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 Playa de las Americas, Tenerife © canaryforum.com If there is any spot on the globe that enjoys a perfect climate,
Tenerife in the Canary Islands is it. There is markedly little
variation in the average temperatures between summer and winter,
which hover between 59ºF and 75ºF (15-24ºC), and
there is only very occasional rain. Throw this in to the mix of
verdant forests in the northern part of the island as well as
mountains, deserts, volcanoes, exotic plant and animal life, and
spectacular beaches (with black volcanic sand) - and you have a
holiday paradise.
Tenerife offers the unique experience of swimming and sunbathing
on a beautiful beach while just a few miles away snow sparkles on
the crest of Mount Teide. The island's central mountain stands at
12,200 feet (3,719m), the highest in Spain, and a cable-car ride to
the summit offers unrivalled views of the lunar-like landscape of
the volcanic slopes.
The island's capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, is an upbeat town
geared for tourism. Its port, where once the first shots of the
Spanish Civil War were fired, is today a morass of ferries,
jetfoils and freighters.
Resorts See our separate guides to the following Tenerife holiday resorts: Golf del Sur, Playa de las Americas, Costa del Silencio, Los Cristianos, Las Caletillas, Playa la Arena, Puerto Santiago, Los Gigantes and Puerto de la Cruz Excursions Masca
For scenery a visit to the northwest tip of the island of
Tenerife, around the picturesque village of Masca, is hard to beat.
The village is set in the Teno Mountains, clinging to the slopes of
a deep green ravine beside a narrow road full of alarming hairpin
bends. Until recently Masca was off the beaten track and not
accessible by road. The zigzag drive from Santiago del Teide has
now opened up the village and its magical setting, reputed to have
once been a pirate’s hideaway. Hikers have popularised a
two-hour walk from the village through a gully to the sea at the
base of the majestic cliffs of Los Gigantes.
Pirámides de Güímar
On the east coast of Tenerife, south of Santa Cruz, stand six
mysterious step pyramids of which archaeologists have yet to
discern the origin. The pyramids were initially thought to be just
remains of agricultural stone terraces, or random piles of stone
cleared from fields by early Spanish settlers. However Thor
Heyerdahl, the Norwegian anthropologist who lived in Guimar on
Tenerife until his death in 2002, thought differently. His research
indicated that the pyramids were constructed on similar principles
to those in Mexico, Peru and ancient Mesopotamia. The pyramids are
now enclosed in an Ethnographic Park; the site includes a museum,
life-size replica of Heyerdahl's reed ship Kontiki, a
cafeteria and souvenir shop.
Address: Calle Chacona, Guimar;
Website: www.piramidesdeguimar.net;
Telephone: 922 514 510;
Opening time: Daily 9.30am to 6pm;
Admission: €10 (adults), €5 (children 9-12)
Teide National Park
The Parque Nacional de las Canadas del Teide was declared a
protected area in 1954 and has become recognised as offering one of
the most spectacular landscapes of the world, including an enormous
volcanic crater with a circumference of 30 miles (48km), out of
which rises the highest peak in Spain, Mount Teide. In contrast to
the coastal regions of Tenerife, winter in the park, which lies at
about 6,562ft (2,000m) above sea level, brings snowfall and gale
force winds, while in summer temperatures can soar to above
104ºF (40ºC). A cable car carries visitors to the summit,
but many prefer to hike the route to experience the flora and
fauna, including rare specimens like the violet of the Teide, the
Tajinastes, as well as the many varieties of lizards and birds.
Opening time: Cable car operates between 9am and 4pm daily, weather depending
Tenerife Beaches
The volcanic nature of the island of Tenerife meant that the
land has few natural beaches. Those that exist are
characterised by black shingle stretches created from the
island's volcanic rock foundations. The demand for tourist
sun-bathing space, however, has led to the creation of resorts and
man-made beaches, with golden sand having been imported in some
cases. The good beaches on Tenerife for sunbathing and
soft sand are Los Gigantes and San Juan in the west and
Fanabe, with its soft, yellow sand, showers and other
facilities, located to the south. Also popular
are Torviscas with its marina, Playa las
Americas for its grey sandy stretches, the soft yellow expanse
of Los Cristianos' beach, Las Vistas, and Los Cristianos.
Candaleria in the east has a small black shingle beach. Up north
Puerto de la Cruz has a beach with fine black shingle, but at Santa
Cruz golden sand has been imported for its Terasitas beach.
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