Out in the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of Morocco, a group of islands emerge from the sea. Islands with volcanoes, cloud forests, black sand beaches and zig zagging winding roads. As if the natural beauty is not enough, an average dinner for two with wine on theses islands costs about 25.00 USD. Average temperatures year round are mild here and it seems that no matter where you go, there’s never a bad view. Hop on board to learn more about the beautiful Island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands…..

Getting There

If you fly from NYC, flights are not non stop. With a stop over in Madrid, flight time is about 9 hours. After landing, if you are not renting a car, we found cabs to be significantly cheaper than their “uber”, which is called Grab. Most international flights come into the south airport of Tenerife, which is about 10 minutes from the resorts in the south, as well as the San Cristobel ferry terminal with boats that will bring you to the other islands.

Things to Do

Climb a Volcano!!! – Take a long winding road up to Tiede National Park to hike on the volcano (the highest point in Spain, as a matter of fact), enjoy the crazy insane views and even stay the night to enjoy the stars with zero light pollution. We hiked the Roques de Garcia Trail, missing the turn around point and turning our 1.5 hour hike into a 3 hour hike. The Parador de Canada is the only place you can stay overnight in the park and is well worth it just to have the night sky all to yourself after the day trippers leave. Not to mention the amazing sunset over Roques de Garcia.

Park entrance fee; zero

Hand Feed Monkeys at the Monkey Park– I am definetly not a fan of zoos, but the Monkey Park on Tenerife claims to breed endangered animals and care for rescued animals. How could I say no? First of all, I have to admit, I have never seen so many guinie pigs in one area in my life. Except for in Peru. But they were being served on a stick. Well done . With bar b que sauce. These little guys were running here and there and everywhere. Eating apple pieces right out of our hands. Then there were the monkeys. So many monkeys. Some were in the cages with us, others were in their own cages, but could be fed right through the bars. The Monkey Park is about 10.00 USD to enter. A container of food for the animals is about 5.00 additional dollars.

Visit the town of Santa Cruz– The town of Santa Cruz is a great place to walk around for a few hours, sit outside and have lunch and explore the remnants of the original castle walls underneath the city at Castillo de San Cristobal Interpretation Center. It’s a short exhibit, but worth the visit … especially because it’s free.

Stop and taste wine at Bodegas Monje – A great little winery with amazing views…. Although I have to be honest, I never met a winery I didn’t like. They offer tastings of 3, 5 0r 7 different wines and have a restaraunt with views of the sea as well. We did not make a reservation and they were very accomadating. It was about 20. USD pp for the tasting of 3 of their wines.

Do some rappelling and canyoning in Los Arcos– We booked through Get your Guide On , but the company was called Natura Xtreme Tenerife. This activity was no joke. We met our guide at a local cafe and followed him to a parking spot on the side of a winding road along a cliff. I know, it already sounds like the beginning of a Dateline… He informed us that it would be an hour long walk to get to the site and added that the first half would be easy, but the second half would be more difficult. 5 minutes in I became concerned because he considered scrambling up rocks the “easy” part. Fast forward to the end of the hike; there were steep cliffs and some rocks to climb, not to mention that you are at a few thousand feet above sea level (insert my dramatic gasps for air). Needless to say, the rappelling was awesome . Terrifyingly awesome. I may have overused profanity while on the hike each time I encountered challenges, as only a true New Yorker would do. Or a truck driver. The entire excursion lasted over 6 hours and included 7 rappels, along with a ton of rock-sliding and hiking through slot canyons. I would recommend this trip to anyone looking for some adventure, bruising and possibly tetanus. The guide was amazingly safe, knowledgeable and fun to be around!

Stay overnight on a boat- This was more fun than I thought it would be…. We booked a night on a 30 foot “yacht” docked in a marina next to a beautiful black sand beach. The boat had everything you could think of. There were towels, a coffee maker, games, etc. It was a great way to spend our last night in Tenerife.

Spend some time in the town of La Laguna– The town of La Laguna is a historic town with a fantastic clock tower (closed the day we were there, but you can climb to the top when it’s open), Tons of little shops unique to the area and cozy little restaurants tucked away on cobblestone side streets.

Spend Some Time at the Beach– We spent a few hours at Playa de Los Cristianos on the southern part of Tenerife next to the Los Cristianos ferry terminal. The beach is large with a ton of lawn chairs, some good restaurants, tons of shops and many opportunities for speedo sightings. If the sun doesn’t blind you, some of the men sporting speedos will. The beach is a free public beach.

Where to Stay

Parador de Canada– This is in a really cool location in the Mount Tiede National Park, on the slopes of a volcano. I did ask the park ranger if the volcano was active, dormant or extinct. Inquiring minds want to know. Please be extinct. Please be extinct. Apparently it’s dormant…….. hmmmmmm…travel tip; The restaurant on site is pricey with a limited menu but there is also a cafeteria attached to the hotel and museum. The cafeteria had a decent selection of food for reasonable prices. They are only open until 6 pm though.

La Laguna Gran Hotel- This hotel was in a great location . There seem to be a lot of good boutique hotels in the area. This hotel was a decent price, around 125. USD per night with comfy rooms. Parking is no longer included, but there are parking garages around town for under 10. USD a day.

The Captains Locker- A 30 foot boat with amazing personal touches in a beautiful marina.

Where to Eat

El Mirador de la Marina- This was a great restaurant at the marina where we stayed on a boat. The views are amazing to watch the sunset and the food was fantastic!

Sweet Pervert- You must get ice cream here….if only because of the name! It’s in the historic town of La Laguna.

Las Chafira– Amazing breakfast place also in La Laguna

The Mt Teide Cafeteria– This is an alternative to the more expensive and limited menu at the Parador restaurant on Mt. Teide. Food was decent with indoor and outdoor seating. Cafeteria style.

Tips for Visiting

Currency; The Canary Islands are on the Euro

Transportation; The easiest way to get around the island is with a car rental. Cabs are expensive and buses are slow. We rented right from the ferry terminal from Cicar car rental. They gave the cheapest rate and everything was super smooth.

Weather: The weather in Tenerife is mild year round, although it can vary from one side of the island to the other. The South usually gets more sun and temperatures are slightly warmer than the north. Always pack a jacket just in case.

Requirements; As of now, no visa is required to visit the Canary Islands from the USA

The Island of Tenerife is a magical place to visit with a lot of outdoor activities for thrill seekers and beautiful beaches for beach bums. Although the islands are 60 or so miles off of the coast of Africa, they are actually part of Spain. Many people could communicate in English, but the main language is Spanish. So pack your sense of adventure and don’t forget your hiking boots! Felices viajes!

Read my post on La Gomera to learn about another island to visit from Tenerife…….