Tips for Whale Watching with Kids in Tenerife
Tips for Whale Watching with Kids in Tenerife
Traveling with the family to Tenerife is a great plan but all trips with children have their trick. Check out these tips to make your whale watching excursion a success.
Whales in the waters of Tenerife | ©-JvL-
If you travel to Tenerife with children, one of the coolest activities you can do for family fun is a whale and dolphin watching cruise. It will be a unique opportunity for the kids to get close to nature and see marine animals in their own habitat. Besides, they will have a great time riding on a boat and sailing the sea.
But like all excursions with children, this one also has its trick. To make sure everything goes smoothly on the day of the tour, take note of these little tips.
1. Tell the little ones a little about what they will see on the excursion
Children are very curious and love to ask questions. This occasion will not be an exception. If you decide to go on a whale watching cruise with your family, I recommend that you prepare a little for the visit so that you can better orient them about what they will see. Especially if they have never seen such creatures before.
In addition, going over the fauna you will see during the excursion before leaving will also help you to get to know and identify them better on the water, so the kids’ questions won’t catch you off guard!
In Tenerife there are resident populations of bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales, but many other species also migrate to the island from time to time. In the post What types of cetaceans can I see in Tenerife? you will find more information about the marine creatures that you can observe during a boat trip in the waters of the island. Don’t miss it!
2. Take advantage of the excursion to educate them on the importance of taking care of the oceans
Whale and dolphin watching cruises in Tenerife are activities that also have a very interesting educational side for children. With this type of excursions the kids will discover the importance of caring for the oceans because they are home to many species and because they produce much of the oxygen that we humans breathe.
It is always a good idea to instill good values in them from an early age, and if this is done while they are having fun, all the better! In addition, as during the boat ride you will be accompanied by guides or marine biologists, this can be a good opportunity to awaken their curiosity about the environment and to ask them any questions they may have.
3. Better to sail in the morning
The kids always wake up full of energy in the morning, so if you are thinking about the best time to do this excursion with them, my advice is to get up early and go early. The children will be more awake for the excursion and will pay more attention to the marine animals they see along the route.
Also, if your vacations in Tenerife coincide with the summer, you should keep in mind that the island is quite hot at that time of the year, so if you have decided to do a whale watching cruise with the kids, I recommend you to set sail early when it is still cool, and then you will have the rest of the day to do other activities together!
4. Protect them from the sun and cold on the boat
During the summer the sun shines brightly on the island and temperatures rise quite a bit, so the heat can be suffocating at certain times of the day. Since this activity takes place completely outdoors for several hours, I recommend that the whole family be well prepared and protect themselves from the heat by wearing light clothing, a hat, sunglasses and applying sunscreen on their skin.
The rest of the year temperatures are usually mild in Tenerife but if the day of the excursion dawns a cool day or something rainy, it is best to put the kids some warm clothing that is waterproof.
In the post Best time for whale watching in Tenerife I tell you how is the weather on the island in different seasons so you can take it into account when planning your getaway and packing your children’s suitcase.
5. Take some snacks in your backpack. but be careful not to give them to the whales!
Taking into account the previous point, it is also important that children are well hydrated. So do not forget to carry a bottle of fresh water in the backpack. And since they can get hungry at any time, it is always a good idea to bring a snack to kill their hunger pangs and distract them for a while during the trip, thus avoiding a tantrum on the boat.
However, some of the whale watching cruises in Tenerife include lunch during the excursion (sandwiches, sandwiches, soft drinks, water, snacks . ), which is great because it will allow you to better organize the meals of the kids and you will not have to look for a free table in a restaurant near the port after the tour at the last minute.
On the other hand, the kids are usually very generous when it comes to sharing their food with the animals, but in this type of excursions it is not allowed to throw food to the cetaceans from the boat.
Why not feed the whales?
First of all, because getting close to the side of the boat is a serious danger for the children – they could fall into the water, so don’t let them out of your sight for a second!
Secondly, because whales and dolphins do not eat children’s favorite snacks (chocolate bars, snacks, snack cakes. ) but mainly fish and squid. They do not have a sweet tooth!
And last but not least, because they are wild animals whose behavior is unpredictable. During the excursion you should not do anything to disturb them, but simply observe them from a distance. This will avoid any unpleasant encounters with these marine creatures.
6. Go to the restroom before starting the excursion
Children are often surprised by the call of nature at the most unexpected moment. Depending on the size and type of the boat in which you are going to take a sea trip, it may or may not have some services.
In order not to take the risk of being in a hurry during the whole activity, in case there are no toilets on board the boat, it is advisable that before boarding you make a brief visit to the toilets.
7. This is a very popular excursion, book it in advance so they don’t set sail without you!
My advice is to book online and in advance your place on a whale watching cruise in Tenerife. They are very popular activities on the island so if you do not want to stay in port without boarding the day you had booked on your vacation to make this plan (especially if it coincides with the high season of tourism in Tenerife) it is best to be proactive and get tickets as soon as possible.
Children love animals and riding on a boat will be a very exciting adventure that they will always remember, so it would be a huge disappointment for them if the tickets were sold out because they left it to the last minute and could not go on an excursion. Don’t you think so?
In addition, buying your tickets online to see whales on a cruise in Tenerife you can compare rates, schedules, availability of tours, types of routes and duration, among other things, which will facilitate the task of choosing the one that best suits your family.
Which cruise to choose according to the age of the kids?
If the children are small: so that they don’t get too tired, you may want to go on a short boat trip of about 2 hours instead of a longer one, where you go to the point to see cetaceans so that the children are amazed by the animals.
If the children are older: they will surely love to spend as much time as possible on the high seas sailing like real sailors. I recommend a longer excursion, about 3 hours, with a snorkeling stop to surprise them and to let them take a dip in the water, an experience they won’t forget!
Before getting your tickets, I recommend you to read the article Whale and dolphin watching in Tenerife where you will find proposals that will help you to choose the best excursion for you.
8. Take advantage of reduced prices for children on tickets for cruises
When traveling as a family, an important factor in calculating the budget for activities during a trip is the price of excursions. As far as children’s tickets are concerned, there are usually very interesting reduced rates that pay off and you can take advantage of them to save a little money.
For example, when you go to book your tickets for a whale watching cruise in Tenerife, in Hellotickets you will have the option to choose the age of the kids, so that the reduced price you will have to pay for each of them will be calculated automatically. It’s that easy!