Sailing catamaran to the Papagayo beaches, with lunch and drinks

Catlanza sails from Puerto Calero, a small marina between Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca, at 09:45 or 14:15, and you are asked to be there 30 minutes early to collect your boarding card. The boat is Catlanza VII, an Ocean Voyager 74: about 23 metres long and 11 metres wide, with a shaded cockpit, wide nets at the bow and a slide off the stern. The operator says it deliberately carries fewer passengers than the boat is licensed for. On the way out the crew serves local goat's cheese, bread and fruit, puts the sails up when the wind and sea allow, and offers a short yoga session on deck or a lesson in sailing knots for anyone who wants one.

The route runs south along the coast towards Papagayo, the string of sandy coves under the Los Ajaches hills at the island's southern tip. The hills and the coves are a protected Natural Monument on the Canary Islands government's network of protected areas, which is why the shore is still bare: sand, dark cliffs and a dirt track. The captain chooses where to anchor on the day. Then the water opens up: swimming, snorkelling with the masks on board, kayaks, paddleboards and the slide, all included and all optional. The operator says dolphins, pilot whales and flying fish are sometimes seen on the way, and is clear that nothing is guaranteed.

Lunch is served at anchor: hot pasta with a vegetarian tomato and vegetable sauce, parmesan, salad, Canarian potatoes with mojo, then fresh fruit. Vegan and gluten-free versions are available if you ask when you book. Beer, wine, cava, soft drinks, juices and water are included for the whole four hours. Then the boat sails back to Puerto Calero with the music on.

This appears to be the version for adults and teenagers: the GetYourGuide address calls it the adults-only trip, and Catlanza's own site sells its Platinum sailing, for ages 13 and up, at the same 85 euros, though the GetYourGuide listing itself states no age limit. The company has run the Papagayo trip since 1995, when its founders sailed the first boat; the family still runs it.

Several boats go to Papagayo. On GetYourGuide on 26 October 2026, Catlanza's trip was rated 4.8 from about 430 reviews, with guides scored 4.9 and value 4.8 out of 5, from 85 euros for four hours with lunch and drinks. A bigger catamaran day to the same beaches was rated 4.4 from about 1,100 reviews, from 66 euros. Ocean Lady, which takes at most 12 guests from Puerto Calero, was rated 4.7 from 57 reviews, from 89 euros with tapas and drinks. The short mini cruise from Playa Blanca, rated 4.7 from about 440 reviews, costs 35 euros for 1.5 to 3 hours, with food and drink to buy on board. Book Catlanza for the highest rating of the full Papagayo days, a real sailing boat with room on deck, and lunch and drinks in the price.

Catlanza sells the same trip on its own site at the same 85 euros, with a 60-euro price for teenagers aged 13 to 19 and an online code, SMILE, for 10% off on 26 October 2026, which brings an adult place to 76.50 euros. If you are sure of your date, that is the cheaper way in; GetYourGuide lets you reserve and pay nothing until later. Families with younger children should book Catlanza's Gold family sailing direct, which is the same day on the same boat for all ages. If you want to land on a Papagayo beach rather than swim off it, our Papagayo by kayak page lands on the sand; if you want a longer day on a quieter coast, our La Graciosa catamaran day takes six hours round the eighth island.