Why should you visit Tenerife? Well, Tenerife is a volcanic island with some of the most diverse landscape I have ever seen. Volcanos, lava fields, tropical green land, black sand beaches. You have so many activities in Tenerife, including countless incredible hiking trails, and if you venture away from the very British tourist resorts you will find charming colonial towns.
Tenerife blew my mind. I spent a week there and only scratched the surface.
Now I must admit, Tenerife didn’t really come onto my radar till about 6 months before I went there. Being one of the Canary island’s, they have this reputation of ‘Brits abroad’. It’s where we go to get drunk, stay in resorts, and just generally be ‘British’.
Then I read something online about the other side to the Canaries. The outdoor adventure side. This got me intrigued so I did my research which leads to the next question, ‘which Canary?’.
When doing my
I have so much I want to say about Tenerife that I have decided to divide it into 4 blog posts:
- This one. Obvs.
- The Anaga mountains – A fairytale in Tenerife
- The road to Masca
- Short hikes in Tenerife
For
Why you should Visit Tenerife
The Anaga mountains
It is a protected natural landscape unspoiled and untouched located on the Northern peninsula of Tenerife. It consists of rainforest, ravines, rugged coastlines, black sand beaches
In 2015 UNESCO declared it a World Biosphere Reserve and is home to the largest number of endemic species in Europe.
Unsurprisingly it is said to have some of the most beautiful hiking trails in Europe. This was my favourite place to visit in Tenerife, so I dedicated an Anaga mountain blog post to them.
Masca
Masca takes the second spot in my top places to visit in Tenerife. It is a small hamlet located in the Teno mountains in the Northwest of Tenerife and is said to be one of the most picturesque parts of the island. It is so isolated that it’s only since 1991 that it has been connected by road to the outside world.
To get to Masca is an adventure in itself, through deep ravines, winding roads and hairpin bends. Not to mention spectacular views. The village is made up of pretty old stone houses and dramatic rock formations and has become quite a tourist attraction. As such its best to go early or late to avoid the tour buses. Masca really deserves its own blog post which you can find here
Playa Montana Amarilla
This isn’t a sand beach but rather a small area of pebbles and yellow rocks sculpted by erosion. The rocks have formed shelves which are perfect to lay on and enjoy the sun or you could even take a walk along one of the short hiking trails over Montana Amarilla. After you have worked up a sweat it’s a perfect place to get into the ocean to cool off, you can either jump in or use the steps.
There is also a small beach bar/shack creating a buzzy laid back vibe. You really have everything you need to make this a perfect place to spend the day. This is also a popular scuba diving location.
It is located on the South of Tenerife next to the town of Costa del Silencio so it’s easily reachable by bus. Take number 467 or 468 and get off at either Minerva or Costa del Silencio. Alternatively, there is small car park if you want to drive.
El Medano beach
Home to Montana Roja which I talk about in my hiking in Tenerife post, it is also a popular kite surfing beach. I didn’t kite surf but I had a look and it was really mind-blowing seeing so many kites in the air. If you want to give it a go there are kite surf schools and rental shops in the area.
You can get to El Medano on buses 408, 409, 410, 411, 470 or 483.
Guimar
Guimar is a municipality located on the Eastern part on Tenerife. It is a quintessential Canarian town with many churches, museums
Malpais de Guimar is a protected natural landscape consisting of a volcanic cone (Montana Grande) and basaltic lava flows meeting the Atlantic ocean. It’s such a stunning area with numerous hiking trails. I’ve written more about this in my blog post
Pyramids de Guimar are fairly recently discovered and said to relate to the ancient civilisation of the Guanches, however the origins are not completely clear. You can get here on bus 121 or 126.
Barranco de Badajoz is a ravine where Tenerife’s most significant prehistoric remains have been found including Guanche mummies. You can take buses 33, 35 or 37 to a bus stop of the same name, then walk. I didn’t actually go here so I can’t give you more information than that but I know its a popular area to visit so I suspect once off the bus the entrance will be signposted.
Teide National park
It is the largest national park on the Canary islands and is home to Teide volcano. At 3718m above sea level, it is the highest peak in all of Spain. Or if that’s too high for you there is Pico Viejo which is the second highest peak in Spain at 3135m.
Everything I read about Tenerife mentioned this area as a
It is a UNESCO world heritage site with a landscape described as akin to another planet. You can drive around, go for hikes, or the big one, summit
It is located in the
Other reasons to visit Tenerife
There are so many different adventure activities you can do in Tenerife. I focused on just hiking but you can find out more about other activities and how to do them here. When you go to the website just enter Tenerife. There is literally so much choice, which is why I haven’t listed them.
Sunbathing and beaches
I personally wouldn’t recommend you visit Tenerife just for a beach holiday. Yes, there are beaches from golden to black sand but the coastline can get quite windy and a lot of the beaches can get quite packed. Quite frankly I think it would be a waste to not instead explore the island, then throw in a little bit of beach time. Some of the more remote beaches you could actually hike to, that way you get in some adventure and then have a beach almost all to yourself.
Where to stay when you visit Tenerife
Personally I wanted to stay as far away from the tourist resorts as possible. So I went for small towns or air bnb.
If you aren’t hiring a car I would choose to stay in the area you wish to explore the most. North, south, east, or west. You get the picture. The things I wanted to see were actually spread all around the island so I split my stay between North East and South.
Generally speaking its a little warmer down south and rainier up north.
If you want the tourist resort experience and nightlife you have places like Puerto de la Cruz (North), Los Gigantes (west), Santa Cruz (North West), Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje (South).
For a quieter more traditional Spanish or rural village feel go to La Laguna (North East) or La Orotava (North). There are also so many smaller villages all over the island.
Oooooor head to one of the villages in the mountains, definitely what I will do next time.
I found a blog by a girl called Paulina who has lived in Tenerife. She gives good details on where to stay based on your specific preferences.
Logistics for your visit to Tenerife
Getting there
Tenerife is one of the Canary islands which belong to Spain but is actually much nearer to Africa.
There are 2 airports, Tenerife South (TFS) and Tenerife North (TFN). It makes sense to fly to the one located near the area you will be staying but in reality it doesn’t really matter. They are linked by a bus, and both have buses that take you to other parts of the island.
Getting around Tenerife
Car
I highly recommend hiring a car if you plan to explore. You can pick up and drop off at the airport. There are so many amazing spots in completely opposite sides of the island which is why this will be the most efficient method of transport.
Scooter
This is what I did. If you choose this method planning to explore a lot of the island then be prepared to spend many hours of the day getting from a-b. Yes, the journeys were very long, but some of the rides I did made it all worth it. Also, make sure you take warm clothing and wind protection. Once you start riding above sea level it gets very cold. Even at sea level, the windchill is real.
The company I used was Cooltra. I would definitely recommend them. They actually operate all over Europe and I have used them in other countries as well. You can pick up and drop off at different scooter shops they have around and can even arrange for them to pick up and drop off to your location (at an extra cost). With a normal driving
Public transport in Tenerife
There is a bus network that can get you to the main places. For more remote areas in the mountains, it’s a little more tricky. S
Alternatively, you can book tours which take you into the mountainous areas. You can look up bus timetables online, or alternatively ask in tourist information for all bus information.
What about you, have you been to Tenerife and is there anywhere you would recommend? I feel like I only scratched the surface of this magical island.
