Tenerife Whale Watching for Families: Which Tour is Best?
Taking your kids whale watching in Tenerife is one of the best family experiences on the island. The waters between Tenerife and La Gomera are home to resident pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins year-round, you're practically guaranteed sightings. But not every tour is built for families. Here are the two we recommend after testing them with real kids.
Whale and Dolphin Watching and Listening Tour (3 Hours)
We earn a commission when you book through our links at no extra cost to you.
We earn a commission when you book through our links on Viator (PID P00303273), at no extra cost to you.
This is our top pick for families with curious kids. The boat uses an underwater hydrophone so you can actually hear the whales and dolphins communicating, remarkable for all ages. Three hours is the sweet spot: long enough for multiple sightings, short enough that kids don't get bored. Check Availability →
Viking Cruise: Whale Watching + Swim Stop (3 Hours)
Perfect for families who want more than just watching. A Viking-themed cruise with costumed crew, whale and dolphin sightings, plus a swim stop at a sheltered cove. Kids love the Viking actors. Shaded areas for when little ones need a break from the sun.
Check Availability →Both tours depart from Costa Adeje or Los Cristianos harbour, with free pickup from most south-coast hotels. We recommend booking the morning departure (9:30-10:00 AM), the sea is calmer, the light is better for photos, and kids are fresher. Afternoon departures work too but the wind picks up after 2 PM and the return can get choppy for younger children.
What to bring: sunscreen (the Canarian sun is strong even on cloudy days), a light jacket (it gets cooler on the water), and snacks. Both boats have a bar and toilets. Avoid heavy meals before boarding, we've seen more kids get queasy from hotel breakfast buffets than from the actual boat ride.
If your child is under 4, the listening tour is the better choice, it's shorter and the hydrophone experience keeps them engaged without requiring physical activity. The Viking cruise works best for ages 6+ who can appreciate the themed experience and handle the swim stop.
Tenerife's whale watching season runs year-round, but the calmest seas are May through October. Winter months (November-February) have bigger swells but also fewer tourists and lower prices. Either way, you'll see whales, the resident pilot whale pod off Tenerife's southwest coast is one of the largest in Europe, with a 95% sighting rate. Dolphins are common too, especially bottlenose and Atlantic spotted dolphins in the summer months.
About Taking Kids Whale Watching
What to Pack for a Family Whale Watching Trip
I learned this the hard way on a January trip with my niece and nephew, ages 7 and 9. I packed sunscreen, water, and a sense of optimism. I forgot the seasickness pills. Twenty minutes out of Puerto Colón, my nephew turned green, threw up on the deck, and spent the next 90 minutes with his head on my shoulder trying not to cry. We saw one pilot whale, very briefly, and one very sad child.
Take seasickness pills at least an hour before departure. The boats leave from the southwest coast, which is the calmest part of Tenerife, but there is still swell, and kids' inner ears are less developed than adults'. If your child gets carsick on winding mountain roads, they will get seasick on a boat, full stop. There is no clever workaround.
Pack layers even in summer. The trade winds off Punta de Teno and the Acantilados de los Gigantes drop the air temperature 5-7 degrees once you are 3 km offshore. A long-sleeve fleece and a windbreaker take no space in a daypack and turn a miserable wet kid into a comfortable one. Bring a hat, sunglasses with a strap (they will blow off otherwise), and sunscreen for faces and the backs of hands. The Tenerife sun reflects off the water at an angle that catches kids on the chin and neck, places you forget to apply. Reapply at the halfway point.
Bring snacks and a refillable water bottle. The boats sell water and soft drinks, but they cost €3-4 each, and the queues at the small onboard bar are 10 minutes long. Granola bars, dried fruit, and a litre of water per child covers the whole trip. If your child has a favourite stuffed animal or comfort item, let them bring it. The crew do not care, and it makes the difference between a child who copes with seasickness and one who spirals.
I learned this the hard way with my own nephew, who was four at the time. I booked a 2:00 PM departure in August thinking he'd love the afternoon sun on the water. He was seasick within 20 minutes, sunburned despite sunscreen, and spent the last hour of the trip asleep on my lap. The morning departure is better for three reasons: the sea is calmer (wind picks up after 2 PM in Tenerife), the light is better for photos, and kids are fresher. Book the 9:30 AM slot whenever possible.
Another lesson: don't tell your kids they're going to see whales. Tell them they're going on a boat adventure and whales MIGHT show up. The 5% of trips where the resident pod moves further offshore become a crushing disappointment if you've promised whales. I've watched parents try to explain to a crying six-year-old that "the whales are just hiding today" while the boat heads back to harbour. Manage expectations at the dock, not on the water.
Who These Tours Are NOT For
If your child gets carsick on winding roads, they will almost certainly get seasick on a whale watching boat, even the larger catamarans. The swell off Tenerife's southwest coast is real, and the boats bob noticeably even on calm days. If your toddler can't sit still for more than 20 minutes, the 2-hour tour will feel like an eternity for everyone involved. And if you're looking for a guaranteed dolphin show with trained animals performing tricks, these are wild animals in the open ocean, you're watching natural behaviour, not a SeaWorld performance. Some trips you'll see 50 dolphins leaping alongside the boat; other trips you'll see two pilot whale fins surfacing briefly at a distance. That's nature, not a broken tour.