Reviews and travel ratings on Albatross Encounter Kaikoura in New Zealand (93% from 17 reviews) Get up close and personal to the largest wingspan in the world!

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  1. Sarah's avatar

    Sarah

    United States

    Stone fruit a plenty in the summer – cherries, apricots, peaches – YUM! Cromwell is where its at!

    19 November 2010.

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Reviews for Albatross Encounter Kaikoura

Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
batzi's avatar

batzi

Ranking: 7/10

I joined an Albatross Encounter Tour on 03/02/2012 6am with two other people. The conditions very quite good early in th…

I joined an Albatross Encounter Tour on 03/02/2012 6am with two other people. The conditions very quite good early in the morning and we had very good views on different Albatross species, Westland Black Petrels, White-chinned, N Giant Petrel and more. A nice addition was a flock of Dusky Dolphins. Mr. Melville was a friendly and knowledgeable guide.
Reasons for "just" 7 points: It was a pitty that I had to drag all the information about the birds out of Mr. Melville`s nose, because he didn`t explain almost anything about the fascinating ecology of seabirds or their identification. And he knows without doubt very much about the birds! That was definetly a crucial lack of the tour, because it is essential to educate people in order to improve the conservation of those threatened bird species.
Furthermore it is a quite expensive experience for 2,5 hours birdwatching.
Sebastian, Germany

Reviewed 12 days ago and experienced in February 2012

Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
pepette31's avatar

pepette31

France

Ranking: 8/10

Recommended for anyone who wants to see albatross up close. I really enjoyed the tour, there were only 3 of us on the bo…

Recommended for anyone who wants to see albatross up close. I really enjoyed the tour, there were only 3 of us on the boat with the skipper and we saw lots of different species plus as a bonus Hector's dolphin.
Two reasons why I didn't put 10/10 :
* the price is quite expensive and the tour doesn't last 3 hours as indicated but rather 2 hours.
* using chum (bait) does garantee great birding, but it makes me wonder if it's not a bad habit for the birds, which probably have changed their feeding behaviour due to these tours.

Reviewed 06 October 2011

Albatross Encounter Kaikoura responds:

Many thanks for your review! It’s great to hear you had a wonderful time and recommend the tour. I am sorry to hear your tour lasted only 2 hours as that is rather unusual. The tour should be 2.5 hours in duration. Can I please ask, where did you see the tour advertised as 3 hours?

There is certainly no evidence to support the belief that providing chum for the birds influences their behavior. The pelagic birds are consistently feeding around and following the fishing boats in search of food. Pelagic birds are typically a scavenger type of bird which is demonstrated by their behavior when near to fishing boats. We encounter a variety of species and varying numbers of albatross, some of which are identifiable by bands on their legs. If our tours had such an influence on their habits then I am positive we would be seeing the same birds day after day, which is certainly not the case.

If you would like to discuss this matter further, please contact us at [email protected] Many thanks.

Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
Cheryl & Ged  Knight's avatar

Cheryl & Ged Knight

United States

Ranking: 9/10

Expensive but worthwhile if you want to see seabirds. Small boat and small group - so very good. Guide very knowledgable…

Expensive but worthwhile if you want to see seabirds. Small boat and small group - so very good. Guide very knowledgable, enthusiastic. Saw all the birds we hoped to see.

Reviewed 04 April 2011

Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
Wendy's avatar

Wendy

United States

Ranking: 10/10

This pelagic birding trip surpassed all expectations with really great views of so many species of albatross and mollyma…

This pelagic birding trip surpassed all expectations with really great views of so many species of albatross and mollymawks, petrels, shearwaters, etc. The memories of all those sightings will remain with me for a long time and the opportunities for photography were extraordinary. Many thanks for such a wonderful experience. Wendy, USA

Reviewed 17 December 2010

Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
PaulJames's avatar

PaulJames

United Kingdom

Ranking: 10/10

This was an experience I was really looking forward to and one I wasn't disappointed with. Everything clicked into place…

This was an experience I was really looking forward to and one I wasn't disappointed with. Everything clicked into place - good weather, a flat calm sea, only three people on the boat and loads of birds. We saw seven species of albatross and had quite exceptional views of all of them. I've been on pelagics in Australia, South Africa and Peru but this was the best yet. I could have stayed out there all day!

Reviewed 23 August 2010

Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
Tim Smith's avatar

Tim Smith

United Kingdom

Ranking: 10/10

Superb 6am dawn + 5 different types of albatross. We were the only 2 on boat (but the maximum would have been 10).

Superb 6am dawn + 5 different types of albatross. We were the only 2 on boat (but the maximum would have been 10).

Reviewed 15 April 2010

Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
Peter Brown's avatar

Peter Brown

United States

Ranking: 8/10

Went on the albatross encounter and, as promised, saw several species of albatross. Birds were lured right to back of bo…

Went on the albatross encounter and, as promised, saw several species of albatross. Birds were lured right to back of boat with bait. Boat was a little small which made viewing difficult & there were no bathrooms.

Reviewed 14 April 2010

Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
Chris Lloyd's avatar

Chris Lloyd

Australia

Ranking: 9/10

I am involved in pelagic bird trips outside of NZ so these expeditions can be a bit of 'buspersons holiday'. Gary Melvil…

I am involved in pelagic bird trips outside of NZ so these expeditions can be a bit of 'buspersons holiday'. Gary Melville's knowledge and unobtrusive style ensures its not - enjoyed both trips.

Reviewed 31 March 2010

Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
Jim Scarff's avatar

Jim Scarff

United States

Ranking: 10/10

I did two trips with Albatross Encounter. They were fabulous. We had 6 species of albatross next to the boat, lots of sh…

I did two trips with Albatross Encounter. They were fabulous. We had 6 species of albatross next to the boat, lots of shearwaters, both species of Giant Petrels, Westland and White-chinned Petrels, and even a Fairy Prion (They have records of their sightings by species on their informative website.

Gary was our guide and his knowledge and enthusiasm were terrific. All the others on my two cruises also had a terrific times. It was far more fun and interesting than the whale-watch boat trips (which I also did) and yields vastly better views of birds.

Photos from my trips at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimscarff/sets/72157623547666660/

Reviewed about 2 years ago and experienced in January 2010

Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
Wim Put's avatar

Wim Put

Netherlands

Ranking: 9/10

Many birds (albatrosses etc), also a whale and seals and dolphins.

Many birds (albatrosses etc), also a whale and seals and dolphins.

Reviewed about 2 years ago and experienced in November 2009

Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
AndyL's avatar

AndyL

United Kingdom

Ranking: 10/10

Before I arrived in Kaikoura I planned to watch whales and swim with dolphins, but hadn't considered the Albatross Enco…

Before I arrived in Kaikoura I planned to watch whales and swim with dolphins, but hadn't considered the Albatross Encounter. As the Whale watching was cancelled I decided to give it a go and didn't regret it. The experience of seeing such large seabirds close up was amazing as was the variety of birds that you get to see. On our trip we saw 23 different types of birds. This was one of the highlights of the holiday and I would definitely recommend it.

Reviewed 11 January 2010

Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
TonyS's avatar

TonyS

United Kingdom

Ranking: 10/10

Excellent. Stunning views of albatross and petrels very close to the boat, giving great photo opportunities. The guides …

Excellent. Stunning views of albatross and petrels very close to the boat, giving great photo opportunities. The guides would help to ID the many birds. We were so pleased that we returned for a second trip 2 weeks later.

Reviewed over 2 years ago and experienced in November 2009

Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
Pedro Menendez's avatar

Pedro Menendez

Spain

Ranking: 10/10

A must to everyone to visit Kaikoura and like seabirds. Very professional with a lot of birds in a close range. A GREAT …

A must to everyone to visit Kaikoura and like seabirds. Very professional with a lot of birds in a close range. A GREAT EXPERIENCE!!

Reviewed 07 December 2009