Dolphin watching in Apulia

When you think about summer vacation in Italy, observing Marine life is probably not one of the first things that come into mind. Most visitors connect Italy with delicious food, historical, impressive architecture, and the unique “Dolce Vita” flair. Undoubtedly, enjoying life and eating local specialties, surely will never come off badly when visiting Apulia. In Taranto, you can extend your Italy experience with spending an afternoon in raw nature observing beautiful sea creatures. Because even if it’s not famous for it, the marine life in the southern-Italian region is still thriving!

Animal-related attractions often have a terrible reputation. Sadly, sometimes animals are held captive not appropriate to the species and only used for monetary gain. The opposite is the case with the Jonian Dolphin Conversation located in Taranto. It is their declared goals to raise general awareness for the wild marine life in the Ionian Sea and preserve and protect their environment.  Hosting exploration tours for visitors to experience the dolphins in their natural habitat is their way to gain the financial resources for further research.

Researcher for a day

"EXPLORING with RESPECT so that we can UNDERSTAND.” - This is the motto of the Jonian Dolphin Conservation. The dolphin watching tours are taking place on specifically designed boats to help guests get the best possible experience and ensuring a safe gathering. In addition to the beautiful experience of observing the joyful creatures in their habitat, there is an educational aspect of the researcher tour. Together with the mare JDC experts, the guests will identify the species, record their vocalizations, and photograph their sightseeing. This information is not only interesting for the visitors but will also be used for the extension of the database of the Jonian Dolphin conversation research.

In Apulia, enjoying excellent local cuisine is a big part of their cultural identity, so even while observing Marine life, the organization provides Apulian specialties and tasty delicacies onboard. 

 The dolphin watching tour is 40€ per person, and the probability of sightings is over 90%. In case you get very unlucky they offer a 50% discount for the next tour. 

An observation tour with the Jonian Dolphin Conservation is the perfect mix between an enjoyable boat trip and gaining awareness of the marine life through the educational aspects of the trip.

Title Picture © Credits to iStock/Manfred Bohn