Tenerife

Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands. It is 83.3 km long and up to 53.9 km wide. There live about 906000 inhabitants. The capital of the island is Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Here you can experience much more than a pure beach holiday.

Teide National Park

Tenerife
Teide National Park

Every morning from our breakfast table at the hotel we had a magnificent view of the Pico del Teide. Sometimes the mountain was covered in clouds, sometimes it stood out in sharp contrast to the clear blue sky and on one morning we even saw snow at the top of it.

The Pico del Teide is 3710 meters high and is located in the Teide National Park Tenerife. It is, in fact, a composite volcano with almost completely bare slopes. The volcano last erupted in 1909.

The unusual landscape became a National Park in 1954 and was declared UNESCO World Natural Heritage in 2007. The area is controlled by gamekeepers, who regulate the masses of tourists. Hiking is only allowed on designated hiking paths. There are guided tours that lead away from the main road. A hike to the top of Pico del Teide requires a special permit that has to be applied for in advance. Only those who would like to take the cable car Teleférico del Teide up to the station that is about 150 meters below the summit are allowed to do so without a permit.

We took our hire car to the National Park. We planned to take the cable car to get up the mountain. After we parked the car in the massive car park at the lower terminus we abandoned this plan. The queue was insanely long!

But the National Park has lots of interesting spots where visitors can learn about the volcanic landscape. I was deeply impressed by the different types of landscape –big, open sand plains, rough and rocky terrain and everything in between can be found here.

The way back from the sunny Teide was particularly diverse. First, we disappeared in a thick soup of low hanging clouds and then all of a sudden it was pouring down.

A trip to this National Park is definitely worthwhile – we will certainly come back again.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife – a flying visit

Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife – a flying visit

Santa Cruz de Tenerife was only one of many places along the road from the southern part of the island back to the north for us. Until we decided to stop off and inhale some city aroma.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital of Tenerife. It is located between the sea and the Anaga mountains in the northeast of the island. Santa Cruz de Tenerife has one of the largest and deepest sea ports in Spain. Cargo ships, as well as cruise ships, frequent the port which is economically important for the island.

In the capital, a popular pedestrian area with many shops and restaurants is heavily frequented, also by tourists. Beautiful parks, historic monuments and buildings but also modern structures characterise the cityscape.

Sadly, we didn’t get to spend a lot of time in this lively city and only walked away with a handful of impressions.

Markt Nuestra Señora de Africa

I was very much impressed by the Nuestra Señora de Africa Market (blessed virgin of Africa market). Not only tourists but also many locals visit the market and its multitude of stalls daily. Fruit and veggies, meat, fish, spices and flowers can be found here. The huge variety of goods was impressive. On top of the many different colours of flowers and fruit, a true explosion of smells was waiting for us near the spice stalls.

The market was installed in 1943 and had its highs and its lows. In 1995 facilities were improved, new parking spaces were created, and new cafes and restaurants were opened. This was a huge boost for life on and around the market. Today, over 300 shops sell their goods here.

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Address:

Av. de San Sebastián, 51,
38003 Santa Cruz de Tenerife,
Spain

Opening Hours:

daily: 08.00 – 14.30
Flea Market on Sundays!

Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Concepción

This church is a well-known landmark of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It was constructed in 1502 and over the years, corresponding to the city’s economic situation at the time, expanded and renovated. For a long time, the belfry helped the ships to navigate to the island’s port. Inside the church precious art and pieces made from gold and silver are kept. Particularly impressive to me were the wonderful, gold-plated altar and the marble pulpit.

The church is under Monument Protection.

The opening hours of the church are quite irregular. Therefore, visitors should aim for arriving during a service; otherwise the church might be open to visitors only by coincidence. But also, the exterior of the church is beautiful, and the building is well worth a visit in any case.

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Address:

Avenida Bravo Murillo / Calle Tomás Pérez
38300 Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Tenerife)

Parque García Sanabria

We then walked through the Parque García Sanabria. This park in the northern part of the inner city is the green lung of the town. This is a place for lovely walks or for relaxing on one of the many benches. But it doesn’t end there; the park is also home to many water features, monuments and, during the time of our visit, also a clock made from flowers that I really liked.

A trip to La Orotava on a rainy day

Tenerife
A trip to La Orotava on a rainy day

La Orotava is located in the Orotava valley in the North of the island of Tenerife. On a rainy day, we took our hire car to Orotava. Our objective: Get out of the hotel and go for a little walk.

La Orotava covers the biggest area. The national park Teide is regarded as part of the city area. The inner city is under monument protection.

We arrived in the city without a goal in mind and braved the weather armed with an umbrella. The signs that pointed us in the direction of some landmarks every once in a while came in handy as they guided us to some of the city’s noteworthy spots.

Casa de los Balcones

This marvellous house was build in the 17th century. Particularly interesting are the balconies on the front and in the backyard. The balconies are characterised by beautiful carvings. Tropical plants hang down from the upper balconies and provide a lot of shade. The carvings are worked into canary pine wood. We found a wooden grape press in the backyard. The old three-story building is used as a museum and a gift shop for embroidery today.

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Address:

Calle San Francisco 2
38300 La Orotave,
Tenerife

Opening hours:

daily 08.30 – 18.30

Liceo de Taoro

The Liceo de Taoro in La Orotava has been painted a russet colour. The city Palais is used as a culture centre.

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Address:

Sociedad Cultural Liceo de Taoro
Plaza de la Constitución 6
38300 La Orotava
Tenerife

Plaza de la Constitutión

This is the city’s centre of communal life and also the main meeting place. One can stop in the small pavilion for a relaxing cup of coffee or be lured into one of the bars in the later hours of the evening for a drink and a chat.

The view over the Orotava valley from this plaza is great.

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Address:

Plaza de la Constitución
38300 La Orotava
Tenerife

Palacio Municipal

Visitors can’t miss the City Hall of La Orotava. All events in the city take place here. An enormous arrangement of pictures made from lava rock and volcanic dust in different colours is displayed here on Corpus Christi Square.

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Address:

Palacio Municipal
Plaza del Ayuntamiento 1
38300 La Orotava
Tenerife

Parque Taoro in Puerto de la Cruz

Tenerife
Parque Taoro in Puerto de la Cruz

One of the most beautiful gardens of Tenerife, the Parque Taoro, is located in Puerto de la Cruz. Take the time to stroll through the gar

The garden of the Taoro Hotel and the neighbouring casino premises are about 100.000 m² in size. The Parque Taoro is located on the slopes of a volcano above Puerto de la Cruz and offers a stunning view to all those who come up here.

The garden once belonged to the best hotel in town. The Grand Hotel Taoro was opened in 1892 and became one of the largest hotels in Spain. European royals used to frequent the place. A fire in 1929 destroyed the hotel. It was reconstructed quickly but never regained its popularity of years past and was eventually closed. Also, the casino, that was later built in the park, didn’t survive long in its original spot and had to change location.

There are plans to rebuild the hotel and open it again.

The garden of the hotel is open to the public and, at least to me, one of the most beautiful areas on the island. Water features were installed that visitors get to cross on bridges and circle on little paths. Little waterfalls, lakes and streams were installed and are surrounded by an abundance of vibrant flowers, trees and bushes. The vegetation is something very special and thanks to the many water features the temperatures in the park stay comfortably low; that makes for a pleasant stay, especially on hot days.

The well-maintained mosaics on the walls around the park impressed me. The pictures represent the culture of the Guanches, the native inhabitants of Tenerife. Depictions of hunters and gatherers are shown next to a picture of the holy Garoe Tree (which is on the island of El Hierro).

Tenerife has many good spots for excursions, hikes, for relaxation and for exploring. On Katja’s blog WellSpa-Portal there is a great article about the “Ghost Forest” and detox holidays on Tenerife (in german).

Do we, or don’t we? Drive to the Faro de Teno Lighthouse

Tenerife
Do we, or don’t we?
Drive to the Faro de Teno Lighthouse

That is the big question. The Faro de Teno Lighthouse lets some visitors feel the sting of remorse. That is because actually, driving through to the lighthouse is not permitted.

The road between Buenavista del Norte and the lighthouse is closed for all motorised vehicles. Overhanging cliffs, crumbling rocks, unsafe roads and the lack of lights in the tunnels make for a very thrilling drive. In bad weather conditions or great humidity, it is strongly advised to give that drive a miss. Insurance companies for hire cars will not cover any damages caused by this risky drive. It is only for the very adventurous.

Do we, or don’t we? Drive to the Faro de Teno Lighthouse

We were after that sort of thrill and took on the drive up to the Faro de Teno Lighthouse. And to be honest, some stretches of the road gave me the chills and especially in the long, dark tunnels, I held my breath. On top of that, the road was very curvy and narrow. Our daughter turned a little pale but we made it and arrived at the Faro de Teno Lighthouse in one piece.

The road was closed by the government in 2013 and reopened in 2015 after two years of reconstruction. Falling rocks, however, are still a risk when using this road.

The lighthouse is located on the north-western tip of Tenerife, the Punta de Teno. It was built in 1976 and replaced its smaller predecessor from 1893. The surroundings of the lighthouse are only partly accessible. It is a protected area. There is a wooden path that leads from the car park to the lighthouse and to the coastline. From here visitors get to enjoy a wonderful view over the coastal cliffs of the Acantilado de los Gigantes, some enormous rock formations on the coast. In good weather one can see as far as Gomera.

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Address:

Punta Teno – Faro de Teno
38480 Buenavista del Nte.,
Santa Cruz de Tenerife,
Spain

Jardín Botánico de la Orotava

Tenerife
Jardín Botánico de la Orotava

Especially on very hot days, a trip to the Jardín Botánico de la Orotava is highly recommended. In the shadow under the trees, visitors can find some clam in the city.

The botanical garden in Tenerife was installed in 1788 by King Karl III of Spain. He planned to create a space for plants brought back from expeditions to slowly get them used to the climate before planting them out in different royal gardens. Acclimatising worked quite well in Tenerife but not all plants survived the climate of the Spanish mainland.

Over time the Jardín Botánico de la Orotava grew considerably in size and many fascinating plants await the visitors. Almost 400000 visitors visit the Botánico every year where they get to see over 5000 different plant- and 120 tree species. About 2 hours should be set aside for a trip to the garden, otherwise visitors might have to rush through the area.

I was particularly impressed by the strangler fig. With its aerial roots and all the gaps and crevasse, the tree looks light and airy. I can imagine that an entire forest full of these trees is quite the sight.
Birds feed on the seeds of the strangler fig. However, birds cannot digest the seeds and dispose of them with their excrements. In case this happens while the bird is sat on a branch, the seeds will stick to the tree due to a tacky seed pod.
The strangler fig tree will immediately start to sprout there. It will start to grow its aerial roots that will soon reach all the way down to the ground. As soon as the roots reach the ground, the tree will grow even faster, and more aerial roots will start to appear. After some time, the roots begin to wrap the host tree, which will eventually die and decompose, leaving the characteristic cavity of the strangler fig.

There are many other fascinating plants to discover in the botanical garden. I, for instance, was unfamiliar with the so-called sausage tree. This west African tree carries fruits that resemble the shape of sausages. These fruits are about 50 cm long and packed with starch and protein. They are a delicacy for elephants and giraffes.

But also palm trees and wonderful plants can be found in the Jardín Botánico de la Orotava. I think that a visit to Puerto de la Cruz is without a doubt well worthwhile. This abundance of plants from all across the planet in one spot in the open is a sight to see.

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Address:

Calle Retama, 2,
38400 Puerto de la Cruz,
Santa Cruz de Tenerife,
Spain

Opening Hours:

daily 09.00 – 18.00

Admission fees:

Adults: 3€

Tenerife

Tenerife Teide National Park

Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife – a flying visit

Markt Nuestra Señora de Africa

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Opening Hours:

Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Concepción

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Parque García Sanabria

Tenerife A trip to La Orotava on a rainy day

Casa de los Balcones

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Opening hours:

Liceo de Taoro

Address:

Plaza de la Constitutión

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Palacio Municipal

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Tenerife Parque Taoro in Puerto de la Cruz

Tenerife Do we, or don’t we? Drive to the Faro de Teno Lighthouse

Address:

Tenerife Jardín Botánico de la Orotava

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Opening Hours:

Admission fees:

Tenerife
Teide National Park

Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife – a flying visit

Tenerife
A trip to La Orotava on a rainy day

Tenerife
Parque Taoro in Puerto de la Cruz

Tenerife
Do we, or don’t we?
Drive to the Faro de Teno Lighthouse

Tenerife
Jardín Botánico de la Orotava