Gran Canaria's excursions range from about €15 for a banana plantation tour to about €113 for a full day in the volcanic interior. If you book only one, make it the volcano sunset tour: it picks up in the south and packs a crater, lunch near Cruz de Tejeda, the Roque Nublo hike and sunset from the summit into one day. Each of the twelve below links to our full guide.
Gran Canaria: Volcano Sunset Tour and Local Food Tasting
A full day from the coast to the island's volcanic summits with Climbo: Bandama crater, Cruz de Tejeda, a guided Roque Nublo hike and sunset at Pico de las Nieves.
- Guided 3.5km return hike to Roque Nublo
- Lunch at Tajinaste restaurant and honey rum at sunset
- Small group, live guide in English and Spanish
All twelve, by price
Prices are the "from" figures on GetYourGuide as of September 2026. Use them to rank the options, not to budget to the euro.
| Excursion | Price | Length | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banana World, Arucas | ~€15 | 40 min | Banana tour guide |
| Camel ride in the dunes | ~€18 | 30 min | Maspalomas dunes guide |
| Dolphin-watching catamaran | ~€38 | 3.5h | Dolphin watching guide |
| Horse riding, El Salobre | ~€38 | 1–2h | Horse riding guide |
| Sunset and stargazing | ~€38 | Evening | Stargazing guide |
| Parasailing, Puerto Rico | ~€40 | 10 min | Parasailing guide |
| Boat trip with snorkelling | ~€48 | ~4h | Catamaran guide |
| Kayak and snorkel to caves | ~€65 | ~4h | Snorkelling guide |
| Jeep safari | ~€69 | 5h | Jeep safari guide |
| Jet ski, Puerto Rico | ~€70 | 30 min | Jet ski guide |
| Try scuba dive | ~€89 | ~3h | Scuba guide |
| Volcano sunset day | ~€113 | ~10h | Volcano tour guide |
Which excursion should you book first?
Book the volcano sunset tour first if you want to see the island's interior without driving it. It is the most expensive item here, but it is a full day with pickup from the southern resorts, and it includes the Roque Nublo hike, which otherwise needs a free timed reservation and a shuttle bus from the car parks.
Book the dolphin-watching catamaran if the sea is the point. Dolphins and short-finned pilot whales live off the south-west coast all year, so there is no wrong month.
Book the camel ride or Banana World if you want something short and cheap that still feels like Gran Canaria. The camel ride runs mornings only, so it needs a slot rather than a whim.
On the water: boats, snorkelling and a first dive
The south-west coast around Puerto Rico is the island's boat hub, and the water options split by how much you want to be in it.
The dolphin-watching catamaran at about €38 is a 3.5-hour trip built around wildlife, with a snorkel stop. The Puerto Rico boat trip at about €48 is a leisure day of paddleboarding, snorkelling and tapas rather than a wildlife cruise. Choose by whether the dolphins or the swimming is the priority.
For time underwater, the kayak and snorkel tour to sea caves near Taurito at about €65 makes the sea the whole day, and the try scuba dive at about €89 takes beginners to 6–8 metres with an instructor, no certification needed. Free snorkelling from the beach at Amadores costs nothing at all.
Mountains and the interior
Gran Canaria's centre is its most dramatic landscape, and three excursions reach it in different ways.
The volcano sunset day at about €113 is the full version: a crater, Cruz de Tejeda, the Roque Nublo hike and a summit sunset, with pickup from the south. The jeep safari at about €69 is a five-hour guided loop through the southern valleys and villages, with no hike. The sunset and stargazing tour at about €38 is the evening version: sunset above the clouds, then telescopes at a dark site in the pines.
Short thrills: ten minutes to an hour
Parasailing at about €40 is roughly ten minutes in the air off Puerto Rico, and it is the calm, scenic option. The jet ski tour at about €70 is 30 minutes at the handlebars, and the price is per jet ski, not per person, so two people can share one.
Horse riding from the El Salobre ranch at about €38 is the land-based alternative: one hour at a walk for beginners, or two hours with a trot and gallop for experienced riders.
Cheap and short
Banana World in Arucas at about €15 is a 40-minute plantation tour with a tasting, and you can simply turn up, since it needs no advance booking. It suits a day in the north or in Las Palmas. The camel ride at about €18 is 30 minutes across the edge of the Maspalomas dunes, and it runs only in the mornings.
Also worth knowing about
A few more excursions did not make the twelve but are worth a look for specific trips:
- Canyoning near Telde, about €65, for an adventurous day with waterfalls; see our canyoning guide
- Wine tasting, from about €26 at a winery near Bandama; see our wine tasting guide
- The NOMAD dinner show at Sala Scala, from about €62 for a show-only ticket; see our dinner show guide
- The Puerto de Mogán submarine, about €38; see our Puerto de Mogán guide
- Aqualand Maspalomas and other family days; see our Gran Canaria with kids guide
Booking order, if you are planning a week
A few of these run on limited capacity. The volcano sunset tour caps children at four places per trip, so families should book early. The camel ride only runs in the mornings. The Premium banana, rum and coffee tour runs on Thursdays only. The dinner show plays Thursday to Sunday, so book ahead for a Friday or Saturday.
Everything else can usually be booked a day or two ahead. If you want the informational version of this page, covering what is free and where everything sits, see our things to do in Gran Canaria guide.
FAQ – booking excursions in Gran Canaria
For a first visit, the volcano sunset tour, from around €113 on GetYourGuide as of September 2026. The 10-hour day picks up from the southern resorts and Las Palmas and covers the Caldera de Bandama, lunch near Cruz de Tejeda, a guided Roque Nublo hike and sunset at Pico de las Nieves, without the driving or the trail reservation system independent visitors face.
From around €15 to €113 for the main bookable options on GetYourGuide as of September 2026. Banana World in Arucas is about €15, a camel ride in the dunes about €18, dolphin watching, horse riding and stargazing about €38 each, parasailing about €40, a snorkelling boat trip about €48, a kayak and snorkel tour about €65, a jeep safari about €69, a jet ski tour about €70, a try dive about €89 and the volcano sunset tour about €113.
Several do, mainly from the southern resorts. The volcano sunset tour, the jeep safari, the try scuba dive and the pickup option of the stargazing tour all collect guests from hotels in the south, and the horse riding offers optional transfers in selected areas. The jet ski and parasailing trips start at Puerto Base in Puerto Rico, and Banana World in Arucas has no transport.
Banana World in Arucas, at around €15, is a 40-minute plantation tour with a tasting and needs no advance booking. A camel ride in the Maspalomas dunes costs about €18 for 30 minutes. Free options include walking the marked trails of the Maspalomas dunes, snorkelling from the beach at Playa de Amadores and hiking Roque Nublo with a free timed reservation.
The camel ride in the Maspalomas dunes and the dolphin-watching catamaran suit most ages. Horse riding from El Salobre takes children from age 3, and the stargazing tour from age 5. The volcano sunset tour takes children from 5 but limits them to four places per trip and includes a steep hike. Aqualand Maspalomas and Palmitos Park are the island's main family days out.
For some, yes. The volcano sunset tour has limited child places, the camel ride runs only in the mornings, the banana, rum and coffee Premium Tour runs only on Thursdays, and the dinner show at Sala Scala plays Thursday to Sunday. Banana World in Arucas needs no advance booking. Most other excursions can be booked a day or two ahead.
Featured image: sailko / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
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