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TenerifeTenerife · whales and dolphins

Whale watching in Tenerife: ports, boats, prices and how to choose

Pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins live off the south-west coast all year round, so any month will do. What really changes your trip is the port, the size of the boat and how long you spend at sea.

Residents
short-finned pilot whale and bottlenose dolphin, all year
More species
mainly in May and June
Ports
Los Cristianos, Puerto Colón and Los Gigantes
Length
1.5 to 5 hours; the best sellers, 1.5 h
Price
from €25–33 booked direct for about 2 hours
Licence
yellow Barco Azul flag with the period in blue

Updated 2 October 2026Facts checked against official sourcesContains affiliate links

Whales in Tenerife
Pilot whales 5 · Photo: ahisgett · CC BY 2.0

In October · Tenerife

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Whale watching in Tenerife hardly ever fails: the island's tourist board, Turismo de Tenerife, reckons the boats go out eight days in ten and almost always see whales or dolphins, although nobody guarantees it in writing. In short: Los Cristianos for the shortest trip and the pilot whales close by, Los Gigantes for cliffs and a swim in two hours, Puerto Colón for a catamaran with lunch or a six-seat boat.

Our pick

1

The shortest, from Los Cristianos

Travelin' Lady: 1.5 hours with a swim off Montaña de Guaza; no drinks. On its own website, from €27.90.

2

Stable catamaran, no swim

Mar de Ons's "no-chase" trip, with underwater viewing and a biologist guide. On its own website, €25.

3

Los Gigantes cliffs and a swim

Flipper Uno: 2 hours with a drink and a swim in a cove, sea permitting.

4

10-person sailing boat

Third Element: 3 hours with lunch, cava and snorkelling gear. The most expensive and the most peaceful.

5

Catamaran from Puerto Colón

Eden: 2 or 3 hours with drinks, 50 people at most and no more than 15 minutes with each group of animals.

Where to see whales in Tenerife: the three ports

All trips leave from the south-west: between Teno and Rasca the sea lies in the lee of the trade winds and drops below 500 m very close to the coast. That's why the pilot whales live there.

N ↑ Los Cristianos1Puerto Colón2Los Gigantes3Masca4Costa Adeje5Playa de las Américas6
  1. 1Los CristianosportDirections ↗
  2. 2Puerto ColónportDirections ↗
  3. 3Los GigantesportDirections ↗
  4. 4Mascanature areaDirections ↗
  5. 5Costa AdejetownDirections ↗
  6. 6Playa de las AméricastownDirections ↗
Outlines: © OpenStreetMap contributors

Los Cristianos. At the ferry port, follow the blue line painted on the ground to the green fence of Zone A, where each company has its kiosk. The pay car park fills up in high season. The pilot whales live a few kilometres out, over water about 1,000 m deep: that's why trips of an hour and a half are enough. The best-selling "no-chase" trip belongs to Mar de Ons (Mar Borondon S.L.), not Bonadea II.

Puerto Colón (Costa Adeje). The marina is home to 64 of the island's 113 licensed boats: catamarans with lunch, sailing boats and 4.5-hour trips to Los Gigantes and Masca. The pontoon (4, 6, 10, 12 or 15) is on your voucher. This is where you'll find Bonadea II – Diomedea, a 6-seat RIB with a hydrophone and no toilet, and the Royal Delfin, a catamaran with underwater windows, not a submarine.

Los Gigantes. Below cliffs of up to 600 m and with 22 licensed boats, it combines whales and dolphins, cliffs and a swim in a cove in two hours, which from Puerto Colón takes 4.5 hours. Because of the traffic and parking, the companies ask you to arrive an hour early. By bus, the 477 goes direct from Costa Adeje bus station (€4.20) and the 473 leaves from Los Cristianos (€4.65).

If a voucher says "Marina San Miguel" or "Amarilla Marina", it's the same harbour at San Miguel de Abona, where the submarine leaves from (it doesn't look for whales).

Los Cristianos Puerto Colón Los Gigantes
Licensed boats 11 64 22
Typical trip 1.5–2 h 2–4.5 h 2–3 h
From (operator's website) €25 €30 €28
Swim depends on the boat; Mar de Ons, no depends on the boat in a cove, sea permitting

Which species you'll see, and the best time

Turismo de Tenerife counts up to 21 species. You'll almost certainly see the two residents: the short-finned pilot whale (over 5 m and between 900 and 1,800 kg, the easiest to find) and the bottlenose dolphin (groups of 10 to 30 animals of about 2.5 m).

The rest turn up now and then: the Atlantic spotted dolphin, from autumn to late spring; the common dolphin, in winter; the sperm whale, mainly in spring; Bryde's whale or Risso's dolphin, at any time of year. To see more than the residents, go in May and June.

The Teno-Rasca marine strip (Franja marina de Teno-Rasca), almost 70,000 hectares, has been a Special Area of Conservation since 2011. The Tenerife–La Gomera Whale Heritage Area, the first in Europe, is awarded by the World Cetacean Alliance, not UNESCO.

How to tell if a boat is licensed

Every commercial trip needs a yearly licence from the Canary Islands Government and a cetacean guide on board. You can see it on the Barco Azul flag: yellow, with two white pilot whales on a lifebuoy and the licensed period in blue figures; if it shows a past year, be wary. The official register, with codes CT-38-4-…, takes a minute to check: https://datos.canarias.es/catalogos/general/dataset/embarcaciones-de-observacion-de-cetaceos-inscritas-en-el-registro-general-turistico

The "Blue Flag certified" on some listings refers to that flag, not to the Blue Flag awarded to beaches.

Turismo de Tenerife's Sustainability Charter (Carta de Sostenibilidad) is voluntary and reviewed every year; members include Mar de Ons, Bonadea II, Flipper Uno, Freebird, Marítima Acantilados and Tenerife Dolphin, but not Travelin' Lady or Ragnarok: https://www.webtenerife.co.uk/what-to-do/nature/whale-and-dolphin-watching/quality-charter/

How to choose: small boats, "no-chase" and trip length

"No-chase" is not a label: chasing, surrounding or cutting across whales and dolphins is banned for everyone, and nobody certifies "eco" trips. The rules are the same for all: never closer than 60 m, 30 minutes at most within 100 m, no more than two boats at that distance and 4 knots within 500 m. What does vary:

  • Size. From 6 seats (Bonadea II) or 10 (Third Element) to 91 (Flipper Uno) or nearly 100 (the Viking ship Ragnarok). On a small boat you see and hear more; a big one moves less.
  • Length. Trips of 1.5–2 hours stay in the pilot whale area and are enough to see the residents; 3-hour trips add a swim and food.
  • Swimming. Always away from the animals and close to the coast. Travelin' Lady and Peter Pan stop for a swim; Mar de Ons doesn't.
  • Sunset. Travelin' Lady only offers it from October to February; the Los Gigantes sailing boat warns that it isn't a pure whale-watching trip.

A pirate ship? In Los Gigantes it's the Flipper Uno, a wooden sailing ship with a trapeze for jumping into the water and paella on the 3-hour trip; in Los Cristianos, the Peter Pan, a 60-seat schooner.

Whale watching Tenerife prices

Company Port Length Own website (adult / child) On platforms
Travelin' Lady Los Cristianos 1.5 h from €27.90 from €29.90
Mar de Ons Los Cristianos 1.5–2 h €25 / €12 online from €28
Peter Pan (Neptuno Whale Experience) Los Cristianos 2 h €27 / €15 through agencies from €27.81
Freebird Puerto Colón 2 h €30 / €15 —
Royal Delfin Puerto Colón 2 h €33 / €20 —
Tenerife Sailing Charters (sailing boat) Puerto Colón 3 h €65 / €55 from €65
Gladiator U (Marítima Acantilados) Los Gigantes 2 h €28 from €28
Flipper Uno Los Gigantes 2 h / 3 h €33 / €23; with paella, €40 / €25 from €28
Third Element (sailing boat) Los Gigantes 3 h €75 / €60 from €75

The company's own website is usually a couple of euros cheaper (Mar de Ons, €25 against €28; Travelin' Lady, €27.90 against €29.90); a platform makes up for it by keeping everything in one account and letting you read reviews. Almost all offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before and, if they don't sail because of bad weather, give you another date or a refund; arrive late and you lose it. Children: Freebird charges half price from 4 to 11 and nothing below that; Mar de Ons, €12 from 1 to 10.

See all options on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 2 October 2026

Seasickness, what to bring and the rules

Seasickness. The south-west coast is sheltered, but further out the sea moves: big catamarans are the most stable, and single-hull sailing boats aren't recommended if you get seasick. Take your remedy before boarding. Bring sun cream, binoculars, something warm and water if drinks aren't included, and arrive 15 to 30 minutes early.

Royal Delfin stops for a few weeks every year between late November and early December.

Other islands are in whale and dolphin watching in the Canary Islands; the companies, in Tenerife operators; the nearest port to your hotel, in south Tenerife; the whole island, in things to do in Tenerife; and the Masca gorge walk, which has nothing to do with the swim stop on the boat trips, in Anaga and Masca.

Whale watching in Tenerife: FAQs

When is the best time for whale watching in Tenerife?

Any time: pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins live here all year. May and June are the best months for other species; common dolphins are seen more in winter.

Where is whale watching best in Tenerife, Los Cristianos or Los Gigantes?

Los Cristianos has the pilot whales closest and 1.5-hour trips; Los Gigantes adds cliffs and a swim in 2 hours, but parking is hard.

How much does whale watching in Tenerife cost?

About 2 hours costs between €25 and €33 per adult on the company's website and from about €28 on platforms; 3-hour trips with food or on a sailing boat, €40 to €75.

Are you guaranteed to see whales or dolphins?

No. You almost always see them, but nobody refunds you if you don't.

Can you swim with dolphins in Tenerife?

No. Swimming near wild whales and dolphins is banned in Spain; the swim stops on the trips are well away from them.

Can you go whale watching from the north of Tenerife?

No boats leave from the north. Freebird picks up in Puerto de la Cruz for its 4.5-hour trip to Masca (€69); otherwise it's a good hour's drive.

Keep exploring

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