Kayaks, sea caves and a speed boat
Each snorkeling Tenerife trip on this page comes with a ride attached: you paddle or speed out to a sea cave or a quiet bay, put on a mask and look down. Four trips on the south coast do exactly that, for $47 or $50 per person. Here is where each one goes, what the price covers and which to book.
Quick answer
The short answer. Our pick for snorkeling Tenerife on a first visit is the kayak and snorkel safari from Los Cristianos at $50 per person: the Palm-Mar sea cave, drinks, snacks and all equipment included, 924 reviews at 4.8. The most reviewed is the marine reserve kayak safari at $47, 3,505 reviews at 4.5. For a stated snorkel time, the speed boat from Puerto Colón gives about 50 minutes in the water for $50.
Every trip, current fare
All prices are per person. The two-deck boat is a boat trip with a swim stop, not a snorkel safari; it is here for comparison.
| Trip | Price | Length | Starts from | Snorkelling | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kayak and snorkel with snacks, our pick | $50 | 3 h | Los Cristianos | Snorkel stop, all equipment included | 4.8 · 924 |
| Kayak safari in a marine reserve | $47 | 2.5 - 3.5 h | The Malpaís de Rasca coast | Snorkel stop, gear not detailed | 4.5 · 3,505 |
| Kayak trip with photos included | $50 | 3 h | Los Cristianos beach | Snorkel stop by the cliffs, gear not detailed | 4.8 · 212 |
| Snorkel safari by speed boat | $50 | 2 h | Puerto Colón | About 50 minutes; wetsuit, fins and mask | 4.5 · 114 |
| Two-deck boat with a swim stop | $86 | 3 h | Pickup in the south included | A swim in a bay | 4.8 · 144 |
Snorkeling Tenerife south
Each listing names its own stretch of the south coast.
On this site, snorkeling in Tenerife starts from a kayak or a boat, so the spot is wherever the trip goes. Put together, the best snorkeling spots Tenerife guides use on these four trips are cliffs, sea caves and sheltered bays along the south coast.
Malpaís de Rasca. The $47 kayak safari paddles the Teno-Rasca Marine Strip by the Malpaís de Rasca reserve, past hidden bays and a sea cave, then stops to snorkel in clear water. Greg from the United Kingdom: «paddled out to the fish farms and spotted dolphins. snorkeling was also brilliant.»
The Palm-Mar sea cave. The kayak safari with snacks leaves Los Cristianos and paddles beneath the cliffs to a sea cave at Palm-Mar, with a snorkel stop in clear water.
The cliffs off Los Cristianos. The kayak trip with photos starts on Los Cristianos beach, explores natural caves and stops to snorkel next to the cliffs.
A bay 15 minutes from Puerto Colón. The speed boat takes 15 minutes to reach a quiet bay, and you get about 50 minutes in the water there.
In the water
Three frames from the kayak listings: the snorkeling Tenerife guides lead, seen from the kayak and from below the surface.
One of the Tenerife sea turtles snorkeling guides look for, in a frame from the listing of the kayak trip with photos. Sightings are possible, never certain.
Two snorkellers in clear, sunlit water, seen from below. The photo trip stops to snorkel next to the cliffs.
Brown cliffs with caves at the waterline, seen from a kayak. A frame from the listing of the kayak safari with snacks, which paddles to the Palm-Mar sea cave.
Trip by trip
The three kayak snorkeling Tenerife trips cost $47 or $50; the speed boat costs $50.
Starts in Los Cristianos. You paddle beneath the cliffs to the Palm-Mar sea cave, snorkel in clear water and look for dolphins and sea turtles. Small groups; drinks, snacks and all equipment are included. 4.8 on 924 reviews.
Hidden bays on the Teno-Rasca Marine Strip, a sea cave and a snorkel stop. If bad weather or sea conditions cancel it, you get a full refund or a new date. 3,505 reviews at 4.5, the most of any trip on this site.
From Los Cristianos beach to natural caves, with a snorkel stop next to the cliffs. The photos and video of the day are included in the price. 4.8 on 212 reviews. Laurynas from the United Kingdom: «I highly recommend for first timers!»
From Puerto Colón, a 15-minute ride to a quiet bay and about 50 minutes of snorkeling. Wetsuit, fins and mask are included; you look for turtles, stingrays and colourful fish. 4.5 on 114 reviews.
What lives here
On any snorkeling Tenerife trip, wildlife is luck, not a promise.
Turtles are why many people book, and the listings are careful about them: two of the three kayak listings say plainly that sightings are never certain. We read the latest ten reviews of each trip. On the kayak safaris, 18 of 29 mention a turtle; on the speed boat, one of ten does, and two say they saw none.
Rebekah from the United Kingdom, on the kayak trip with snacks: «We were lucky enough to see a pod of dolphins and a few loggerhead and green turtles.» Kristopher from the United Kingdom, on the speed boat: «Saw lots of fish but sadly no turtles.»
So the best odds of snorkeling with turtles Tenerife trips offer, judging by those reviews, are on the kayaks. If Tenerife sea turtle snorkeling is the main goal, book a kayak; if you want a stated snorkel time, the speed boat lists about 50 minutes. It is also the one Tenerife turtle snorkeling trip here whose listing names stingrays too. Liadan from Ireland: «We did snorkelling and saw soo much, fish, starfish, even an octopus!»
What the price covers
The four snorkel prices sit within $3 of each other; what they include does not.
| Trip | Snorkel gear | Drinks and food | Photos | Transfer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kayak and snorkel with snacks | All equipment included | Drinks and snacks | Not listed | Not listed; meet in Los Cristianos |
| Kayak safari in a marine reserve | Not detailed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Kayak trip with photos included | Not detailed | Not listed | Photos and video of the day | Not listed; meet on Los Cristianos beach |
| Snorkel safari by speed boat | Wetsuit, fins and mask | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed; meet in Puerto Colón |
| Two-deck boat with a swim stop | Not listed | 2 drinks and food | Not listed | Pickup in the south included |
Kayak or speed boat
Caves and paddling, or a set snorkel time.
Pick a kayak for the caves and cliffs up close. Tenerife kayaking and snorkeling with turtles as a possible bonus is what the three kayak listings describe. A kayak tour Tenerife guides run here takes around three hours, and you paddle yourself. Joanne from the United Kingdom: «Was quite tiring on the arms especially on way back.»
Pick the speed boat if snorkeling is the point: about 50 minutes in the water, a wetsuit included and no paddling, in two hours. Rachel from the United Kingdom: «The captain slowed the boat every time we saw anything to give us a good view.»
Our verdict
Book the kayak and snorkel safari with snacks. At $50 per person you get three hours from Los Cristianos, the Palm-Mar sea cave, a snorkel stop, drinks, snacks and all equipment, with 924 reviews at 4.8. It is the most complete snorkeling Tenerife trip on this page for the money.
Most tested: the marine reserve kayak safari, 3,505 reviews at 4.5; at $47 it is also the best snorkeling in Tenerife on a budget. For photos: the kayak trip at $50, photos and video included. Longest listed snorkel: about 50 minutes on the speed boat from Puerto Colón, $50.
Before you book
Two minutes on the listing saves booking the wrong snorkeling Tenerife trip.
Los Cristianos, Puerto Colón or the Malpaís de Rasca coast. Of the trips on this page, the two-deck boat alone lists pickup; for the rest, plan your own way there.
The speed boat lists a wetsuit, fins and mask, the snacks trip all equipment. The other two kayak listings do not detail the gear, so ask.
You paddle yourself for around three hours. Greg from the United Kingdom: «just remember to apply plenty of suncream or wear a tshirt!!»
All four list free cancellation; check the deadline on the listing. The marine reserve trip refunds or rebooks you if weather or sea conditions cancel it.
Rather see the coast from a bigger deck? The two-deck boat costs $86 per person, with a swim stop in a bay, 2 drinks and food, and pickup in the south included. Charlotte from the United Kingdom: «Stopped off for a swim break … we had access to snorkels».
Read the boat safari guide→Book direct
Our pick first, then the most reviewed, the photo trip and the speed boat.
★ 4.8 · 924 reviews
★ 4.5 · 3,505 reviews
★ 4.8 · 212 reviews
★ 4.5 · 114 reviews
Common questions
The trips on this site snorkel on the south coast: the Teno-Rasca Marine Strip by the Malpaís de Rasca reserve, the Palm-Mar sea cave, the cliffs off Los Cristianos, and a bay 15 minutes by speed boat from Puerto Colón.
Possibly. Two kayak listings say plainly that sightings are never certain. In the latest ten reviews of each trip, 18 of 29 kayak reviews mention a turtle; on the speed boat, one of ten does.
On two trips, yes: the speed boat lists a wetsuit, fins and mask, and the kayak safari with snacks includes all equipment. The marine reserve trip and the photo trip include a snorkel stop but do not detail the gear.
$47 per person for the marine reserve kayak safari, and $50 for the other two kayak trips and for the speed boat. The two-deck boat with a swim stop costs $86 per person, with pickup in the south included.
For a stated snorkel time, the speed boat: about 50 minutes. For caves and wildlife on the way, the kayak safaris. Our pick is the kayak safari with snacks at $50, rated 4.8 on 924 reviews.
On the kayak trip with photos, yes: the photos and video of the day are in the $50 price. The other listings do not list photos; one speed boat reviewer says photos were sold at the end.
Go deeper
The full-day jeep safari to La Gomera from Tenerife: ferry, Garajonay National Park, meeting points in the south and the north, and what each price covers.
Boat and whale safarisBoat safaris off the south coast of Tenerife: the two-deck boat with a swim stop, the small Zodiac for marine life and the snorkel speed boat, compared.
Full-Day Gomera Jeep Safari Excursion from Arona
★ 4.6 · 577 reviews · 1 day