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, the highest in Spain, and a cable-car ride to the summit offers amazing views of the moon-like landscape of the vulcano’s slopes.
The island’s capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, is a lively town geared for tourism. Its port, where once the first shots of the Spanish Civil War were fired, is today full of activity with ferries, jetfoils and freighters.
Tenerife Auditorium
The Tenerife Auditorium is an incredible building designed by the famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. We recommend you to visit this incredible structure and even to enjoy any of the concerts and events held in it. See the programme of events of the Auditorum at www.AuditoriodeTenerife.com, tickets can be purchased by phone at (0034) 602 317 327 (Monday to Friday 10:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 19:00 hrs)
Loro Parque
The amaizing Loro Parque (Parrot Pak) will surely fascinate you no matter your age. A visit to the park can take you nearly a whole day, so reserve some time for it. The park which was originally devoted to parrots shows has now grown into Tenerife’s second biggest attraction after mount Teide.
The Loro parque is home to the world’s most important Parrot collection with over 300 species, an amazing seal show, Dolphin Show, Parrot Show, Aquarium with Shark tunnel, Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Tigers, Jaguars, Flamingos, Alligators, Tortoises, Orchid House, Gambian Market, a ‘NaturaVision’ Cinema and the worlds largest Penguinarium with a reproduction Antarctic climate within which 12 tons of snow falls a day.
Puerto de la Cruz
Puerto de la Cruz is one of the top resorts in the Canary Islands. It is also the longest established most complete of all resorts on Tenerife. The old part of the town keeps beautiful spots, one of the few places where the locals still work, eat and drink. Much of the area around the old fishing port is full of narrow cobbled streets packed with colonial architecture.
British tourism arrived here over a century ago and today ‘el Puerto’ has a wide span of magnificent hotels to suit all tastes and budgets. In addition to its old world charms it offers some of the best visitor attractions in the islands.
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 sand created from the island’s volcanic rocks. 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.
Some of the best beaches of Tenerife are Los Gigantes and San Juan in the west and Fañabe, in the South with its soft, golden sand, showers and excellent facilities. Also popular are Torviscas with its marina, Playa las Americas for its grey sandy stretches and los Cristianos’ beach. Candelaria in the east has a small black shingle beach. Up north Puerto de la Cruz has a beach with fine black sand, and at Santa Cruz golden sand has been imported for its Terasitas beach.
Boat Trips from Tenerife
A large number of companies offer boat trips for tourists, varying from a ‘booze cruise’ on a cruiser offering lunch, drinks and watersports to a trip around the island on a sailing boat or catamaran. One of the main attractions is the chance to see whales and dolphins in the wild. Visitors on most trips spot whales; dolphins are not so much of a certainty but can be seen generally – often very close to the boat. Trips go from either Puerto Colon in Playa de las Americas, or from the port at Los Cristianos and most operators offer a free bus service from the larger hotels in the main resorts.
Big Game Fishing around Tenerife
The Canary Islands are one of the best spots in the world for big game fishing and a number of companies offer fishing trips in Tenerife. While blue marlin are the most highly prized trophy fish there are plenty of other species including white marlin, wahoo, dorado, yellowfin tuna, and mako and hammerhead sharks. Regular catches of blue marlin range from 331 to 496 pounds (150 to 225kg) with last year’s record standing at 794 pounds (360kg). Trips cost around €45 including all equipment, but excluding lunch.