Your cruise ship has docked in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. You have a few hours to explore. You do not want to spend €80 per person on a coach tour, and you do not want to just wander the shops near the port. You want to actually experience the city, see things other passengers miss, and have some fun along the way.

Adventure Hunt is a self-guided puzzle walk that starts within walking distance of the Santa Cruz cruise terminal. For just €19.50 for your entire group (up to 4 people), you get 1 to 2 hours of entertainment, a proper exploration of the city, and a free T-shirt to take back on board.

Why Choose a Self-Guided Shore Excursion

Cruise ship shore excursions are notoriously expensive. Most guided walking tours in Santa Cruz cost €40 to €80 per person, and bus tours to Teide or La Laguna can cost even more. For a couple, that is €80 to €160 before you have bought a coffee.

Adventure Hunt costs €19.50 for your whole group. That is not per person — that is total. A couple pays €19.50. A family of four pays €19.50. Friends travelling together pay €19.50.

Here is what you get that a traditional shore excursion does not offer:

Total flexibility. You start when you want, walk at your own pace, and stop whenever you feel like it. There is no tour guide to keep up with, no fixed meeting times, and no waiting for other passengers. If you want to sit in a plaza and drink café con leche for twenty minutes, you can.

No risk of missing the ship. Because you are walking in the city centre, you are never more than 20 minutes from the cruise terminal. You control your schedule entirely.

An actual challenge. This is not a guided walk where someone tells you facts about buildings. You solve puzzles — real, tricky puzzles that use the buildings, signs, and features around you. You have to look carefully, think creatively, and work together as a group.

A genuine experience of the city. The route takes you through areas of Santa Cruz that most cruise passengers never see. You will notice details you would have walked right past, and you will see the city in a completely different way.

How It Works from the Cruise Terminal

Getting started is simple. Before your cruise arrives in Tenerife, purchase your Adventure Hunt Santa Cruz experience from our booking page. You will receive an activation code by email.

Download the app. Install the Adventure Hunt App on your phone before you arrive — ideally while you still have Wi-Fi on the ship. It is available for both Android and iPhone.

Walk to the starting point. From the main cruise terminal at Muelle Sur, the starting point of the Adventure Hunt is approximately a 10-minute walk along the waterfront. The app provides exact directions.

Start solving. The Santa Cruz route includes 20+ puzzles spread across approximately 2.5 km of the city. At a relaxed pace with stops, expect the experience to take 1.5 to 2 hours.

Collect your T-shirt. At a point along the route, the app directs you to the location where you can pick up your free Adventure Hunt T-shirt.

Return to port. The route ends within easy walking distance of the cruise terminal. You will have plenty of time to grab lunch, do some shopping, or simply stroll back along the waterfront.

Cruise Lines That Call at Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a popular port of call for Atlantic, Mediterranean, and repositioning cruises. Major cruise lines that regularly dock here include AIDA, Carnival, Celebrity, Costa, Cunard, Holland America, Marella (TUI), MSC, Norwegian, Oceania, P&O, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Saga, and Viking.

Regardless of which line you are sailing with, the cruise terminal is in the same location, and the Adventure Hunt starting point is always a short walk away.

What You Will See and Solve

Without spoiling the puzzles, here are some of the areas and types of landmarks you will encounter on the Santa Cruz Adventure Hunt:

The route covers the main plazas, the seafront promenade, side streets that tourists rarely explore, local markets, churches, parks, and public art. You will use your observation skills, your memory, your logic, and occasionally your sense of humour. Some puzzles involve counting, some involve reading carefully, some involve looking up (or down), and some involve noticing something that is hiding in plain sight.

If you have done other Adventure Hunt experiences before — perhaps in the Algarve or Alicante on a previous holiday — you know what to expect. If this is your first time, you are in for a treat.

Other Things to Do with Your Day in Port

If you finish your Adventure Hunt and still have time before the ship departs, Santa Cruz has plenty more to offer. The Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África is an excellent market for local produce and souvenirs. The García Sanabria Park is the largest urban park in the Canaries, full of sculptures and tropical plants. And if you have 3 to 4 hours to spare, a tram to La Laguna (UNESCO World Heritage Site) takes about 45 minutes each way and is well worth the trip.

For a full guide to activities on the island, see our Things to Do in Tenerife page.

Book your Santa Cruz Shore Excursion now — just €19.50 for your group