Tenerife Safari

On Tenerife the word “safari” covers four quite different days out. A jeep up into Teide National Park or across the water to La Gomera. A kayak along the south coast with a snorkel stop. A jet ski under the cliffs. A boat out to look for whales and dolphins. The fourteen listings here split along those lines, and the first choice is how much of your day you want to give it.

The kayak safari in the marine reserve at Malpaís de Rasca has the largest review count on this page: 3,505 at 4.5. You paddle to hidden bays, look into a sea cave and snorkel in the Teno-Rasca Marine Strip. Two more kayak trips start in Los Cristianos, one past the Palm-Mar sea cave with drinks and snacks, one with the photos and video of the day included in the price.

Jet skis are the short option. The 40-minute or one-hour safari from the port of San Miguel runs past Yellow Mountain, Costa del Silencio, Las Galletas and Red Mountain, and its listing says no previous experience and no driving licence are needed. From Puerto Colón you take your own jet ski along the Costa Adeje coast to Diego Hernández and Las Vistas, with a lifeguard following by boat. In Los Gigantes the ride runs under cliffs of up to 600 metres towards Punta de Teno.

The boats are about the animals, and here it pays to read the listings closely. The two-deck boat off the south coast includes a swim in a bay, two drinks and food, and a transfer in the south. The small inflatable safari takes six people at most, with a guide on marine life, and its listing says whales appear sometimes. Whales and dolphins may come up; two kayak listings say plainly that sightings cannot be promised.

Inland, the jeeps climb. The full-day safari from Playa de las Américas covers Teide National Park, Vilaflor and Masca in seven hours, with a restaurant stop where the meal is at your own expense. The half-day version goes through Arona and Vilaflor into the national park and is back around 13:00. Both meet at a car park in Costa Adeje in the morning.

The longest days cross the water. Two jeep safaris take the ferry to La Gomera and drive into Garajonay National Park. The one from Arona sails in the morning to San Sebastián de la Gomera and stops for a traditional lunch; the one from Puerto de la Cruz starts at 07:00 and runs 13 hours.

So the choice comes down to time. An hour on a jet ski or three in a kayak leaves the rest of the day for the beach. Five to seven hours by jeep takes the morning and part of the afternoon. La Gomera takes the whole day, from a start at 07:00 or 08:20.