The 4 Sydney Dolphin Watching Tours That Are Worth the Early Start

1.Jervis Bay Day Trip with Dolphins, Roos & Beach Time

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 643 reviews · 12 hours · from $120Our pick

Travel from Sydney to Jervis Bay in a small air-conditioned minibus for a dolphin cruise, lunch in Huskisson, Hyams Beach, the White Sands Trail, and wild kangaroos in Booderee National Park. Guides such as James, Aurelio, Al, and Stephane are praised for friendly commentary and photo help. English and Portuguese tours are available.

“It was a really great experience. The tour guide was really nice to us. We visited amazing places. The only constructive feedback we have is that the bus is pretty small and there’s no room for your legs if you’re tall.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Port Stephens: Dolphin Cruise, Lunch, Koalas & Sandboarding

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 293 reviews · 12 hours · from $140

Spend 12 hours north of Sydney with a dolphin cruise in Port Stephens, a visit to the PS Koala Sanctuary and sandboarding at Stockton dunes. Hotel pickup, coach travel, lunch, snacks and water are included at the stated $140 price. Guides such as Yan, Alfie and Gordon are known for clear briefings and lively commentary.

“The whole deal was worth it, our tour guide Yan has been a great companion. Very kind, polite and helpful. Koala sanctuary and Dolphine Cruise are great tourist attractions. I personally saw 12 Koalas an 7 Dolphins.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Port Stephens Dolphin, Koalas, Lunch & Sandboarding

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 211 reviews · from $142Top rated

Leave Sydney at 6:45 am for Port Stephens, where you’ll cruise for dolphins, visit the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary, eat lunch, and ride a 4WD onto Stockton’s enormous dunes for sandboarding. Guides such as Alfie, Yan, Gordon, Chen, and Tom are praised for friendly help. Expect a full 12-hour day and about six hours on the road.

“Wonderful, Highly recommend this experience. Sand boarding was so much fun prepare to be covered in sand for the whole day though. Of course the Dolphin tour was beautiful, be sure to pack spare clothes and a towel if you intend on sitting in the Boom Net and potentially being close and personal with the dolphins. Special shout out to Gordon who was our tour guide and he was full of so much knowledge of Sydney, Australia and other parts of the world, Very thankful to have had him guide us. Very informative and overall a beautiful day. Only thing that was a little bit of a bummer was only…”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Jervis Bay Tour with Dolphins, Kangaroos & World’s Whitest Beach

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 76 reviews · from $128

Leave Sydney at 7:00 am for Jervis Bay by air-conditioned minibus. Cruise for wild dolphins, walk the White Sands Trail, visit Huskisson and Booderee National Park, and look for kangaroos near Cave Beach. Guides such as Mac, James, Michael, and Fernando are praised for friendly service, though the long drive and occasional light commentary are worth noting.

“The tour guides and the lunch they made for us was amazing.. The highlight though was been able to see so many dolphins in the water swimming alongside our boat. I am a local Sydney sider and never been to Jervis Bay before. I highly recommend this tour to everyone, including the locals.”

Check availability →Read our full review