Guides for your boat trip in Gran Canaria

Why we wrote these guides

A good day at sea starts on land. Most of the problems we see on the pontoon have nothing to do with the boat: someone forgot sun cream, someone else left the hotel too late because they did not know the way to the marina, a third person had a big breakfast and is now regretting it. None of this is anyone’s fault. It is just that nobody told them.

So we have written down the things we explain over and over again. These guides are practical rather than promotional. Where a detail changes — a bus timetable, a road closure, the weather on the day — we tell you where to check it rather than giving you a figure that might be out of date by the time you read it.

They are written by the people who actually take you out, about the stretch of coast we sail every week. That means they are specific to Gran Canaria, and in particular to its sheltered south-west, rather than generic boating advice copied from somewhere else. If a tip does not apply here, it is not in these pages.

Planning your trip

If you are still deciding when to go, start with the best time for a boat trip in Gran Canaria. It explains the trade winds, why the south-west is usually calmer and sunnier than the north, what calima is, and why mornings and afternoons can feel so different on the water. None of it depends on a particular month, because the climate here allows sailing all year.

Then read what to bring on a boat trip. It is a short list, but it is the difference between a comfortable day and a sunburnt, hungry one. And if you or someone in your group is prone to motion sickness, seasickness on a boat trip has sensible, common-sense advice for before and during the trip.

Getting to the marina

Our boats sail from the marina on the south-west coast, and most holidaymakers are staying somewhere else. We do not offer hotel pick-ups, so we have written two guides for the resorts where most of our guests stay.

If you are in Playa del Inglés or Maspalomas, read the first; if you are in Puerto Rico or Amadores, the second. Both explain the options — driving along the motorway, taking a taxi or using the island’s Global bus network — and where to check routes and timetables before you set off.

Read them before the day, not on the morning itself. Working out a bus connection or a parking plan the night before is relaxed; doing it at the hotel door with a boat waiting is not. And save the meeting point we send you on your phone, so it is there even without signal.

Güigüí, the beach at the end of the island

Finally, there is our guide to Güigüí beach, which is the destination of our shared trip and one of the most remote beaches on Gran Canaria. It can only be reached by sea or on foot through a ravine, and it has no facilities of any kind. The guide explains both ways of getting there, what you need to take, and why most people find the boat the easier option.

If you cannot find the answer you are looking for, get in touch. If it is a question we hear often, it may well end up in one of these guides.

And if you are ready to book, the pages on boat trips, private boat hire, snorkelling and water sports in Gran Canaria explain what each trip involves and link straight to the tours. The guides and those pages are meant to be read together: one tells you what to do, the other how to make it go smoothly.

Frequently asked questions