The island of a thousand experiences, with endless opportunities, and memories you will never forget. Join me on my travels as we take a look at some of the things to see and do on the island of Tenerife...
Exploring the surroundings of the volcano: El Teide
Tenerife is the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, off the coast of West Africa. It is dominated by El Teide, a dormant volcano of 3,715m (12,198ft) that makes it Spain's tallest peak. The island itself has many beaches with sands of colours from yellow to black, giant cliffs towering over the ocean, hidden gems in hectares of forest, and walk on Mars in El Teide National Park as you step into what feels like a desert.
LOS CRISTIANOS:
We chose to stay in the area of Los Cristianos in Arona, towards the South of the island, with its famous Playa de las Vistas and Playa de las Americas. An area where a lot of tourists usually go; you can take a walk down the famous "strip" to the Hardrock Café, visit the Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Carmen in the centre of the town, stroll along the Marina, or take a short hike up Montaña Chayofita.
(Left) The "strip" lined up with palm trees (Centre Left) Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Carmen (Centre Right) A walk along the promenade by the marina (Right) View on top of Montaña Chayofita
One of the highlights of our time spent in Los Cristianos was the opportunity to go on a boat trip to see whales and dolphins in the area. Bahriyeli is a 23m 2 mast Turkish Gulet and invites you to an unforgettable experience on a two hour sail to visit Tenerife’s resident Pilot Whales and Bottlenose Dolphins in their own natural environment. Discover the beauty of the Atlantic Ocean on this Bahriyeli boat tour from Los Cristianos Harbour. You won’t have to worry about missing a whale or dolphin sighting as you have experienced crew members to answer your questions, and point out any marine sightings. Escape the hustle and bustle of the city, and get fantastic views and photo opportunities of El Teide, the Tenerife coastline, and marine life. A great choice for nature and wildlife fans to learn about native marine life from the boat crew.
Tickets are €25.00 per person (2hrs). Click on the link below for more information: https://www.viator.com/tours/Tenerife/Tenerife-Whale-and-Dolphin-Cruise-onboard-the-Barhyeli-with-Mar-De-Ons-Los-Cristianos/d5404-45458P1?mcid=56757
(Left) Pilot Whales (Centre) Onboard the Bahriyeli (Right) Bottlenose Dolphins
Travelling around the island it is essential to rent a car, luckily in the Port of Los Cristianos CICAR - Alquiler coches Canarias - Rent a car is available. For 4 days the price was €96.69 and you could add an additional driver for free, the best part was you weren't charged for being under 25 which most car rentals do.
MASCA:
Masca is Tenerife's most beautiful village set in a superb mountainous location, known as the "Machu Picchu of Europe" you can clearly see why. Its location is stunning; only accessible by a road full of tight hairpin bends, Masca is a forgotten village and has been relatively undiscovered until recent years. The descent down through the ravine is only about 5km; the drive feels much longer due to all the twists and turns, but the views are absolutely breathtaking.
LOS GIGANTES:
Another place on the bucketlist for Tenerife is Los Gigantes: giant rock formations that rise from the sea towering to a height of 500-800m! These majestic, vertical cliffs, the Acantilados de Los Gigantes, offer a wonderful view but that's not just all there is to do. Walk along the black sand at the base of the cliffs, climb a little to some of the many Miradors (viewpoints) that are there, go on a whale watching trip and see that the waters are heaving with wildlife, or take a kayak at the foot of the cliffs and look up in awe. 'Where mountain suddenly meets sea', this place is not to be missed!
EL TEIDE NATIONAL PARK:
A unique landscape of craters, volcanoes and rivers of petrified lava, surrounding the impressive silhouette of El Teide Volcano that stands at 3,718m above sea level. To find out more about my experience there, why don't you take a look at my blog: El Teide National Park:
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE:
The largest city and also the capital of the island, Santa Cruz de Tenerife was also on my list of places to go to mainly due to the auditorium. Something that looks somewhat similar to the Sydney Opera House, this architectural marvel is easily recognisable and can be seen from far away. If you have time you also need to check out the Castle of St John the Baptist, the Palmetum and Plaza España.
Interested in finding out more? Check out below the places I went to:
1) Playa Amarilla 2) Pyramid de Arona
3) Playa de las Americas
4) Playa de las Vistas
5) Montana Chayofita
6) Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Carmen
7) Port of Los Cristianos
8) Restaurante Pizzeria Piccolo
9) Restaurante Abordo
10) Casablanca Disco Bar
11) Coqueluche Beach Bar
12) Natural Pools of Alcala
13) Los Gigantes
14) Cueva del Tancon
15) Ohana Sunset Club
16) Masca
17) Castillo de San Miguel
18) Lava Field
19) Roques de Garcia
20) Teleferico
21) El Teide Volcano
22) Las Cañadas del Teide
23) Puerto de la Cruz
24) Mirador de la Garañona
25) Auditorium de Santa Cruz de Tenerife
26) Castle of St John the Baptist
Like I said before, make sure you check out my other blog on Tenerife: El Teide National Park, and take a look at all of the things you can discover! Where to next? Let's see!
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