"Whale watching La Gomera" isn't one company but a handful of boats. The Government of the Canary Islands' official register lists about 13 licensed boats based on the island: 11 in Vueltas (Valle Gran Rey), one in Playa Santiago and one in San Sebastián. Of the names people search for most, only Oceano is currently advertising trips and prices.
Who's running whale-watching trips in La Gomera now
- Oceano Whale Watching La Gomera (whalewatching-gomera.com), with an office in Vueltas. "Oceano Gomera" is the same company: its old website redirects to the current one.
- Excursiones Tina. One of the best known on the island, but its website says it has temporarily suspended its boat trips here.
- Speedy (speedy-gomera.com). Its page for trips to Los Órganos says it isn't offering any tours at the moment.
If you're offered another boat at the harbour, ask to see the yellow "Barco Azul" (Blue Boat) flag with its current licence period and look it up in the public register of whale-watching boats.
Oceano Whale Watching La Gomera: what the trip is like
It leaves from Vueltas, usually in the morning and the afternoon, on a traditional fishing boat with a maximum of 10 passengers and a multilingual marine guide. It lasts 3 to 4 hours. It sails daily Monday to Thursday; Friday to Sunday, on request.
Price: €48 for adults and €32 for children up to and including 11, at its office or on its website. Read the cancellation terms before you pay.
Its approach is "gentle and respectful" watching, with an emphasis on research and education; it has signed La Gomera's Sustainable Tourism Charter and offsets the CO₂ from its trips through Plántate, a local reforestation project. It publishes a sightings log every fortnight; a recent one includes minke whale, striped dolphin, rough-toothed dolphin, pilot whales and beaked whales.
Prices: La Gomera compared with Tenerife
In the south of Tenerife, 1.5–2-hour trips cost from €25–33 and 3-hour trips with food are around €40. Oceano isn't cheaper (€48), but the trip is longer and the group is 10 people at most.
Tenerife has 113 of the 184 licensed boats in the Canary Islands. If you're only spending the day on La Gomera, whale watching fits badly with the ferry: go from the south of Tenerife instead. The island-by-island comparison is in whales and dolphins in the Canary Islands.
What you'll see and when
The waters between Tenerife and La Gomera are a Whale Heritage Area of the World Cetacean Alliance, the first in Europe, covering about 2,000 km². It isn't a UNESCO designation.
Oceano counts 23 species recorded off the south-west coast of La Gomera, but warns that there's no resident group here: nobody can guarantee sightings. The resident pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins live in the Teno-Rasca strip, off south-west Tenerife. According to Tenerife's tourist board, Atlantic spotted dolphins are seen from autumn to late spring, common dolphins in winter and sperm whales mainly in spring; May and June bring the most variety. In summer, when the trade winds are stronger, La Gomera's south coast is sheltered, and that's where the boats work.
The law: what no boat may do
In the Canary Islands, whale watching is regulated by Decree 178/2000 and Royal Decree 1727/2007:
- A boat may not go closer than 60 m, nor spend more than 30 minutes within 100 m of the animals, and no more than two boats may be within 100 m.
- Swimming with wild whales and dolphins is illegal: no swimming within 500 m. Feeding them is banned too.
If a boat chases the animals or encourages you to swim with them, don't go out with it again.
Score
- Boat and group
- 5/5Maximum 10 people on a traditional boat.
- Respect for the animals
- 4.5/5A respectful approach with a marine guide and a commitment to sustainable tourism.
- Price
- 3.5/5€48 for 3–4 hours; fair for what it is, without being cheap.
- Transparency
- 4/5Public sightings log and clear prices; the terms are on a separate page.
- Availability
- 3/5Only one active company with prices, and weekends on request only.
- Access from Tenerife
- 2.5/5You need to stay on the island or squeeze it into a very tight day.
The good
- Groups of no more than 10.
- 3- to 4-hour trips.
- Marine guide and a respectful approach.
The not so good
- Practically only one company with published prices.
- Friday to Sunday on request only.
- Only leaves from Vueltas, a long way from the Tenerife ferry.
- The two well-known companies aren't going to Los Órganos at the moment.
Who it's for, and alternatives
Book it if you're staying in or near Valle Gran Rey and prefer a small, quiet boat to a big catamaran; more ideas in La Gomera.
Better elsewhere if you're only visiting La Gomera for the day: go whale watching from Tenerife, which has the biggest fleet and short trips, and spend your La Gomera day trip on Garajonay. On La Palma the whole fleet sails from Tazacorte: we cover it in whale watching in La Palma. More Tenerife companies in Tenerife operators.
GetYourGuide1.5 hours
Travelin' Lady: Eco Yacht Whale & Dolphin Safari + Swim
4.7 (19,421 reviews)
from €29.90Check availability
GetYourGuide1.5 hours
Tenerife: Eco No-Chase Respectful Whale & Dolphin Encounter
4.6 (15,400 reviews)
from €28Check availability
GetYourGuide2 hours
Los Gigantes: Dolphin & Whale Watching Cruise with Swim Stop
4.7 (5,807 reviews)
from €28Check availability
See all options on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 2 October 2026
How much is whale watching in La Gomera?
Oceano Whale Watching La Gomera charges €48 per adult and €32 per child up to 11 for a 3–4-hour trip from Vueltas, in Valle Gran Rey.
Is Excursiones Tina still running trips?
At the moment, its website says it has temporarily suspended its boat trips on La Gomera. Check its page before heading to the harbour.
Is there whale watching from Playa Santiago?
There's only one licensed boat based in Playa Santiago; most are in Vueltas. Ask at the harbour whether it's going out.
Are you guaranteed to see whales in La Gomera?
No. Nobody guarantees sightings and, according to Oceano, there's no resident group of whales or dolphins off La Gomera.
Can you swim with dolphins in La Gomera?
No. In the Canary Islands it's illegal to swim within 500 m of wild whales and dolphins.
