Whale and Dolphin Watching in Kalpitiya
Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka
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Duration
4 Hours
Tour Type
Adventure & Extreme Activities
Group Size
10 persons
Location
Puttalam
Overview
Whale and dolphin watching in Kalpitiya is another thing to do in Kalpitiya, and its season is from November to April. You can explore whales and dolphins in Mirissa, Kalpitiya, and Trincomalee.
Whale and dolphin watching in Kalpitiya is not just whale watching in Sri Lanka, and you will explore footprints of the Adam’s Bridge and beautiful landscapes on the northwestern coast.
Year-round whale sightings are not available on the Kalpitiya coast like in Mirissa—the southern coast. Kalpitiya whales are migrating species; hence, from January to March, you can spot the whales in Kalpitiya. Whale and dolphin watching tours take 2–4 hrs and sail 8–10 NM from the shore. mostly Kalpitiya, able to spot the following mammal species.
- Blue whale
- Fin whale
- Bryde’s whale
- Sperm whale
- Pilot whales
- Whale shark
- Spinner dolphins
- Bottlenose dolphins
- Risso’s dolphins
Every December to March, thousands of dolphins make a sudden dash through the calm sea off Kalpitiya on the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka to an unknown location for reasons best known to them. If you are lucky enough to encounter this rare phenomenon, it will be one of the most amazing things you have ever seen in your life.
Starting Schedule
- Report to HotelExpress.lk Kalpitiya-Norochchola at 6 a.m.
- Welcome to you with a cup of tea or coffee.
- Meet the supporting crew and purchase the wildlife entrance tickets.
- Transfer to the whale-watching boat for boarding the passengers
- Safety and whale-watching operation briefing by Boatman
Travelling
- It is a 2–4 hour sailing tour
Starts At
- At 6.30 a.m.
Refreshment
- Returning to shore, coconut drink offered to refresh
Additional Details
- Whale Watching Boat Specification
- Boat engine capacity: 40 h.p.
- Life Jackets available
- Maximum passengers per boat: 6–10 pax.
- Fire extinguishers and first aid are available
Recommendations
- Casual dress
- Good sunscreen
- Hat and sunglass
Tour Highlights
- Explore the biggest mammals of the planet (above species)
- Stunning landscape with the sun rising
- Local fishers’ way of fishing
- Kalpitiya power plant
Payments and Cancellations
Payment policy
The tour will be confirmed upon the payment.
You may need to check the availability before making the payment.
Cancellation policy
If you are going to cancel the activity before the 24 hours of the operation take place, then we will not apply any cancellation charge.
If the activity is canceled from HotelExpress.lk' (our) end because of unexpected weather conditions, you will be fully refunded (100%), or you can book an alternative activity instead of the refund.
Included/Excluded
Guide Well experienced supporting crew service
Entrance Wildlife entrance free
Site Transfer 3–4 hrs whale watching sailing tour
Refreshment Welcome to tea and water during the sailing tour
Transport Pick up and drop transport
FAQs
Is this a private whale watching tour?
Yes! Kalpitiya whale watching operates as private tours. Cost will apply based on your group size
What is the best time of day for whale watching?
It is an early morning tour that starts at 6:30 a.m. because in morning sunlight it is easy to spot the whales, and morning weather is so comfortable to sail in because there is no wind and no high waves. Usually whales, mammals, and fish are active in the morning finding food. Therefore, morning whale watching tour highly successful and whale spotting possibility rate over 90%
Can I do whale watching in the evening with a sunset cruise?
Yes, but it is a private sailing tour, and the cost depends on the number of hours of sailing and the activities that you wish to do, such as fishing, snorkelling. We will not guarantee the whale sighting in the evening, and it is completely dependent on your luck
What is the wildlife entrance fee?
Adults: USD $18 and children (5 - 12 years): USD $13
Is there any refund if whale sightings are not available?
No! We will do maximum effort to spot the whales, and sometimes whale-watching operations can be extended according to whale sighting availability.
We are operation in natural habitat and from our end, we also spend a cost and sometimes if whale sightings are not available, then simply our whale-watching boat operation cost is high than on a regular day because we need to operation boat continuously, and the sailing distance and duration high than on a regular day. Because of those facts, we cannot refund in such conditions
Have you ever missed whale sightings in past years?
Yes! from January–March is the whale’s available period on Kalpitiya coast and during the whale-watching season, a couple of days whale sighting can be missed and it is all about nature.
Can I or my children get seasick during the tour?
Sea sickness usually for adults and children sea sickness possibility very less. But if you have such a doubt, we highly recommend not consuming any meal, but you have some fruits (especially green apples highly recommended).
There are no pills to avoid sea sickness
What happens if the weather is not good or it is windy?
we will sail based on coast guard’s official recommendations and if coast guard does not recommend it, then we will cancel the operation and cost will be refunded, or we will schedule the trip for the next day.
Have you ever cancelled whale watching operations?
Yes! few times cancel because of bad weather and we will advise to our valued customers about particular day's wind speed and wave level prior to departure and previous day
Is there any refund if HotelExpress.lk cancels the tour?
Yes! fully refunded from our side because of the Weather or unexpected circumstance
How will I be informed if the operation is cancelled or the schedule changes?
We will keep you posted before the operation takes place in 24 hrs. If you did not receive any message from our end, that means the scheduled operation of activity takes place as it is.
Health and Safety
We will follow the WHO-given guidelines and we will ensure 100% safe from our side
Is the boat trip safe, and have there been any past boat breakdowns?
We will sail with our valued customers only in perfect weather, and we will test all boats before the sailing, and we will maintain proper maintenance records in the boat. Hence, the possibility of the breakdown is very rare.
If such incident occurs, then our crew try to fix the boat because all of them qualified with basic technical skills but if we could not fix the boat, then we will allocate alternative boat transfer the passengers to shore considering the safety of our valued customers
Tour Location
Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka
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