Sunset dolphin cruise on Lanzarote: what the €53 trip gets you
Updated October 1, 2026 · 7 min read
The most-reviewed dolphin tour on the island is, at its core, an evening cruise: the Dolphin-Watching Sunset Cruise with Transfers, two hours by catamaran from Puerto del Carmen, a mojito on arrival, coach there and back – €53 per person, 4.2 out of 5 from 3,033 reviews. The operator is Lineas Romero, a ferry company that also crosses to La Graciosa. The short description phrases it cautiously: “Enjoy an evening cruise along the stunning coast of Puerto del Carmen and look out for wild dolphins.” Look out for, not see – that’s the key sentence before booking. Anyone who’d rather swim pays €35; anyone who wants a small group, €75.
See times and prices for the sunset dolphin cruise
| Tour | Duration | from | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphin-Watching Sunset Cruise with Transfers | 2 hours | €53 | 4.2 from 3,033 reviews | couples and adults without a car who want a calm evening |
| 2.5-hour sunset and dolphin cruise | 2.5 hours | €52 | 4.3 from 1,653 reviews | anyone who wants half an hour more and a faster boat |
| Dolphin watching with swimming, speedboat | 1.5 hours | €35 | 3.8 from 2,281 reviews | teenagers and adults on a small budget who want to get in the water |
| Sunset Experience with dolphin spotting | 2.5 hours | €75 | 4.7 from 78 reviews | anyone who wants a small group and can get to Puerto Calero themselves |
| Half-day dolphin trip to Lobos Island | 5.5 hours | €72 | 4.2 from 656 reviews | anyone who wants half a day and a second island destination |
Among the island’s 20 most-reviewed tours, only one scores worse than this evening cruise: the dolphin speedboat, at 3.8 stars. Why, further down.
What’s in the €53
Per the booking site and Lineas Romero’s own site:
- coach there and back from one of 17 pick-up points
- a welcome mojito
- a second drink – on GetYourGuide a choice of mojito, beer, wine or a soft drink; on the operator’s own site beer, sangria, water or a soft drink
- a snack box; vegetarian or vegan on request in advance, gluten-free not guaranteed
- a guide on board
The swim stop and the tip appear at the end of the booking site’s list of inclusions, without making clear whether they’re included or not. The description mentions no swimming, and Lineas Romero names no swim stop on its own site. So the booking site contradicts itself here – anyone wanting to get in the water should check with the operator first.
On the boat, the operator says: a spacious, stable catamaran with nets for lying on and a shaded seating area. Whether there’s a toilet and life jackets in children’s sizes isn’t stated – ask the operator.
Cancelling is free up to 24 hours beforehand. If the trip is cancelled for bad weather, there’s a replacement date or a refund.
Pick-up: 17 points, but not every day
You choose the pick-up point when booking. The list includes the harbour at Puerto del Carmen, the Recinto Ferial exhibition centre in Arrecife, the bus stop at the Centro Atlántico shopping centre, and hotels such as Costa Calero, Sandos Papagayo and Alexandre Teguise Playa.
Two restrictions are easy to miss. From Puerto Calero, pick-up runs only on Thursdays. From Playa Blanca, there’s no pick-up on Sundays, Mondays or Wednesdays. Anyone booking less than 24 hours ahead has no pick-up guarantee and must get to the meeting point at the harbour themselves; parking there is free but scarce. Lineas Romero sends the exact pick-up time by email with the booking confirmation.
Dolphins: what the operator promises, and what it doesn’t
The operator states the route runs through areas where dolphins are frequently around. Nothing is guaranteed: whether animals show up depends on weather, swell and their own behaviour. Anyone who doesn’t see any gets neither a refund nor a new date. Lineas Romero states a success rate nowhere.
Of twelve visible review texts on the booking site, seven state explicitly that no dolphins appeared; four report sightings. That’s not a statistic, since the site chooses what it shows. But it does show that bad luck here isn’t a one-off – and that even guests without dolphins gave four or five stars. They’d booked an evening on the water, and got one.
When the sun sets – and whether the departure time fits
Lanzarote runs on Western European Time, Western European Summer Time in summer. The clock runs an hour behind Central European Time; the clocks change in 2026 on 29 March and 25 October (timeanddate.de). Sunset in Arrecife, first to last day of the month, local time:
- January: 6:07 pm to 6:32 pm
- February: 6:33 pm to 6:53 pm
- March: 6:53 pm to 7:10 pm, from 29 March 8:10 pm
- April: 8:12 pm to 8:29 pm
- May: 8:29 pm to 8:47 pm
- June: 8:48 pm to 8:56 pm
- July: 8:56 pm to 8:46 pm
- August: 8:45 pm to 8:17 pm
- September: 8:15 pm to 7:41 pm
- October: 7:40 pm to 7:15 pm, from 25 October 6:14 pm
- November: 6:08 pm to 5:56 pm
- December: 5:56 pm to 6:07 pm
Lineas Romero states 6:30 pm from Puerto del Carmen on its own site, and around two hours’ sailing. In September that fits: the sun sets in the second half of the trip. In June, with the same departure, you’d be back before sunset; from November to January the sun would set before the boat even left. So the booking site says the start time follows sunset and changes over the year. Check the time shown when you look up availability and set it against the list above.
Sunset itself isn’t guaranteed either. One guest describes it over volcanoes and sea, another calls it middling, and on the neighbouring trip one guest didn’t see it at all because of haze.
Why only 4.2 stars?
The sub-scores on the booking site: guide 4.3, transport 4.4, value for money 4.1. GetYourGuide’s automatically generated summary of the reviews names one criticism: fewer people on board would be nicer. One guest writes the boat was full but not overcrowded, that the hostess’s welcome was hard to make out, and that the coach was 15 minutes late.
Language is a second point. German appears among GetYourGuide’s guide languages, but with the note that German and Italian guides come on request. Lineas Romero, on its own site, confirms a language only from eight guests upward. The booking site’s transcript doesn’t show the bad reviews themselves – the twelve visible texts all carry four or five stars. Honestly, that’s as much as can be said.
The neighbouring trips compared
The dolphin watching category holds 7 trips from €35, median €65. Four of them are genuine alternatives to this one:
2.5-hour sunset and dolphin cruise – €52, 4.3 out of 5 from 1,653 reviews. The operator is Lanzarote Sea Tours, sailing aboard the “modern and super-fast boat” – a speedboat, not a catamaran. Pick-up at your accommodation, then sparkling wine or juice with pastries. Departure, per the booking site, is at 6 pm from April to October, and 4 pm from November to March. The last week of October is tight on paper: after the clocks change, the sun sets at 6:14 pm – whether the operator already picks up earlier by then is worth asking in advance.
See availability and prices for the 2.5-hour sunset cruise
Dolphin watching with swimming, speedboat – €35, 3.8 out of 5 from 2,281 reviews, 1.5 hours, same operator, no sunset, but time for a swim. Pick-up, food and snorkel gear are listed among the inclusions, yet the itinerary both starts and ends at the office in the harbour, and one guest advises bringing your own mask and snorkel. Contradictory, then – check beforehand. What sets speedboat and catamaran apart for children is covered in Boat trips with kids – what’s the minimum age?.
Sunset Experience with dolphin spotting – €75, 4.7 out of 5 from 78 reviews, 2.5 hours, from Marina Puerto Calero, on the electric catamaran. The short description names species such as the “Atlantic spotted and common dolphin”; guests praise the small group size. The high score rests on few reviews, and a pick-up isn’t listed in the transcript.
See availability and prices for the Sunset Experience
Half-day dolphin trip to Lobos Island – €72, 4.2 out of 5 from 656 reviews, 5.5 hours. This one sails to Lobos, an island that belongs to Fuerteventura – a half-day trip, not an evening one.
More trips are listed under Boat trips and submarine and Catamaran trips to Papagayo.
Who this trip isn’t for
Anyone wanting to be sure of seeing dolphins. No trip offers that, and here, bad luck comes with no refund.
Anyone with children looking for an alcohol-free evening. A welcome mojito, beer and wine as the free drink, music – the programme is built for adults, even though party groups and drunk guests aren’t allowed. The transcript states no minimum age, nor whether children get an alcohol-free welcome drink – ask the operator. What works instead is covered in Lanzarote with kids, Lanzarote with a toddler and Lanzarote with teenagers.
Anyone who doesn’t cope well with swell. One guest reports rough water, with the crew helping people move about. How the trade wind affects boat trips over the course of the day is explained in the article on boat trips with kids. We give no advice on seasickness – talk it over beforehand at a pharmacy or with your doctor.
Anyone using a wheelchair. Non-folding wheelchairs and mobility scooters aren’t allowed, per the booking site. Whether a folding wheelchair can come aboard should be confirmed beforehand. High heels are excluded too; comfortable shoes and a jacket are recommended.
Anyone wanting to swim or do something active. Snorkelling and diving or kayak and SUP suit that better.
Our recommendation
For most people: the Dolphin-Watching Sunset Cruise with Transfers for €53 per person, two hours, 4.2 out of 5 from 3,033 reviews. It’s the only one of the four evening cruises that includes the coach from 17 points, and the catamaran rides steadier than a speedboat. The 4.2 is no accident: it stands for full boats and evenings without dolphins. Anyone who knows that and still wants an evening on the water gets exactly that.
See availability and prices for the sunset dolphin cruise
For couples and small groups: the Sunset Experience from Puerto Calero for €75, 2.5 hours, 4.7 out of 5 – the highest rating in the table above, but from only 78 reviews. You have to get to the marina yourself.
For a small budget and anyone who wants to get in the water: the speedboat tour with swimming for €35, 1.5 hours. At 3.8 out of 5 from 2,281 reviews, it sits at the lower end of all the island’s offers with more than 1,000 votes, runs rough and without a sunset. For teenagers that’s exactly the appeal; for a calm evening as a couple, it isn’t.
No dolphin tour is for you if seeing the animals is the condition. No operator on Lanzarote guarantees a sighting, and none refunds you if none show up.
For the day before the evening cruise: What to see in Lanzarote and all things to do in Lanzarote.
