Humpback Whale

Where to see

Humpback Whale

Megaptera novaeangliae

Kenai Fjords National Park leads · 20 parks ranked by real sighting rates

Parks Ranked

Share of wildlife watchers reporting a Humpback Whale during a day in the park, from citizen-science data (GBIF)

#ParkCountrySighting
1 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~80%
2 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
~50%
3 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
4 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~40%
5 Cabo Pulmo National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~40%
6 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~40%
7 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~40%
8 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
9 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
10 Cape Range 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
11 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
12 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
13 Svalbard 🇳🇴 Norway
~30%
14 Noosa National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
15 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
16 Maria Island National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
17 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
18 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
19 Freycinet National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
20 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%

Before you go

Which is the best park to see a Humpback Whale?

Kenai Fjords National Park

In Kenai Fjords National Park, United States, about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Humpback Whale sighting on a given day, the highest of the 20 parks where we can rate it, from GBIF citizen-science data.

Where else can you see a Humpback Whale?

Great Bear Rainforest and more

After Kenai Fjords National Park, the next-best odds of seeing a Humpback Whale are in Great Bear Rainforest (Canada, about 50%), Marino Ballena National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%) and Machalilla National Park (Ecuador, about 40%). Outside North America, the best options are Marino Ballena National Park in Central America (about 40%), Machalilla National Park in South America (about 40%) and Ningaloo Marine Park in Oceania (about 40%).

When is the best time to see a Humpback Whale?

It depends on the park

In the top parks, the best months are June and July in Kenai Fjords National Park (about 80%), August and September in Great Bear Rainforest (about 70%) and September in Marino Ballena National Park (about 80%), as the share of wildlife watchers who report a Humpback Whale on a given day. Each park's Humpback Whale page has the full month-by-month chart.