Whale and dolphin watching, no chasing
4.6 from about 15,300 reviews on GetYourGuide
Ninety minutes from Los Cristianos watching the resident pilot whales and dolphins, under the strictest written no-chase policy of the boats we list, from 28 euros. Ask which boat is sailing: the listing and the operator describe different ones.
- Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, with a full refund
- Reserve now, pay laterHold your place today and pay nothing yet
- Duration: 1.5 hoursStart times show in the calendar
- Live guideSpanish, English, French, German and Italian
The trip leaves from Paseo Juan Bariajo on Los Cristianos harbour; the operator asks guests to arrive 20 minutes early, because the timetable is strict and the boat will not wait. For an hour and a half it runs along the south-west coast looking for the short-finned pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins that live there all year, with a stop at the sea cave the operators call the Cave of Love. The listing spells out its no-chase policy: the boat never pursues an animal, never changes course to intercept one, never boxes in or circles a group, and never follows animals that are resting, feeding or nursing.
GetYourGuide describes the boat as a large, stable catamaran with an underwater viewing area, and the listing's photos show a white catamaran named Vision Submarine. The same trip's listing on Tripadvisor, from the operator Mar de Ons, names the boat as the Bahriyeli, a wooden schooner, with underwater viewing available, and one guest on GetYourGuide says they booked the underwater viewing boat and sailed on an ordinary one. Both Mar de Ons and the Bahriyeli are on the Canary Islands government's register of whale watching boats at Los Cristianos.
Every boat 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 the animals' path. In January 2021 the World Cetacean Alliance named the sea between Tenerife and La Gomera Europe's first Whale Heritage Area, for its resident pilot whales. The operator says every ticket supports two British marine conservation charities, Neptune's Pirates and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation.
Why this one
Three whale watching trips on our list leave from the south coast. On GetYourGuide, this one was rated 4.6 from about 15,300 reviews, from 28 euros, for 90 minutes with no swimming. 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. Royal Ocean's small yacht from Las Galletas was rated 4.9 from about 510 reviews, from 95 euros, for three hours with snacks, drinks and snorkelling.
Book this one for the lowest price, the plainest trip and the most detailed no-chase promise, and for children who would rather watch than swim. Book Travelin' Lady if you want to get in the water. Some reviewers say they paid less buying at the harbour; no walk-up price is published, and the resellers we checked charged about the same as GetYourGuide.
Good for
- Families with children who want to watch rather than swim
- Anyone after the cheapest of the whale trips we list
- Guests who want a clearly written no-chase policy
Not for
- Anyone who wants to swim or snorkel
- Anyone set on underwater windows, unless the operator confirms the boat
- Guests who need commentary in a language other than English or Spanish
When to go
What the sea and the sky off Los Cristianos are like month by month, around the middle of the day. Waves and calm days are modelled for the open sea off the harbour; temperature and cloud for the harbour at 13:00.
| Month | Waves | Calm sea | Temperature | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.3 m | 69% | 21°C / 18°C | 71% |
| Feb | 1.2 m | 72% | 20°C / 18°C | 67% |
| Mar | 1.5 m | 52% | 20°C / 18°C | 61% |
| Apr | 1.2 m | 74% | 21°C / 19°C | 51% |
| May | 1 m | 96% | 22°C / 20°C | 59% |
| Jun | 1 m | 97% | 23°C / 21°C | 75% |
| Jul | 1.1 m | 94% | 25°C / 21°C | 92% |
| Aug | 1.2 m | 90% | 26°C / 23°C | 86% |
| Sept | 1 m | 96% | 26°C / 24°C | 63% |
| Oct | 1.1 m | 85% | 25°C / 23°C | 60% |
| Nov | 1.1 m | 80% | 23°C / 21°C | 59% |
| Dec | 1.3 m | 69% | 22°C / 20°C | 62% |
Waves are the median of each day's highest wave between 10:00 and 17:00 at sea off the harbour; calm sea, the share of days when they stay under 1.5 metres. Temperature is the median at 13:00, with the coldest day in ten after it; clear sky, the share of days with little cloud at 13:00.
The whales have no season; the sea does
Pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins live off this coast all year, so there is no best month to see them. The sea is calmest from May to October, and July is the sunniest month, with a clear sky at 13:00 on nine days in ten.
From our Tenerife hotels
Drive times are routed to Los Cristianos harbour, where the trip leaves from Paseo Juan Bariajo. There is no pickup: everyone makes their own way, and the operator asks for 20 minutes before departure.
- Bahía del DuqueCosta Adeje13 min by carMake your own way
- Royal Garden Villas & SpaGolf Costa Adeje, Costa Adeje15 min by carMake your own way
- Royal Hideaway Corales BeachLa Caleta, Costa Adeje16 min by carMake your own way
- Royal River Luxury HotelGolf Costa Adeje, Costa Adeje17 min by carMake your own way
- The Ritz-Carlton Tenerife, AbamaGuía de Isora25 min by carMake your own way
- Gran Meliá Palacio de IsoraAlcalá, Guía de Isora25 min by carMake your own way
- Hacienda del CondeBuenavista del Norte57 min by carMake your own way
- Hotel San RoqueGarachico58 min by carMake your own way
- Gran Hotel TaoroPuerto de la Cruz75 min by carMake your own way
- Hotel Botánico & The Oriental Spa GardenPuerto de la Cruz75 min by carMake your own way
The facts
- Duration
- 1.5 hours
- Language
- Spanish, English, French, German and Italian, as listed
- Meeting point
- Paseo Juan Bariajo, Los Cristianos harbour, 20 minutes before departure
- Included
- No-chase whale and dolphin watching, the Cave of Love, a lounge and bar, safety equipment, a guide
- Not included
- Drinks and snacks, hotel pickup
- Not allowed
- Swimming, snorkelling, diving, touching or feeding the animals, drones, alcohol, glass, unaccompanied minors, electric wheelchairs
- Bring
- Sunglasses, a sun hat, sunscreen
- Weather
- Unsafe sea: cancelled with a new date or a full refund; choppy but safe: you are told and offered a change
- Price
- From 28 euros on GetYourGuide; the calendar shows today's price
- Run by
- Vision Submarine, with Mar de Ons, Los Cristianos
What guests keep saying
Recurring themes in the tour’s reviews, in our words, never quoted.
Praised
- A big, steady boat, which is why many guests choose it over a small one
- Pilot whales or dolphins early in the trip on many sailings
- The no-chase approach itself, which many guests say they booked it for
- Guides who know the animals and explain what guests are seeing
Complaints
- A loudspeaker some found broken or too loud
The catch
The boat may not be the one described
GetYourGuide sells a large catamaran with an underwater viewing area, and its photos show one named Vision Submarine. The operator's own listing elsewhere names the Bahriyeli, a wooden schooner, and one guest says they booked the underwater viewing boat and got an ordinary one.
What to do. If the underwater view is why you are booking, ask the operator which boat is sailing on your date before you pay.
No swimming
The listing does not allow swimming, snorkelling or diving, or touching or feeding the animals. It is a watching trip, start to finish.
What to do. For a swim on the same kind of trip, book Travelin' Lady from the same harbour.
The timetable is strict
The operator asks guests to be at Paseo Juan Bariajo 20 minutes before departure and says it cannot wait. Unaccompanied minors are not allowed, and the boat does not suit wheelchair users.
What to do. Leave time to park in Los Cristianos, which is busy, and aim to arrive early.
Sound and languages vary
Low-rated reviews mention a loudspeaker that was broken or too loud, commentary in fewer languages than booked, and thin commentary in Spanish.
What to do. Treat English or Spanish commentary as the likely languages, and bring earplugs if loud speakers bother you.
The sea is rougher in winter and spring
In the four years of sea data we looked at, the day's highest waves off Los Cristianos stayed under 1.5 metres on about half the days in March and seven in ten in winter, against nine in ten from May to September. If the sea is unsafe, the operator cancels with a new date or a full refund; if it is choppy but safe, it tells you and offers a change.
What to do. Outside the summer, book early in your stay so a rough day leaves time for another sailing.
Questions people ask
Good questions about Whale and dolphin watching, no chasing
Is the no-chase whale watching trip from Los Cristianos worth it?
At 28 euros for 90 minutes with the resident pilot whales and dolphins, yes, for anyone happy to watch rather than swim. Ask which boat is sailing if the underwater view matters to you.
Does the trip include swimming?
No. Swimming, snorkelling and diving are not allowed; Travelin' Lady, from the same harbour, stops for a swim.
Does the boat have underwater viewing?
GetYourGuide describes a catamaran with an underwater viewing area, and its photos show one named Vision Submarine; the operator's Tripadvisor listing names the Bahriyeli, a wooden schooner, with underwater viewing available. Ask the operator which boat sails on your date.
Will I see whales?
Short-finned pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins live off the south-west coast all year and are commonly seen, but the operator does not guarantee sightings.
Is whale watching regulated in the Canary Islands?
Yes, by a decree of 2000: boats may not go closer than 60 metres, faster than 4 knots within 500 metres, or stay more than 30 minutes within 100 metres, and may not chase or circle the animals.
What does no-chase mean?
As this listing defines it, the boat never pursues an animal, changes course to intercept one, boxes in or circles a group, or follows animals that are resting, feeding or nursing.
Is it cheaper at the harbour?
Some reviewers say so; no walk-up price is published, and the resellers we checked charged about the same as GetYourGuide's 28 euros.
What happens if the sea is rough?
If it is unsafe, the operator cancels and offers a new date or a full refund; if it is choppy but safe, it tells you and offers a change.
Whales, for families
Ninety minutes from Los Cristianos watching the resident pilot whales and dolphins, under the strictest written no-chase policy of the boats we list, from 28 euros. Ask which boat is sailing: the listing and the operator describe different ones.
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
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Image credits: GetYourGuide · Tony Hisgett, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)