14 catamarans run whale watching trips in Tenerife, from 90 minutes to five hours and from €28 to €80 per person; one large catamaran is private for up to 22. Catamarans are the stable, shaded choice with room for a buffet, and most leave Puerto Colón in Costa Adeje. Our pick is the three-hour lunch catamaran with hotel pickup, ★ 4.8 from 2,213 reviews.
Why this one: three hours with a buffet, drinks and a swim stop, hotel pickup from the south and ★ 4.8 from 2,213 reviews — the best-rated big catamaran. The minus: a shared deck with a large group.
The big motor catamarans from Puerto Colón make a half day of it: three to five hours, a buffet or snacks, an open bar on some, a swim stop and often hotel pickup. The eco-cruise with snacks and drinks has 5,795 reviews (★ 4.6 from 5,795 reviews); our pick, the lunch trip with transfer, rates ★ 4.8 from 2,213 reviews.
The sunset catamaran is the evening version, with transfer, buffet and drinks (★ 4.7 from 946 reviews); the pickup cruise with food rates lower at ★ 4.2 from 1,788 reviews, so we list it but do not pick it.
These are the trips to book when you have no car and want the whole afternoon arranged.
For a short trip, the no-chase catamaran from Los Cristianos runs 90 minutes for €28 and promises not to chase the animals; the two-hour catamaran with drinks from Puerto Colón costs €35.
Two catamarans are adults-only: a three-hour trip with food and a swim from Puerto Colón (★ 4.7 from 49 reviews) and a two-hour trip with pickup that is too new to have reviews.
Short catamarans suit children; adults-only ones suit anyone who wants a quieter deck.
The submarine-vision catamaran from Puerto Colón has windows below the waterline: a two-hour mini cruise (★ 4.5 from 2,320 reviews). A sister cruise with lunch and a swim (★ 4.5 from 1,762 reviews) has the same underwater windows, though its listing does not call the boat a catamaran.
Eco friendly whale watching Tenerife catamarans: the no-chase catamaran and the eco-cruise both sell themselves on a respectful approach; all licensed boats follow the same 60 m and 30-minute rules. For your own group, a private catamaran for up to 22 costs €850.
Las Galletas has two newer catamarans with only a few reviews.
catamaran★ 4.615,307 reviews“We saw whales and dolphins and the crew helped us spot them. It was a great trip.”
catamaran★ 4.65,795 reviews“Great afternoon and definitely recommended! 4/5 because it didn’t fully match the description. The crew were amazing: super friendly, attentive and generous. Around 50 people were on board, but it never felt crowded. Dri”
catamaran★ 4.74,179 reviews“Really enjoyed it. Saw quite a few pilot whales and spent a good amount of time looking for/at them. Then went to another area for a swimming stop which was great to cool down. The crew were really nice and handed out co”
All 72 boats: cancel up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund.
source · partner listingsEco-yachts built with a low centre of gravity are the steadiest; mornings and September–October are the calmest water.
source · operator listings · AEMETLicensed boats keep 60 m from the animals and nobody enters the water near them. The swim stop is a cove afterwards.
source · Decreto 178/2000About 24 noticeable days a year, longest in January–February. Visibility drops but trips still run.
source · AEMETSwimwear, a towel, sunscreen, a hat and a light layer for the run out.
source · operator listingsPartner note: booking happens on GetYourGuide. We may earn a commission; the price is the same as booking there directly.
A catamaran's two hulls keep it level, which is why it is the default boat for families and for anyone unsure about the sea. The bow nets are the best seats when the dolphins ride the bow wave — though on busy boats there are only a few places on them, as one reviewer points out.
Most catamarans sail from Puerto Colón and take large groups. They are slower than speedboats, so a three-hour trip spends a larger share of its time on the run out; in return you get shade and space to move around.
Many catamarans carry 50 people or more. Small sailboats →
The best seats go first; board early. Smaller boats →
Transfers cover the south resorts. Staying in the north →
One pickup catamaran rates 4.2; we list it but do not pick it. Best-rated catamaran →
Two catamarans do not take children. Family boats →
In a swell the windows show little. Calmest months →
14 boats sail on two hulls. 13 sell seats by the person, from €28 to €80 (middle price €60); one is priced for the whole boat, from €850 to €850. Four last up to two hours and ten last three hours or more.
Of the 14, nine include food, nine stop for a swim or snorkel, six include hotel pickup, one sails at sunset and two are adults-only. Together they have 33,154 reviews on GetYourGuide, with a review-weighted average of ★ 4.60. One is too new to have reviews.
What the extra money buys among the catamarans: three trips cost up to €40 per person, typically for 2 hours, and none of them include food and one a swim stop; nine trips cost €40 to €70 per person, typically for 3 hours, and nine of them include food and seven a swim stop; one trip costs over €70 per person, typically for 3 hours, and none of it include food and none a swim stop. The whales are the same on every boat — the price pays for time on the water, food, a smaller group and comfort.
The cheapest trip with a hundred reviews or more is Eco No-Chase Respectful Whale & Dolphin Encounter at €28 (★ 4.6 from 15,307 reviews). Per hour on the water, the best value among the established boats is Masca and Los Gigantes Whale-Watching Cruise, about €13.33 an hour. Prices are from-prices checked on 23 Sep 2026; the calendar shows the price for your date.
The best-rated boats among the catamarans with at least a hundred reviews: Marine-Life Tour with Transfer, Buffet and Drinks — ★ 4.8 from 2,213 reviews, 3 hours from Costa Adeje, €63, with dolphin and whale-watching boat tour and snorkelling equipment; Whale-Watching Catamaran Tour with Drinks — ★ 4.7 from 4,179 reviews, 2–3 hours from Costa Adeje, €35, with whale and dolphin watching cruise and free onboard drinks, including water, soft drinks, and beer; Sunset Catamaran Tour with Transfer, Buffet & Drinks — ★ 4.7 from 946 reviews, 3 hours from Costa Adeje, €64, with hotel transfer and buffet, local selection of tapas; Eco No-Chase Respectful Whale & Dolphin Encounter — ★ 4.6 from 15,307 reviews, 1.5 hours from Los Cristianos, €28, with ✅ Visit to the famous Cave of Love and ✅ Spacious lounge and onboard bar.
At the other end, three established boats rate below ★ 4.5: Whale and Dolphin Cruise with Food and Pick-up (★ 4.2 from 1,788 reviews), Masca and Los Gigantes Whale-Watching Cruise (★ 4.4 from 413 reviews) and Whale-Watching Cruise (★ 4.3 from 132 reviews). We list them because they are bookable, not because we recommend them.
By kind of boat among the catamarans: ten catamarans (from €28 per person, typically 3 hours), three motor boats (from €46 per person, typically 3 hours) and one glass-bottom boat (from €33 per person, typically 2 hours). The boat decides the ride more than the port: two hulls and the eco-yachts roll least, sailboats heel and go quiet under sail, speedboats are quickest and firmest. The boat-type guide explains each one.
We read the most recent reviews of each boat among the catamarans — 48 in all, written between 9 Oct 2020 and 21 Sep 2026, averaging ★ 4.9. 23 mention whales, 16 mention dolphins, 1 mention turtles, 25 mention the crew or the guide, 5 mention the food or drinks, 6 mention the swim, 1 mention seasickness and 1 mention waiting or a late start. Seasickness comes up in one of them — worth taking seriously if you are prone to it; the steadiest boats are the eco-yachts and the catamarans. This is a sample of the latest reviews, not the whole record; the rating next to each boat covers every review.
Which boat to book among the catamarans, by what matters to you: if you want the shortest trip, Whale-Watching Catamaran Tour with Drinks (€35, ★ 4.7 from 4,179 reviews); if you want lunch on board, Marine-Life Tour with Transfer, Buffet and Drinks (€63, ★ 4.8 from 2,213 reviews); if you want the boat to yourselves, Private Catamaran Tour 22 Persons Max (€850 per boat, ★ 5.0 from 8 reviews). Each pick is the best-rated boat that meets the condition, among those with enough reviews to trust the score.
Where they leave from: ten from Costa Adeje (about 25 minutes to deep water), two from Las Galletas (about 35 minutes to deep water) and one from Los Cristianos (about 25 minutes to deep water), and one with a meeting point given only after booking. The port decides the run to the whales and how you get there; the whales themselves are the same off the whole south-west coast.
How we compare: every number here comes from the GetYourGuide listings as we read them on 23 Sep 2026 — price, duration, what is included, the rating and the number of reviews — and from public sources we name next to the figure. We rank by rating only among boats with a hundred reviews or more, because a ★ 5.0 from three reviews says little. Where a listing does not state something, we say so instead of guessing. We earn a commission on bookings; it is the same for every boat and does not decide the order.
Yes — it is stable, shaded and roomy, which makes it the easiest boat for families and anyone prone to seasickness. The trade-off is a large group.
From €28 for 90 minutes and €35 for two hours with drinks to €63 for three hours with a buffet and pickup; the dearest shared catamaran costs €80. A private catamaran for 22 costs €850.
Yes — two: a three-hour trip with food from Puerto Colón and a two-hour trip with pickup.
6 of the 14: the lunch catamaran with transfer, the sunset catamaran, the pickup cruise with food, the Masca and Los Gigantes cruise, the three-hour whale-watching cruise from Puerto Colón and the adults-only two-hour trip. Pickup covers the south resorts.
Yes — three hours with transfer, buffet and drinks from Puerto Colón (★ 4.7 from 946 reviews).
The catamaran listings rarely say; check the partner page if it matters. The eco-yachts from Los Cristianos do state a toilet on board.
The no-chase catamaran and the eco-cruise sell a respectful approach to the animals. All licensed boats follow Decreto 178/2000: 60 m, 30 minutes, 4 knots.
Yes — the submarine-vision catamaran from Puerto Colón has windows below the waterline, and a sister cruise with lunch has the same windows.