There are a wide range of shore excursions to choose from for a port day in Tenerife, including theme parks, boat trips and even an Unesco World Heritage site. To help you decide we have put together a summary of the best shore excursions in Tenerife for families.
Theme Parks
Kids of all ages will love the islands two award winning theme parks – Siam Park and Loro Parque.
Thrill seekers and water babies will particularly love Siam Park. It’s one of the largest aquatic theme parks in Europe and was recently voted by Trip Advisor readers as the number 1 attraction in the world. It has 14 different water attractions, including the Tower of Power, The Dragon, Mekong Rapids, an Adventure Land set in its own tropical paradise, a HUGE man-made beach with a wave pool and even sea lions.
Read a full review of Siam Park here – A splashtastic day at Siam Park, The Water Kingdom, Tenerife.
Loro Parque is the sister resort to Siam Park. It’s Tenerife’s longest-established theme park and boasts of the world’s largest collection of parrots. Loro Parque is a gorgeous place to take a stroll through the manicured gardens and enjoy some thoroughly entertaining shows featuring parrots, orcas, sea lions and dolphins.
Travel tips – You could of course travel independently to either of these theme parks by taxi or hire car, rather than booking via the shore excursions department. To provide a quick idea of the price difference – P&O Cruises shore excursion ticket prices for Siam Park, including approx. 1 hour 15 minute journey each way by coach, are approx. £46 per adult and £24 per child. Tickets are available on the gate from £29 per adult and £20 per child. (Loro Park is approx. an hour journey each way with average traffic).
Unesco World Heritage Site
Families who enjoy the great outdoors will love Tenerife’s unique and dramatic landscape. The island has been crafted by the volcanic activity that has shaped it for millions of years. Although the island is only small, (785 sq miles to be exact!) it is packed to the brim with green valleys, unique buildings, stunning beaches, towering cliffs, quaint villages and the volcanic landscape of Mount Teide National Park.
In the middle of a 10-mile-wide volcanic crater the Mount Teide volcano rises to 12,198ft above sea level, the highest mountain in all of Spanish territory and, most impressively, the third tallest volcano in the world.
Kids will enjoy getting up close to the resident geckos and lizards and thrill seekers will enjoy taking the cable car to the peak! The ride itself is a once in a lifetime experience and the views, at an impressive 11,660 feet above sea level, are incredible.
Boat Trips
Whale and dolphin watching boat tours are very popular with families visiting Tenerife onboard cruise ships. The south-west coast of the island is the perfect place for spotting whale and dolphins in their natural habitat. If you are lucky you may see the friendly dolphins jump out of the water so have your camera at the ready!
Read more about our must see sights in Tenerife
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I think you may want to reconsider promoting the display of captive Orca once you have read the following:
http://uk.whales.org/wdc-in-action/fate-of-captive-orcas
It is a fact that captive intelligent mammals such as orca, dolphins and porpoise suffer huge mental stress in captivity. Your promotion of whale watching in the open sea is the way these creatures should be observed in their natural environment.
Sorry to have to mention this but I hope tou can see why.
This is a really eye opening and sad article to read Alan. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. I’ve left your comment here so that our readers can make the decision for themselves whether or not to visit and support Loro Parque.