own count of 58 GetYourGuide boat listings for Madeira on 11 August 2026: shared median €59 per person, middle half €40 to €79 (34 listings); private median €537 per boat (24 listings). Whale watching range: VMT Madeira and Lobosonda prices read on 4 October 2026, below. Method and full data: Madeira boat tour prices 2026.
This guide is written by Chifbay, one of the six operators below, so we list ourselves first. Facts below were read on the operators' own websites or on GetYourGuide on 4 October 2026. GetYourGuide shows US dollar prices to US visitors, so those are in US$. We left out star ratings: counts change every week and are not comparable across sites.
| Operator | Kind of trip | Price read on 4 Oct 2026 | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chifbay | Private motor boat, Funchal | €400 to €600 per boat, up to 5 guests | 2026 Karnic R8S, two skippers, food and drinks, swim stop on the day trip, 360° video, drone and camera photos included |
| Cristal Sea Madeira | Private boats, Funchal | Private boat 2 h 30 from €320 per boat; private sunset 2 h 30 from €340; bigger boats from €500 | Up to 10 to 12 guests; paddle boards and snorkel gear included; books on its own site; licence RNAAT 375/2022 |
| Ventura do Mar (Ventura Nature Emotions) | Shared sea trips, Funchal | See their site | Running since 2001; books online |
| VMT Madeira | Shared catamaran, Funchal | Whale and dolphin trip 3 h about US$45 to 48 per person; sunset catamaran US$45; Desertas day US$101 (GetYourGuide) | Books online; site in Portuguese and English |
| Lobosonda | Whale and dolphin watching, Calheta | Traditional boat from €51.83 per person; RIB 2 h from €66.63 per person | Running since 2003; site in Portuguese, German and English; based in Calheta, not Funchal |
| Bonita da Madeira | Shared boat trips, Funchal | See their site | Listed by the tourism board among Funchal boat operators |
Prices change. Check the operator before you book. If you run one of these companies and a fact here is out of date, write to hello@chifbay.com and we will correct it.
A private boat costs more than a shared seat. What you buy is control: you choose when to stop, how long to swim, whether to go fast or slow, and nobody else is on board. On the south-west coast, that means time at the base of Cabo Girão and a swim at Fajã dos Padres, the cove with no road in, without a timetable.
At Chifbay the whole boat is €400 for the 2 h sunset cruise and €500 or €600 for the day trip, for up to 5 guests, with two local skippers, food and drinks, a 360° video, drone footage and camera photos included. More detail on our private boat tour page and in private boat or catamaran?
It depends on who is going. For whales and dolphins, a specialist whale watching trip. For the lowest price per person, a shared catamaran. For a couple, a family or a small group who want to swim, take their time and have the boat to themselves, a private boat. For wind and quiet, a sailing trip.
When we counted every GetYourGuide boat listing for Madeira on 11 August 2026, the median shared trip was €59 per person (34 listings) and the median private boat was €537 for the whole boat (24 listings). Chifbay charges €400 to €600 for the whole boat, up to 5 guests.
Usually not. For two people a €400 private boat is €200 each against about €59 each on a shared trip. The gap closes as the group grows: €80 each for five. You pay for having the boat, the route and the time to yourselves.
No trip can promise wild animals. Specialist whale watching operators go out to look for them, and that is their main focus. On a private coastal trip like ours, dolphins are a bonus when they show up, never a promise.
Most leave from Marina do Funchal. Some whale watching companies work from other towns, for example Lobosonda in Calheta, on the west of the south coast.
Several trips pass Cabo Girão. Chifbay goes to Cabo Girão on every trip and stops to swim at Fajã dos Padres on the day trip.
Private boat trips from Funchal for up to 5 guests, from €400 for the whole boat.