Los Gigantes is the port where two hours at sea go furthest. The boats leave from the foot of cliffs up to 600 metres high, the whale and dolphin grounds are a few minutes away and the cove for your swim is just round the corner. What takes a 4.5-hour excursion from Puerto Colón fits into a 2-hour trip here for €28 or €33.
It suits you if you're staying in Los Gigantes, Puerto de Santiago, Playa de la Arena or Playa San Juan, or if you want cliffs as well as pilot whales. If you're based in Los Cristianos or Las Américas and only want to see whales and dolphins, the journey isn't worth it: the short trip from Los Cristianos shows you them in an hour and a half, without the hunt for a parking space.
Our picks
1
The fullest 2-hour trip
Flipper Uno: whales and dolphins, cliffs and a swim, with a cold drink included. The most reviewed trip in the harbour.
GetYourGuide2 hours
Los Gigantes: Dolphin & Whale Watching Cruise with Swim Stop
4.7 (5,807 reviews)
from €28Check availability
2
Alternative with a swim at Masca
Marítima Acantilados, 2 h with a drink. A good option if Flipper Uno is full.
GetYourGuide2 hours
Los Gigantes: Whale or dolphin-watching tour and swim in Masca
4.7 (3,893 reviews)
from €28Check availability
3
Sailing yacht for 10
Third Element, 3 h with sandwiches, cava, wine, snorkelling gear, towels and photos. Rated 4.9 and the dearest of the five.
GetYourGuide3 hours
Tenerife: Los Gigantes Whale Watching Cruise by Sailboat
4.9 (2,275 reviews)
from €75Check availability
4
With paella on board
Flipper Uno's wooden sailing ship; the 3-hour option includes paella, and you jump into the water from a trapeze.
GetYourGuide2 - 3 hours
Los Gigantes: Dolphin & Whale Watching Tour on a Pirate Boat
4.6 (2,399 reviews)
from €33Check availability
5
Fast and cheap
Flipper Uno's speedboat, 2 h. No children under 2.
GetYourGuide2 hours
Los Gigantes: Dolphin and Whale Watching Cruise by Speedboat
4.7 (1,441 reviews)
from €28Check availability
Who actually sails from Los Gigantes harbour
The official register of whale-watching boats lists 22 vessels based in Los Gigantes. Nearly everything you'll see advertised belongs to three companies.
Flipper Uno (Agua Azul Tenerife S.L.). It has three products that look like different companies on the booking platforms but aren't: the Flipper Uno, a pirate-style wooden sailing ship for up to 91 passengers; the Masca Express, a speedboat; and Los Rápidos (El Rápido and El Rápido Dos), two RIBs. Its office is at the harbour entrance, on the right, with staff in yellow T-shirts. It's on Turismo de Tenerife's Sustainability Charter. More in our Flipper Uno review.
Marítima Acantilados. It runs the Nashira Uno, a catamaran with underwater viewing; the Gladiator U, a 36-seat rigid inflatable; the Lady Elsie, a 50-foot sailing yacht; and the Inia I, for 90-minute trips. It's also on the Sustainability Charter and is one of the three companies that run the compulsory boat transfer for Masca hikers. You board at the Marítima Acantilados / Nashira Uno office, also at the harbour entrance.
Third Element S.L. A single sailing yacht, the Mugen, 14 metres long with a maximum of 10 passengers, moored at pontoon 1, berth 156. The company itself admits that sailing proper isn't usual in the south of Tenerife because there's little wind, so expect to motor for much of the time.
We compare all three in our review of the Los Gigantes boats. Travelin' Lady doesn't sail from here but from Los Cristianos, and there's no boat called "Katayak" in the register.
Marítima Acantilados timetable
| Boat | Departures | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Nashira Uno | 11:00 (3 h), 14:00 (2 h), 16:00 on request | 2–3 h |
| Gladiator U | 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 | 2 h |
| Lady Elsie | 11:00, 14:00 | 3 h |
| Inia I | 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 | 1.5 h |
Flipper Uno's Los Rápidos leave every day at 10:00.
Boat trip prices in Los Gigantes
These are the prices on each company's own website. On the booking platforms, the 2-hour trips start at €28.
| Boat | Type | Duration | Adult / child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gladiator U | rigid inflatable | 2 h | €28 |
| Los Rápidos | RIB | 2 h | €28 |
| Masca Express | speedboat | 2 h | €28 / €18 |
| Flipper Uno | wooden sailing ship | 2 h with drinks | €33 / €23 |
| Flipper Uno | wooden sailing ship | 3 h with paella | €40 / €25 |
| Third Element | sailing yacht, max. 10 | 3 h with food | €75 / €60 |
On the 3-hour Flipper Uno trip the child rate covers ages 2 to 11, babies go free, and chicken and vegetable paella, wine, beer, soft drinks and water are included. At Third Element the child rate covers ages 0 to 12 and costs €60; the whole boat to yourselves costs €650 for 3 hours, which works out at €65 a head if there are ten of you, less than a shared place (we explain it under private boat hire).
The harbour: where to board and when to arrive
The companies' offices sit together at the entrance to Puerto Deportivo Los Gigantes, around Calle Poblado Marinero. Whatever your voucher says is what counts: Flipper Uno on the right, Marítima Acantilados at the office it shares with the Nashira Uno, and Third Element straight at pontoon 1.
The operators don't name specific car parks or prices. If you're coming from Costa Adeje, the bus saves you the search.
Getting there by bus or car
By bus (the local "guagua", run by TITSA):
- 477 Costa Adeje (bus station) – Los Gigantes, direct along the motorway: about 50 minutes, €4.20. The quickest from the south.
- 473 Los Cristianos – Costa Adeje – Playa San Juan – Puerto Santiago – Los Gigantes: 1 h 20 min. From Los Cristianos, €4.65.
- 325 Puerto de la Cruz – Icod – Santiago del Teide – Los Gigantes: 1 h 45 min, €7.10, about five a day on weekdays.
- 461 from Arguayo and 462 from Guía de Isora and Valle Santiago.
There's no direct bus from Tenerife South airport: take the 40 to Costa Adeje bus station and change there to the 477. By car, Los Gigantes is about 44 km from the South airport and about 27 km from Costa Adeje, roughly half an hour.
The sea on this coast: cliffs, coves and calm water
The harbour is on the south-west coast, sheltered from the prevailing winds. At the foot of the cliffs the water is about 30 metres deep and, as along the whole of this protected strip, the shelf is narrow: very close to shore it drops past 500 metres. One comparison website estimates the run to deep water at about 9 minutes, the shortest of the three ports.
The swim stop is at one of three coves, Masca, Barranco Seco or Juan López, and the captain picks it according to the state of the sea on the day. If a listing promises you a "swim at Masca" for certain, read it as "sea permitting". On the Flipper Uno you get into the water down a ladder or by jumping from a trapeze.
Which boat to choose in Los Gigantes
- Families with young children: the Flipper Uno, a big boat with drinks included. The speedboat doesn't take children under 2.
- With lunch: the 3-hour Flipper Uno with paella (€40) or the 3-hour Nashira Uno.
- Couples or small groups: Third Element's sailing yacht, 10 people at most. Not suitable for people with reduced mobility.
- On a tight budget: Gladiator U or Masca Express, €28 for 2 hours. They're fast boats with no food; the Gladiator U includes a drink.
- Sunset: Third Element runs a shared 2- to 3-hour sunset sail (€75 / €60), but warns that it isn't a pure whale-watching trip. More options under sunset cruises.
No boat in the harbour guarantees sightings in writing, Flipper Uno included, even though its website talks of a guarantee. What you do get: if the boat doesn't sail because of the sea, another date or your money back.
If you're staying in the south but still want this stretch of coast, the 4.5-hour trips from Puerto Colón go up to Los Gigantes and Masca with transfers included. For everything else in town, see our Los Gigantes guide, and to compare with the rest of the island, the main whale-watching guide.
GetYourGuide2 hours
Los Gigantes: Dolphin & Whale Watching Cruise with Swim Stop
4.7 (5,807 reviews)
from €28Check availability
GetYourGuide2 hours
Los Gigantes: Whale or dolphin-watching tour and swim in Masca
4.7 (3,893 reviews)
from €28Check availability
GetYourGuide3 hours
Tenerife: Los Gigantes Whale Watching Cruise by Sailboat
4.9 (2,275 reviews)
from €75Check availability
Tiqets04:30
Tenerife: 4.5-Hour Whale & Dolphin Watching Tour to Masca & Los Gigantes
3.3 (3 reviews)
from €62Check availability
GetYourGuide2 - 3 hours
Los Gigantes: Dolphin & Whale Watching Tour on a Pirate Boat
4.6 (2,399 reviews)
from €33Check availability
GetYourGuide2 hours
Los Gigantes: Dolphin and Whale Watching Cruise by Speedboat
4.7 (1,441 reviews)
from €28Check availability
See all options on GetYourGuide →
Frequently asked questions
How much does dolphin watching from Los Gigantes cost?
The 2-hour trips cost €28 per adult on a speedboat or RIB and €33 on the Flipper Uno sailing ship with drinks. The 3-hour trip with paella costs €40, and Third Element's sailing yacht for 10 people at most, €75.
Where do you board in Los Gigantes?
At Puerto Deportivo Los Gigantes. The Flipper Uno and Marítima Acantilados offices are at the harbour entrance, and Third Element's yacht is moored at pontoon 1, berth 156.
Is there parking at Los Gigantes harbour?
Very little. The operators ask you to arrive an hour early if you're driving, because of the traffic and the lack of spaces. From Costa Adeje, the 477 bus takes about 50 minutes.
Do you always swim at Masca?
No. The swim is at Masca, Barranco Seco or Juan López depending on the state of the sea, and the captain decides on the day.
Is it worth going to Los Gigantes from the south just for whale watching?
Only if you also want the cliffs and the swim in a cove. For pilot whales and dolphins, Los Cristianos and Puerto Colón are closer and head out to the same resident groups.
