Does the Whale Heritage Area certify Picarus or the destination?

The destination: it certifies the marine strip of south-west Tenerife and La Gomera as a place where whale watching is practised responsibly. Picarus takes part in its action plan through ACEST, the sector’s association.

Exactly what area does it cover?

Some 2,000 square kilometres of ocean between Las Galletas and Buenavista, in south-west Tenerife, and the waters west of La Gomera — the same strip our outings sail from Los Gigantes.

Why did its certification make the news in 2021?

Because it was the first destination in Europe to achieve it. It is granted by the World Cetacean Alliance and World Animal Protection, and only a handful of places in the world hold it.

Certified destination

Whale Heritage Area Tenerife-La Gomera

The first destination in Europe certified for its responsible relationship with whales and dolphins: the marine strip we sail.

What is the Tenerife-La Gomera Whale Heritage Area?

It is the certification the World Cetacean Alliance, in collaboration with World Animal Protection, grants to destinations where whale watching is practised responsibly. The marine strip of south-west Tenerife and La Gomera obtained it in January 2021, becoming the first certified destination in Europe; Picarus sails those waters every day and takes part in its action plan through ACEST.

Granted by: World Cetacean Alliance, with World Animal Protection
Since: January 2021 — first certified destination in Europe
Area: some 2,000 km² between south-west Tenerife and La Gomera
Picarus: represented in the action plan through ACEST

What it is and who grants it

In January 2021, the marine strip of south-west Tenerife and La Gomera —the waters we sail every day— became the first destination in Europe certified as a Whale Heritage Area (then called Whale Heritage Site). The certification is granted by the World Cetacean Alliance, in collaboration with World Animal Protection, to destinations where the community celebrates, respects and protects cetaceans and their habitat.

The certified area covers some 2,000 square kilometres of ocean, from Las Galletas to Buenavista and the waters west of La Gomera. Since 2023 the programme sits within the Wildlife Heritage Areas, with the same spirit: recognising places where the local community proves that tourism and conservation can go hand in hand.

What it means when you sail with us

It is a seal for places, not companies: it recognises that whale watching is practised responsibly here and that a joint action plan exists to keep it that way. Picarus takes part in that collective work through ACEST, the South Tenerife Cetacean Association, present in the group that drove the area’s action plan.

For those who sail with us, this seal means the Teno-Rasca Marine Strip is not a tourist backdrop but an internationally recognised heritage. Every outing is made knowing we are in one of the best places in the world to share the sea with free-ranging cetaceans — and with the responsibility of keeping it that way.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Whale Heritage Area certify Picarus or the destination?

The destination: it certifies the marine strip of south-west Tenerife and La Gomera as a place where whale watching is practised responsibly. Picarus takes part in its action plan through ACEST, the sector’s association.
Exactly what area does it cover?

Some 2,000 square kilometres of ocean between Las Galletas and Buenavista, in south-west Tenerife, and the waters west of La Gomera — the same strip our outings sail from Los Gigantes.
Why did its certification make the news in 2021?

Because it was the first destination in Europe to achieve it. It is granted by the World Cetacean Alliance and World Animal Protection, and only a handful of places in the world hold it.

Verify it at the source

The programme’s official website describes the Tenerife-La Gomera area, its scope and its history. It is the source maintained by the World Cetacean Alliance itself.

Official Tenerife-La Gomera area website ↗ (opens in a new window)

Official sources last verified in July 2026.

Certifications

A guarantee of trust

Quality milestone · 2018

ISO 9001:2015

We were the first company in the sector to obtain the ISO 9001:2015 certificate for whale watching and crewed services for maritime excursions (AENOR, 2018).

Learn more →