No whale watching boats leave from the north of Tenerife — not from Puerto de la Cruz, not from Santa Cruz. The resident pilot whales live in the deep water off the south-west coast, so every trip sails from Los Gigantes, Puerto Colón, Los Cristianos or Las Galletas. From Puerto de la Cruz it is about an hour by car to Costa Adeje or Los Gigantes; 15 trips include hotel pickup, almost all of it from the south, and one offers an optional pickup from Santa Cruz.
Local skipper, lunch, pickup
Best boat for most people
Lunch and pickup, no car needed
From Puerto de la Cruz, the quickest route to the whales is west over the island to Los Gigantes: 53 km and just under an hour by car, and the port with the shortest run to deep water once you are there. The alternative is the motorway round to Costa Adeje, 67 km and about an hour.
By bus, line 325 reaches Los Gigantes in about an hour and a half, and line 343 runs to Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos a few times a day. Hotel pickups on the whale watching listings cover the south coast, not Puerto de la Cruz — so plan to drive or take the bus, and choose a morning boat from Los Gigantes such as the sailboat (★ 4.9 from 2,265 reviews).
From Santa Cruz, the motorway south reaches Los Cristianos in about 50 minutes, and buses 110 and 111 do it in under an hour. One trip offers an optional pickup from hotels in Santa Cruz: the three-hour tour with a local skipper and lunch (★ 4.8 from 504 reviews, from €63), which boards at Las Galletas.
Other listings with hotel pickup name the south — Los Cristianos, Las Américas and Adeje — as their zone, and one limits pickup to the south of the island in so many words. If you are staying in the north without a car, the Santa Cruz pickup is the simplest option.
See the trip with Santa Cruz pickupDrive times without traffic; bus times from TITSA timetables. Allow extra time on Sunday mornings and in summer.
boat★ 4.8504 reviews“Honest best two people running the ship, very friendly and very understanding especially with kids. My son was scared and sick but after that he over come it and had the best time ever, even my partner that is scared of ”
sailboat★ 4.92,265 reviews“Super welcoming, warmhearted and mindful guides! We really recommend this tour with Eileen, David and Jaime! Private atmosphere, knowledge, good food and drinks and they really care about the environment and the guests a”
catamaran★ 4.82,213 reviews“the little children were a little bit loud bit the crew was top, i'm looping for apotheek trip with the same crew this week”
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 listingsFrom Puerto de la Cruz to Costa Adeje: 67 km, about 62 minutes by car, bus 343. From Santa Cruz to Los Cristianos: 76 km, about 50 minutes by car, bus 110 / 111. From Las Américas to Puerto Colón: 2.6 km, about 7 minutes by car, bus 467. From Las Américas to Los Gigantes: 29 km, about 26 minutes by car, bus 477.
The best-rated boats with hotel pickup with at least a hundred reviews: Whales and Snorkelling Tour on a Luxury Yacht — ★ 4.9 from 512 reviews, 3 hours from Las Galletas, €95, with yacht tour and snacks; 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 & Dolphin Tour with Local Skipper — ★ 4.8 from 504 reviews, 3–3.5 hours from Las Galletas, €63, with food and drink; Whale-Watching Safari by Luxury Boat - Tenerife South — ★ 4.8 from 135 reviews, 3 hours from Las Galletas, €50.05, with hotel pickup and drop-off and food and 2 free drinks; 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.
15 trips include hotel pickup, almost all of it from the south-coast resorts; check your zone on the partner page before you book.
Where they leave from: 36 from Costa Adeje (about 25 minutes to deep water), 13 from Las Galletas (about 35 minutes to deep water), twelve from Los Cristianos (about 25 minutes to deep water) and nine from Los Gigantes (about 18 minutes to deep water), and two 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.
Puerto Colón lies at 28°04′07″N 16°44′02″W. From Las Américas it is 2.6 km / 7 min by road; bus 467 serves it. From Puerto de la Cruz it is 67 km, about 62 minutes (bus 343). The run from here to deep water takes about 25 minutes (our estimate from operator descriptions).
Puerto de Los Cristianos lies at 28°02′55″N 16°43′09″W. From Las Américas it is 2.7 km / 6 min by road; bus 110 / 111 · 467 serves it. From Santa Cruz it is 76 km, about 50 minutes (bus 110 / 111). The run from here to deep water takes about 25 minutes (our estimate from operator descriptions).
Puerto Deportivo Los Gigantes lies at 28°15′N 16°50′W. From Las Américas it is 29 km / 26 min by road; bus 477 serves it. The run from here to deep water takes about 18 minutes (operator data).
Whales and Snorkelling Tour on a Luxury Yacht — ★ 4.9 from 512 reviews. 3 hours from Las Galletas, from €95 per person, with food, a swim stop and hotel pickup.
Marine-Life Tour with Transfer, Buffet and Drinks — ★ 4.8 from 2,213 reviews. 3 hours from Costa Adeje, from €63 per person, with food, a swim stop and hotel pickup.
Whale & Dolphin Tour with Local Skipper — ★ 4.8 from 504 reviews. 3–3.5 hours from Las Galletas, from €63 per person, with food and hotel pickup.
Whale-Watching Safari by Luxury Boat - Tenerife South — ★ 4.8 from 135 reviews. 3 hours from Las Galletas, from €50.05 per person, with food and hotel pickup.
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.
No boats leave from Puerto de la Cruz. The nearest port is Los Gigantes, about an hour by car; Costa Adeje is about the same.
Not from Santa Cruz itself. One trip from Las Galletas offers an optional pickup from Santa Cruz hotels; otherwise it is about 50 minutes by motorway to Los Cristianos.
The resident pilot whales live in the deep channel between Tenerife and La Gomera, off the south-west coast; the north coast is rougher and further from them.
Almost all pickups cover the south coast; one trip offers an optional pickup from Santa Cruz.
Line 325 takes about an hour and a half; check the TITSA timetable before you travel.
Yes — the whales are resident and the drive is about an hour. Book a morning boat so you avoid the afternoon wind.