Whale tourism – extraordinary travel

Until the new year there are a few days, which means that with the approach of the cherished battle of chimes, you should think in advance about the New Year's desire, so that at the right time you do not get confused and wish yourself something big, beautiful, monumental like... a blue whale. Whales are amazing animals, in ancient times their images had a sacred meaning and not many people can boast of meeting them.

What is whale tourism?

There is even a separate type of tourism, which is called whale tourism. Its purpose is to visit the habitats of cetaceans. Tourists specially come to the places of clusters of individuals who at certain times swim for mating games and creating offspring, and observe from specially equipped ships in their natural habitat.

Whales are the most mysterious creatures, they are unusually musical, intellectual and have a high social organization. Their photos can not leave anyone indifferent, and illustrations of whales swimming in the clouds turn the mind. Meeting with a fantastic animal is definitely worth spending a whole New Year’s wish on it, which promises to be fulfilled.

There are 78 species of whales on the planet and we are still learning amazing things about them. For example,

Blue whales have the largest heart and brain on earth. They are warm-blooded animals, the surface of their body is covered, albeit tiny, but hair. Whales give birth to a live, rather independent baby, a newborn kitten has a body length of about 8 meters and daily such a “baby” needs to drink 350-390 liters of mother’s milk, which, incidentally, has a pasty consistency due to the large fat content. Whales are secondary, which means that once they lived on land, and then again went into the sea. A funny fact is that the closest relative of whales on land are hippos.

The whale can not breathe for 2 hours, swimming during this time a huge distance. During sleep, half of the whale's brain is awake because it needs to emerge from time to time for a breath of air. Whales can go without sleep for about 100 days and do not eat for up to 10 months.

Whales communicate with each other, making deep bass sounds that can be heard at distances up to 1000 km. These are the only mammals besides humans that sing songs, whale arias last from 6 minutes, and under more favorable conditions up to 40. The whale has almost the same body temperature as a human, which ranges from 35 to 40 degrees, their life expectancy is on average 70 years, although individuals of bowhead whales are known to live up to 200 years. If you think about it, we have so much in common with whales! And of course, such giants can not have natural enemies. Their main enemy is a man who has been mercilessly destroying them for centuries.

Pictured: blue whale

In Iceland.

The closest and most accessible from Russia to go in search of a whale in Iceland. Iceland is literally surrounded by whales, you can watch them from the north, south and west coasts. Impressive here and the contingent, you can see blue whales, humpback whales, sperm whales, seivalo, most often there are minke and white-faced dolphins. Whales are found even in the coastal waters of the capital Reykjavik, but the largest whale watching center in Europe is recognized as Husavik. Fans of sea giants should definitely visit the world’s only Whale Husavik Museum. In Iceland, sea excursions on pleasure yachts and specialized fishing boats are available. It is best to go in search of a whale from mid-May to mid-September.

In Norway.

Another lucky person is Norway. In winter, whales can be observed directly from the shore, especially a successful observation point - the northern coast. Most often in local waters there are sperm whales, but in addition to it there are blue, Biscay whale, Greenland polar whale, killer whales and minke whales. They gather near the Lofoten Islands, and the town of Andenes in the Vesterolen archipelago is one of the best places to go on excursions. The local place is replete with plankton, this is the guarantee of a one hundred percent meeting with a whale. You can also go on a tour from Sommaroi, Tromsø or Sto. The cost of a boat trip in Norway is not so expensive and equals 100 euros.

In Sri Lanka

January is the best time to travel to Sri Lanka to catch the best time to observe the migration of whales and dolphins. There are huge flocks of black dolphins, which sometimes reach up to a hundred individuals. In addition to dolphins, striped and blue whales, sperm whales and dwarf sperm whales are swept in warm waters. The most popular destinations for sea tours are Kalpitia, Mirissa and Trincomalee. The cost of a sea tour starts from 3.5 thousand rupees and reaches 6 thousand, it is most profitable to buy a tour in Mirissa, agents offer them at every corner, the cost is from 3 thousand to 4 thousand rupees. Ships depart early in the morning, but booking is recommended in the evening. The observation season here lasts from November to April.

In Portugal.

If you’re lucky enough to be in Portugal from April to early October, don’t miss out on whale watching! True, this will have another fifteen thousand kilometers to swim across the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest to the Azores. The most “whale” place here is San Miguel Island. Buying a sea tour will cost about 50 euros. You should know that on the Azores it is forbidden to dive in close proximity to animals. On the tour go on small boats or watch whales from the ferry. Blue whales and sperm whales swim in the local waters, and recently rare bottlenose northern whales have been spotted here.

In the Dominican Republic

In addition to the above countries, the migration of whales can be followed in the Dominican Republic, where the price of an excursion reaches up to $ 300, on a date with the friendliest whales (gray whales) you should go to Mexico, and in South Africa, Hermanus Bay annually holds a unique whale festival, the migration of whales here continues from July to November.

They go on a “whale” search on various ships. Small boats are good because they approach the whales much closer, and sometimes even close, but also shakes them much harder, especially if the whale below you is worried. Two-deck boats are convenient because they have a high observation deck. For the excursion, it is best to choose the afternoon, since in the morning there are a large number of tourists, and boats have to stand in line to approach the animals. And after lunch, boats become much smaller, but the waves rise much higher, so it is important that your vestibular apparatus does not pump. Since the prices for such excursions are quite high, the policy of returning 50% of the cost of the tour is common among tour agents if you fail to see a whale or at least a flock of dolphins. Some companies take tourists for free on a second tour if you can not meet with a fantastic fish.

But if you are lucky, the meeting with the whale will remain in memory for a lifetime and will leave a charge of stunning emotions for many years to come.

The only known albino humpback whale has been spotted near Australia.

Text by Diana Yusupova

Photo: lifeguide.com.ua, zagadkizemli.ru, mywishlist.ru, taruzina.ru, bambooclub.ru