Tenerife. A short guidebook to the island of eternal spring · 33 pics

Intro   

In 2018, I published on this blog a lot of posts about my travels in Tenerife — I have been on the island twice, in 2008 and 2011. And I want to go there again! :) Anyway, now I would like to sum up some things and create a small guide to the interesting places of Tenerife that I happened to visit. I realize that there is a lot of such material on the Internet, but I hope that someday somebody will use the information from this article.

Map, links and overviews

First of all, I made a map. On the map, 30 locations are marked in different colors: red — cities and villages, green — natural attractions, yellow — zoos, parks, and other places for walking and interesting pastime. The table below lists all places with links to the exact location on Google Maps. Next, for each location, I have prepared a brief overview with links to my old posts and sites on the Internet as sources of additional information. All the pictures and drawings in this post are mine, except for the map picture — I borrowed this image from Google (but I drew the numbers!).

As you can see, the island is full of sights. So, in order to fully enjoy the beauties of Tenerife, I strongly recommend renting a car. And yes, sorry for the errors in my texts, English is not my native language. :)

Well, now about everything in order ...

1. Playa de Las Americas.

Beaches, hotels, residential complexes, villas and townhouses, shops and malls, cafes and restaurants — all this is about Playa de Las Americas, the main tourist center and the largest resort of Tenerife. More pictures in my old posts: «Las Americas», «Playa de Las Americas», «Evening At The Hotel» and «Isabel Hotel».

2. Jungle Park.

Las Águilas or Jungle Park is a theme park and a small botanical garden. The main highlight of the Jungle Park is a huge collection of diverse birds and unique entertainment shows featuring trained birds of prey, parrots and toucans, and even sea lions. More information on the park's website. Some of my old posts with pictures from the park: «Bird Tamers», «Toucans» and «Black Hornbill».

3. Monkey Park.

Monkey Park is a zoo opened about thirty years ago to study the habits of rare monkeys. At some point, in order to attract more visitors, it was decided to turn it into a contact zoo — a place where you can closely communicate with animals. Also, lemurs live here, and therefore children really like this park. Website is here. More pictures in my past posts: «Give Me Your Hand», «Fear And Loathing», «To Eat Or Not To Eat», «Funny Monkey» and «Lemurs».

4. Surroundings of the village of Vilaflor.

A very beautiful road (TF-21) leads to the mountain village of Vilafor. Not far from the village is one of the most famous sights of Tenerife — Canary pine Pino Gordo, the highest (and fattest) tree on the island. A walking trail to the Lunar landscape also begins nearby. More pictures here: «Vilaflor Village» and «Pino Gordo».

5. La Tejita beach.

This is a long natural sandy beach in the south of Tenerife. My post about this place: «La Tejita».

6. El Medano.

El Medano is a famous sports resort in Tenerife in the southern part of the island. Surfers and kitesurfers love this place for a moderate wave and almost constant wind. More information here.

7. Pyramids of Guimar.

This is an ethnographic park opened in 1998 on the initiative of the legendary traveler Thor Heyerdahl. My post about this place: «Pyramids Of Guimar».

8. Candelaria.

The small coastal town of Candelaria is the religious center of Tenerife. The embankment of the town is known for the statues of the leaders of the ancient Guanches, the indigenous inhabitants of the island. A few photos here: «The City On The Coast».

9. Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The capital of the island. It is home to the government of Tenerife and every four years it is home to the Parliament of the Canary Islands. My few posts about the city: «Santa Cruz de Tenerife», «Garcia Sanabria Park», «Weyler Fountain Square», «Las Taquerias» and «Other People».

10. Las Teresitas beach.

Las Teresitas is perhaps the most famous beach of Tenerife, which serves as a kind of symbol and visiting card of the island. My post about this place is here.

11. Almaciga beach.

The North of Tenerife will surprise you with its secluded and almost wild beaches. On the way to Almaсiga you will see, in my opinion, the most picturesque landscapes of the Northern coast of the island. Here, the mountains and the ocean are almost inseparable. You will find photos of these places in my old posts: «The Road To Taganana», «Almaciga and Benijo» and «Atlantic Ocean».

12. Anaga Rural Park.

This is a natural park located in the north-eastern part of the island. Anaga is a mountain range entirely overgrown with relict forests. The TF-12 route, which runs through the Anaga mountains, has many viewing platforms. More pictures in my old posts: «Anaga Rural Park», «The Road To Las Mercedes» and «Misty Mountains».

13. Punta del Hidalgo.

The town of Punta del Hidalgo is located at a distance from the main tourist routes of the island, and there are no special sights except the lighthouse. But here it is not crowded and very quiet, so if you want privacy, you should visit this place. More pictures are here.

14. San Cristobal de La Laguna.

This is the former capital (until 1883) and the second largest city of Tenerife. Besides, it is the oldest city of the island where the architectural sights are perfectly preserved — the historical center of La Laguna has survived to the present in the same form as it was created hundreds of years ago. I still regret that I was just passing through and did not have time to get acquainted with the city. There are a few photos in my only post about San Cristobal de La Laguna.

15. TF-24 route.

One of the most beautiful roads of the island. A must-visit route. Just look at the photos from my past posts: «La Esperanza», «TF-24», «On The Route TF-24» and «Sea Of Clouds».

16. Teide Observatory.

This is astronomical observatory founded in 1964 in the Teide National Park. More information can be found here and here. My pictures are here.

17. Teide Natinal Park.

The volcano and the Teide National Park are undoubtedly the main attraction of Tenerife. According to some sources, this is the most visited national Park in Spain and Europe — three million tourists come here every year. The main challenge for any tourist is to climb to the top of Teide. However, I never managed to do it. That's why I have to come to Tenerife again. :) More photos in my old posts: «Teide», «Teide National Park», «Sometimes I Feel So Deserted» and «Dark Night».

18. The Stone Rose.

The TF-21 route has an observation deck called Mirador Piedra La Rosa. This is the name of an unusual rock shaped like a flower. I talked about this place in this post.

19. Aquamansa.

The village of Aguamansa is known for its trout farms. I didn't walk around the village, but I visited one of the farm. More pictures are here.

20. La Orotava.

The colonial atmosphere of La Orotava attracts absolutely everyone who came to Tenerife. In addition, many holidays are always held here. I don't remember exactly, but I've been to La Orotava at least five times during my two visits to the island. This is probably the most beautiful city in Tenerife. So I had a lot of posts about La Orotava: «La Orotava», «La Casa De Los Balcones», «The Streets of La Orotava», «The Feast of Flower Carpets» and «Artists At Work».

21. Pueblo Chico Park.

The Pueblo Chico park tells the story of Tenerife with help of many miniature models of all the main attractions of the island. I visited this Park in 2011, but in 2015, unfortunately, the park was closed for some reason and since then it has not worked. More information is here. My post with a lot of photos (92!) is here.

22. Loro Park.

This is the largest theme park and zoo in Tenerife, a place that requires at least two full days to visit. There are many pavilions in the Park, and every couple of hours there is an entertainment show. You will find more information on the park website. My posts with pictures from the park: «Loro Parque», «Dolphins And Orcas», «Meerkats», «Squirrel Monkey» and «You Heart As Is Black As Night».

23. El Lance observation deck.

Mirador El Lance is an observation deck with beautiful views of the Orotava Valley. My post about this place is here.

24. Icod de los Vinos.

The city of Icod de los Vinos is home to one of the island's main attractions, the Dragon Tree, declared a national treasure in 1917. You can also take a stroll through the historic part of the city and visit the Butterfly park. My posts: «Icod de los Vinos» and «Butterflies».

25. Garachico.

Located right on the shores of the Atlantic ocean, the small historical town of Garachico is one of the most picturesque places in Tenerife. The coastline of the town is volcanic natural swimming pools equipped with stairs for easy access to the water. My posts about the town: «The Road To Garachico» and «Don't Take Your Guns To Town».

26. Punta de Teno.

The westernmost point on the island is called Punta de Teno. From here you can enjoy the most incredible and stunning views of the rocks of Los Gigantes. More pictures in my posts is here and here.

27. Palmar Mountain.

Near the city of El Palmar there is an interesting mountain formation similar to a cut cake. The story of this formation is unknown to me, as well as the exact name of this mountain. But the landscape that opens to the eyes, I must say, are quite curious. My post about this place is here.

28. El Teno lunar landscape.

In addition to the famous Lunar landscape in the Teide National Park, there is another smaller one in the El teno mountains. More pictures in my old post.

29. Masca.

Another incredible natural sight of Tenerife is the Masca Gorge leading to the ocean. From the village of the same name located right among the rocks, you will see a stunning panorama of this gorge. So, Masca is a must-see place. More pictures in my old posts: «Masca Gorge», «The Road To Masca», «Masca Gorge Views» and «Sunset In Masca».

30. Acantilados de Los Gigantes.

This is a small resort town that owes its name to the grand rocks of Los Gigantes. The town is closed from the north winds by these rocks, so it is believed that the weather in Los Gigantes during the year is more favorable than in the other resorts of the southern coast. My post about this place is here.

Outro

That's all. Of course, there are many other places on the island that I don't know about. But I hope you enjoyed this post and I would be very happy if all this information is useful to anyone. Thank you for reading! :)

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
2008-2011.
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