Tenerife – Travel Facts
About 5 times more people visit Tenerife every year than there are people living there.
Tenerife has 300 sunny days a year
The Tenerife flag is the same as that of Scotland’s.
Tenerife is Spain’s one of the most beautiful Islands and also the most populated city in the Canary Islands. The landscape is so diverse that it has such wonderful flora & fauna, mountains, volcanoes, lush green forests and even deserts! The earliest settlement in Tenerife dates back to 200 BC. Many wars were fought over the possession of Tenerife and in the middle ages; many of the natives were forced to work in plantations by the invaders. Now, Tenerife is a vibrant Island with an influx of millions of tourists every year. The rapid growth of Tenerife to compete with other major European cities started in the early 1960’s which saw the first air commute, slowly bringing in huge industries and businesses to Tenerife. The south of the Island is known to be humid almost throughout the year and offers the right temperature for beach lovers. The north of the island is known for its cultural wealth and the temperature is also lower than the south side. In between the north & the south sides, Spain’s tallest peak is situated. It is the volcano which is barely active known as the El Teide. Spanish is spoken predominantly here. Other languages like English, German & Italian are also spoken.
Getting to Tenerife
Tenerife South (Reina Sofia) close to Los Cristianos and Tenerife North (Los Rodeos) near La Laguna are Tenerife’s airports. Buses are available from early morning to midnight which shuttle between the airport and the main city. There is also a ferry from Cadiz, Spain, which takes two days to reach Tenerife. There are also ferries from Tenerife to other Canary Islands. The BONO card gives access to trams and buses which can save a lot of money when compared to one-way tickets. Renting a car can also be fun & feasible to explore the vast island and all its amazing sites making it a road trip like never before.
Places to Visit
The El Teide volcano is one of the main tourist attractions of the island. The volcano top can be reached by cable car or by climbing the mountains long stairway. The view from top of the volcano is breathtaking. Even though the island can be hot, the top of the volcano can get really cold due to the altitude and strong winds which offers a strange but exciting experience. Parque Rural de Anaga is an excellent place to venture into wild. Instructions about the park can be found at the visitor’s center. A trip to Masca village is incredible as the road winds through the mountains. Tenerife is also known for scuba diving. There are several places to scuba dive around the island and one can even see under water volcanic formations or feed stingrays!
Hotels in Tenerife
Finding a place to stay in Tenerife is easy. There are apartments available with indoor and outdoor swimming pools and are very close to the Christianos Beach. The prices start at €60. Sea front hotels at Playa de las Américas come with a huge tropical garden and have outdoor pools, spa, etc., starting at €50. Hotels near the La Pinta Beach offer great features like tennis courts and swimming pools starting at €70.
Tenerife besides being Spain’s most populated island is also the largest of the seven Canary Islands. Tenerife hosts one of the world’s biggest carnivals gathering a crowd of five million tourists every year which is the most for any Island in the Canaries.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital of the islands and is assisted by two airports namely Tenerife North Airport and Tenerife South Airport. Tourism is the most prominent industry throughout the Canaries and understandably because the Canary Islands have it all be it their museums, architecture and craft and that makes it one of the exquisite European destinations.
Tenerife is a perfect holiday destination with beautiful beaches, the scorching sun, cheap bars, numerous nightclubs and ecstatic atmosphere. For adventure enthusiasts too, it is a perfect landscape along the coastline which makes it perfect for adventure sports. When it comes to surfing, you can’t ask for more, it is a surfer’s paradise. The place has plentiful beautiful beaches to surf on. Near the famous beaches of El Medano, you have the ultimate windsurfing and kitesurfing locations. To keep the interest and competitive spirit alive both professional windsurfers and kite board riders have started organizing competitions from a few years and have got a great feedback. Tenerife’s volcanic landscape serves as a perfect place for climbing, bouldering and canyoning and especially around areas nearby Arico and El Capricho. With a rough terrain and slippery as it gets when you keep moving, mountain biking is without a surprise the most popular, adrenaline pumping and thrilling sport here in Tenerife. The Teide National Park is the best place for mountain biking here in Tenerife and the most challenging one too so before coming in here make sure that you have all the safety equipments you require. So many adventure sports together in one single island make it such a tourist attracting location.
As far as one’s budget is concerned except the pre-booking tactic, one can stay in these campsites around the beaches rather than staying at some luxurious hotels. These campsites are not only reasonable in their accommodation but are very close to nature and give tourists the real feel of the warm waters of this splendid island. If you’re still craving for more adventure in your Euro trip and have time for just one more destination then let Tenerife entertain you.