Top travel locations to visit in Tenerife
3 min readTop places to see in Tenerife and Spain? Ever wondered how many beaches there are in Tenerife? We have prepared a list of 101 beaches in Tenerife for you to discover and enjoy, but we’re certain that you can still find some that are not on our list. So please don’t go to the same beach every day and go out to explore more of Tenerife. Also, here’s a shorter list with the best beaches in Tenerife (in our opinion). Tenerife is an amazing destination for hiking and the best time for this activity is between October and May, when the temperatures during the day are ideal for walking (during the summer it can be too hot). We have an entire article about the best hiking trails in Tenerife (in our opinion, based on the hikes we did) but even out of those we definitely recommend you do the Chinyero Loop and the hike through the Enchanted Forest El Pijaral (Bosque Encantado), in order to see up close the beauty of the Anaga forest. Discover more info at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1TenerifeForumCommunity.
Teide National Park is Europe’s most visited national park, with around three million visitors every year flocking to the UNESCO protected volcanic landscape in the centre of the island. The park’s crowning glory is ‘Papa Teide’, as the volcano is known by locals. Ride the cable car up to its peak, which is almost 12,000 ft above sea level. You’ll be rewarded with jaw-dropping landscapes that feel more like Texas than Tenerife. I’ve got an entire blog post all about where to eat in Tenerife, but rest assured that there’s a lot more to Tenerife’s gastronomy than the great British fry up. Some of the main local dishes are the aforementioned papas arrugadas with mojo verde and rojo mojo. You might also want to order conejo en salmorejo (rabbit in sauce), grouper, puchero (a hearty stew), and huevos estampido, which I can only describe as the best egg and chips you’ll ever taste. No, really.
Masca is one of the highest villages on Tenerife, and the rock behind it almost lends a ‘mini Macchu Picchu’ look to the village. The hike from the village to the bay will take between 3 and 5 hours, depending on how many photo breaks you work into the walk. This is a ravine hike, full of view points, flora and fauna and epic photo opportunities. This is a steady hike – bring walking shoes and plenty of water. You’ll need to catch a water taxi back to Los Gigantes, which adds to the experience. In the central north of Tenerife, you’ll find Tabaiba. This is an amazing place for scuba diving. The wreck was sunk deliberately in 2006 to build the marine life here, and attract more divers to the area. On a dive here you’ll find octopus, large schools of mackerel and barracudas.
If you’re interested in more unusual attractions in Tenerife, I recommend a visit to Chinamada which is a tiny hamlet in the north of Tenerife’s Anaga mountain range. Chinamada is home to a ‘troglodyte community’ who live in a group of around 30 modernised cave houses. Two thirds of these cave homes are underground but they’re not as primitive as they once were. Don’t be surprised to see a satellite TV dish protruding from one or two – the hamlet got its first electricity supply in the 1990s. The surrounding landscape is filled with potato fields, though few of the residents live solely off the land these days.
Tenerife is a great place if extreme and active sports are your thing. A sea kayaking or a canoeing trip is a great alternative to discover the island and its coastal parts. Don’t be scared of embarking on such extreme activities, since all trips are done with the help of a professional canyoning guide, who will guide you through this unique and majestic experience.