Marina del Sur, Las Galletas

Whale watching and snorkelling on a small yacht

4.9 from about 510 reviews on GetYourGuide

A Princess 440 motor yacht from Las Galletas: three hours, ten guests at most, snacks, unlimited drinks and a snorkel stop, from 95 euros. Before you book, ask how close it goes: its own site says 50 metres from the whales, the law says 60.

Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, with a full refund
Reserve now, pay laterHold your place today and pay nothing yet
Duration: 3 hoursStart times show in the calendar
Live guideEnglish, Spanish and Russian
Pickup availableChoose the option when you book
Small groupUp to 10 people

The sea between Tenerife and La Gomera is home to a resident population of short-finned pilot whales, and bottlenose dolphins live there all year. In January 2021 the World Cetacean Alliance named it Europe's first Whale Heritage Area. Every boat that watches them is bound by a Canary Islands decree of 2000: no closer than 60 metres, no faster than 4 knots within 500 metres, no more than 30 minutes within 100 metres, and no chasing, circling or cutting across their path. Royal Ocean is on the Canary Islands government's register of whale watching boats, and says it sails under the Barco Azul flag that the government grants.

The trip leaves Marina del Sur in Las Galletas, on the south coast, on a Princess 440 flybridge motor yacht, 13.65 metres long, with a captain and a steward. The operator says the boat takes 12 comfortably and caps its trips at 10. For three hours it runs along the south coast's cliffs and sea caves looking for pilot whales and dolphins, with snacks and unlimited drinks on board; the GetYourGuide listing calls the food tapas. The operator's page says its fast engines improve the chances of a sighting.

Then it anchors in a bay the operator does not name, for a swim. Snorkel gear, paddleboards and sea boards are on board; bring your own towel. The yacht has a swimming platform with a shower, a toilet and cabins to change in. Guests on the shared trip meet a minibus in the open car park in front of the X-Sur shopping centre in Costa Adeje, 40 minutes before departure, and are brought back there afterwards: a shuttle from a fixed point, not a hotel pickup.

The same yacht is chartered privately for up to eight, from 850 euros for three hours and 200 euros for each extra hour, with paella on charters of five hours or more and pickup in the south included. The shared trip costs 95 euros whether you book it on GetYourGuide or with Royal Ocean.

Why this one

Three whale watching trips on our list leave from the south coast, and each suits a different afternoon. On GetYourGuide, the Vision no-chase catamaran from Los Cristianos was rated 4.6 from 15,307 reviews, from 28 euros for 90 minutes, with underwater viewing and no swim. Travelin' Lady, from the same harbour, was rated 4.7 from 19,265 reviews, from 29.90 euros for 90 minutes, with a swim stop and drinks sold on board. This one was rated 4.9 from about 510 reviews, from 95 euros for three hours, with ten guests at most and the snacks, drinks and snorkel gear included. Book it for the small boat, the time and the swim. For the whales alone, the two larger boats cost under a third as much, and both advertise a no-chase policy.

Buying direct makes no difference to the shared trip's price. A private charter of the same yacht makes sense for a group of seven or eight, who would pay 665 or 760 euros in shared tickets against 850 euros for the whole boat, a route of their choosing and pickup in the south.

Good for

Couples and small groups who want a small boat and a whole afternoon
Anyone who would rather have snacks and drinks included than bought on board
Swimmers who want a swim stop with snorkel gear and paddleboards

Not for

Anyone prone to seasickness
A tight budget: the two larger boats on our list cost under a third as much
Anyone for whom a strict no-chase policy matters more than the boat

When to go

What the sea off Las Galletas is like month by month, and how often it stays calm enough for an easy three hours on a small boat. Air temperature is modelled for the marina at 13:00; waves, calm days and water temperature for the open sea off it, between 10:00 and 17:00.

Month	Air	Waves	Calm sea	Water
Jan	21°C / 18°C	1.3 m	59%	21°C
Feb	20°C / 18°C	1.2 m	68%	20°C
Mar	20°C / 18°C	1.5 m	49%	20°C
Apr	21°C / 19°C	1.3 m	70%	20°C
May	22°C / 21°C	1.2 m	73%	21°C
Jun	23°C / 21°C	1.2 m	80%	22°C
Jul	25°C / 22°C	1.3 m	68%	23°C
Aug	26°C / 23°C	1.3 m	65%	24°C
Sept	26°C / 24°C	1.1 m	82%	24°C
Oct	25°C / 23°C	1.1 m	88%	24°C
Nov	24°C / 22°C	1.2 m	78%	23°C
Dec	22°C / 20°C	1.3 m	65%	22°C

Air is the median temperature at the marina at 13:00, with the coldest day in ten after it. Waves are the median of each day's highest wave between 10:00 and 17:00 at sea off Las Galletas; calm sea, the share of days when they stay under 1.5 metres; water, the median sea temperature at midday.

Pilot whales are here all year

The resident population of short-finned pilot whales is why the World Cetacean Alliance named the sea between Tenerife and La Gomera Europe's first Whale Heritage Area in January 2021. So this is a trip for any month: the month changes the sea state and the water for the swim, about 20°C in February and 24°C in September, rather than whether the whales live here.

Boats moored at Marina del Sur in Las Galletas, with the town behind

From our Tenerife hotels

Drive times are routed to Marina del Sur in Las Galletas, where the yacht berths and the trip starts. The transfer in the price is a shuttle, not a hotel pickup: a minibus from the X-Sur shopping centre in Costa Adeje, 6 to 10 minutes by car from the four Costa Adeje hotels in our edit. From anywhere else, drive straight to the marina.

Bahía del DuqueCosta Adeje16 min by carX-Sur shuttle
Royal Garden Villas & SpaGolf Costa Adeje, Costa Adeje18 min by carX-Sur shuttle
Royal Hideaway Corales BeachLa Caleta, Costa Adeje19 min by carX-Sur shuttle
Royal River Luxury HotelGolf Costa Adeje, Costa Adeje19 min by carX-Sur shuttle
Gran Meliá Palacio de IsoraAlcalá, Guía de Isora27 min by carDrive to the marina
The Ritz-Carlton Tenerife, AbamaGuía de Isora28 min by carDrive to the marina
Hacienda del CondeBuenavista del Norte59 min by carDrive to the marina
Hotel San RoqueGarachico61 min by carDrive to the marina
Hotel Botánico & The Oriental Spa GardenPuerto de la Cruz75 min by carDrive to the marina
Gran Hotel TaoroPuerto de la Cruz78 min by carDrive to the marina

The facts

Duration: 3 hours
Language: English, Spanish and Russian, as listed
Group: 10 guests at most on the shared trip; private charters for up to 8
Boat: Princess 440 flybridge motor yacht, 13.65 metres, with a toilet, a shower on the swimming platform and cabins to change in
Included: Captain and steward, snacks, unlimited drinks, snorkel gear, paddleboards and sea boards, the minibus from X-Sur in Costa Adeje and back
Not included: Towels (bring your own), tips, hotel pickup
Not suitable for: Anyone prone to seasickness
Not allowed: Pets, smoking
Cancellation: Free up to 24 hours before on GetYourGuide, with a full refund; the operator also cancels for bad weather or rough sea
Price: From 95 euros on GetYourGuide, the same as the operator's own price; the calendar shows today's price
Run by: Royal Ocean, from Marina del Sur, Las Galletas

What guests keep saying

Recurring themes in the tour’s reviews, in our words, never quoted.

Praised

Small groups feel calmer and more personal than the big boats, some trips with as few as seven on board
Pilot whales come close on most trips, and flying fish and even a manta ray get a mention
The food is fresh and the drinks really are unlimited
The crew are friendly and happy to explain what guests are looking at

Complaints

Commentary stayed in English for one group who asked for Spanish

The catch

Its own site quotes a shorter distance than the law
Royal Ocean's tour page says whales may be approached to 50 metres, and that its fast engines improve the chances of a sighting. The Canary Islands decree that governs whale watching (Decreto 178/2000, article 13) sets the limit at 60 metres, with no more than 4 knots within 500 metres of the animals and no chasing or cutting across their path. The boat is on the government's register of whale watching boats, which still gave its base as Los Gigantes rather than Las Galletas.
What to do. Ask the operator before you book how the crew approaches whales, and choose one of the two no-chase boats on our list if the answer does not reassure you.
The pickup is a shuttle from a shopping centre
The transfer in the price is a minibus from the open car park in front of the X-Sur shopping centre in Costa Adeje, 40 minutes before the boat leaves, and back again afterwards. It suits the four Costa Adeje hotels in our edit, 6 to 10 minutes from X-Sur by car. From Guía de Isora or the north it is quicker to drive straight to the marina.
What to do. Staying outside Costa Adeje, drive or take a taxi to Marina del Sur; there is no pickup from the hotel door.
A small boat moves with the sea
The operator says the trip is not suitable for anyone prone to seasickness, and a 13.65 metre yacht rolls more than a large catamaran. In the four years of sea data we looked at, the day's highest waves off Las Galletas stayed under 1.5 metres on about eight days in ten from September to November, and on only half the days in March.
What to do. If you are prone to seasickness, take a remedy before you board, and prefer the autumn months.
Pilot whales and dolphins, not the great whales
Short-finned pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins live off the south-west coast all year and are the likely sighting. Other species pass through, but this trip is not built on them, and some low-rated reviews describe trips with dolphins and no whales at all.
What to do. Treat the pilot whales, which are large dolphins despite the name, as the sighting you are paying for.
The snorkel stop depends on the day
The operator does not name the bay, and the stop depends on the sea staying calm into the afternoon. Most reviews enjoy it; a few found little to see in the water.
What to do. Book it for the whole afternoon rather than for the snorkelling alone.

Questions people ask

Good questions about Whale watching and snorkelling on a small yacht

Is the Royal Ocean yacht trip worth 95 euros?

For a small boat, three hours, snacks, unlimited drinks and a swim with snorkel gear, yes. For the whales alone, no: the Vision catamaran and Travelin' Lady on our list cost 28 and 29.90 euros for 90 minutes and both advertise a no-chase policy.

Will I see whales on the trip?

Most likely short-finned pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins, which live off the south-west coast all year. Other species pass through only occasionally, and some low-rated reviews describe trips with dolphins and no whales.

Does the boat keep to the whale watching rules?

It is on the Canary Islands register of whale watching boats and says it flies the Barco Azul flag. Its own tour page, though, says whales may be approached to 50 metres, when the legal minimum is 60, so ask how the crew applies the rules before you book.

Does the price include hotel pickup?

No. It includes a minibus from the X-Sur shopping centre in Costa Adeje, 40 minutes before departure, and back. From outside Costa Adeje, drive or take a taxi to Marina del Sur in Las Galletas.

Where does the yacht leave from?

Marina del Sur in Las Galletas, on the south coast: 16 to 19 minutes by car from the Costa Adeje hotels in our edit, and 27 to 28 minutes from the two hotels in Guía de Isora.

Can I charter the yacht privately?

Yes, for up to eight, from 850 euros for three hours and 200 euros for each extra hour, with paella on charters of five hours or more and pickup in the south included.

Do I need to bring anything?

A towel and sun protection. Snorkel gear, paddleboards, snacks and drinks are on board.

Whales, on a small yacht

See dates and prices

If you book through our links we may earn a commission from GetYourGuide. It never affects which experiences we include. Operators cannot pay to be here. · Last checked: September 2026