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Abel Tasman & Nelson Explore New Zealand, Australia & Fiji!tune
Swim with the dolphins and be at one with nature in the calm waters of New Zealand’s beautiful Marlborough Sounds!
Highlights
- Swim with and view dolphins in their natural environment
- Encounter the dusky and bottlenose dolphins with potential to come across the very rare Hector's dolphins
- Abundant wildlife viewing of fur seals, seabirds, blue Penguins, Gannets and Shags
- Beautiful location on the Marlborough Sounds
Our Dolphin Eco-tours provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to swim and view dolphins in their natural environment.
Get up close and personal to dusky and bottlenose dolphins and you may also have a chance to encounter the very rare Hector's dolphins.
We also visit New Zealand fur seals and spot a variety of seabirds like blue Penguins, Gannets and Shags on the water.
Our knowledgeable skipper and guide will provide you with an informed and interesting commentary on the wildlife encountered along with local history of the Marlborough Sounds.
There is plenty of time allowed for photography, an all important part of many people's experiences here in the stunning Marlborough Sounds.
Trip Duration: 2-4 hours depending on the location of the Dolphins. (Subject to min numbers).
Also check out the awesome deals on
All prices are shown in NZD ($)
- Adult$156.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$162.00
Authenticated Reviews & Photos All of our reviews are from people who have booked and paid for this activity thru Bookme
Showing all 84 authenticated Bookme reviews
Anna Wojtacha from New Zealand wrote on 22 October 2023
Eko tours Pictin
The best swimming with dolphins experience. Very eko friendly tour with amazing guides. And pod of dolphins was so friendly and playful.
From Picton - The E-Ko Dolphin Swimming Tour
So glad that you got to experience our amazing dolphins Anna! Thanks for your review and we hope that you have lasting memories of pure joy and excitement having experienced one of the most magical adventures possible on our beautiful planet! Best wishes, E-KO Team
Renske Evers from Netherlands wrote on 04 July 2023
Amazing experience
Absolutely amazing!
Michael from Germany wrote on 10 January 2023
Bad refund policy for no dolphin sighting
On my tour on the 09.01.2023 we had no luck in seeing thus swimming with dolphins. Which is ok, because dolphins are wild animals and the tour operator is not in control where the dolphins are at the time of the tour. So I don't blame the operator on not seeing/ swimming with dolphins. But what I think is not ok is the refund policy in such cases. On our tour we drove around in the Marlborough Sounds, had some sightings of birds and seals. And to get wet at least a bit we did some snorkeling at the end of the tour, where you could basically see just blue cods which were attracted by the crew feeding them. So for this experience you have to pay still 110 NZD out of the 180 regular or discounted fares. This experience you can get cheaper by booking a normal sightseeing tour in the Sounds, the views you get also when you take the ferry between the North and South Island and seals you can see in the South Islands in many places for free. If you wanna do swimming with dolphins, I recommend doing it in Kaikoura or Akaroa, not in Picton, especially in the summer. Even a staff member said there are not so many dolphins in the Marlborough Sounds in the summer. In Kaikoura you pay a bit more, 220 NZD, but have to pay only 60 NZD in the end if no dolphins are seen on the tour.
From Picton - The E-Ko Dolphin Swimming Tour
Kia ora Michael, Thanks for your review and for understanding that dolphin are wild animals and so therefore may not always be around to swim with. It is unusual when we do not find any dolphin at all, but this does sometime happen and so we do try our best to find other animals to learn about and view whilst our guides tirelessly search for our finned friends. When tours are booked directly through us our refund policy offers a 25% refund when we cannot find dolphin to swim with and a 35% refund if there are no dolphin seen at all on the tour. When you book through an outside agency you receive a discounted fare and we take this into account meaning that you will receive the same percentage of refund of the discounted fare that you paid. Booking directly from our website is the best way to get the terms and conditions listed on our website. Booking through another agency like BOOK ME means that you will receive their terms and conditions. I hope that this clarifies the refund question. Many thanks, E-KO Team
Elinor Lloyd from United Kingdom wrote on 15 April 2023
The best experience!
This was a very last minute booking but so glad I did. I had the most wonderful time on the dolphin swimming tour. Not only did we see the incredibly rare small hector dolphins but also a pod of around 50 bottlenose dolphins. We were lucky enough to get in the water 3 times with the bottlenose dolphins, an experience I will never forget. Definitely a life long dream come true! The tour guides were very knowledgeable and made the whole trip so enjoyable 😊
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sandyg from South Africa wrote on 03 May 2021
Heartfelt
Wow. What an experience. Saw two different species of dolphins! The interaction on both sides were great. I must also mention the hosting crew was great making you feel welcome and also so informative. Thanks guys. Youll see me again :)