The Best Tours on Gran Canaria – Whales, Dunes & Roque Nublo

Bottlenose and spotted dolphins live off the south-west coast all year, and pilot whales are the whale you are most likely to meet. Operators sailing from Puerto Rico and Puerto de Mogán advertise sighting rates of around 90 percent — that is their own figure, and these are wild animals, so nobody can promise you anything. Morning departures mean calmer water and better odds. Many operators offer a free second trip if you see nothing.

For the coast, no. Bus 30 runs between Las Palmas and Faro de Maspalomas in about 62 minutes and goes often. For the mountains, yes: Tejeda, Roque Nublo and Artenara are served by line 18 on a deliberately thin timetable, and a missed connection can cost you half a day. Either rent a car for the two or three days you want to go inland, or book a guided day tour — that is why almost every mountain tour here includes hotel pickup.

Only on the marked paths. The dunes are a protected nature reserve, walking off the paths has been prohibited since 2020, and the Guardia Civil does check — fines start at around €150. Guided camel rides are a different matter: they run on approved routes inside the reserve and are permitted. The usual ride lasts about 30 minutes and costs from €18.

If the volcano is the reason you are coming, Tenerife is the better island — Teide is 3,715 m, our Pico de las Nieves is just under 1,950 m, and the whale grounds off Tenerife are the more famous ones. What Gran Canaria has instead is distance: dunes, a 1,900 m mountain range, a real capital city and a fishing harbour all sit within an hour of each other, so you do not lose a day travelling. And if you do want Teide, the ferry from Agaete to Santa Cruz takes 80 minutes, which makes it a day trip rather than a second holiday.

In July and August the popular morning boat slots sell out one to three days ahead, and the camel ride and the Mogán submarine fill up in the same way. Outside high season the evening before is usually fine. Since almost every tour cancels free up to 24 hours ahead, booking early costs you nothing.

The large catamarans and dolphin boats take children of any age and carry child life jackets; the camel ride at 30 minutes and the Mogán submarine at 40 minutes are short enough for small children. Speedboats, buggies and quads set their own minimum ages, and they differ from operator to operator — the limit is stated on each booking page, and it is worth reading before you pay rather than at the harbour.