Tenerife engulfed me in its colourful, lunar-like volcanic landscapes, fringed with rocky coastlines and vast stretches of sandy beaches, some white, some blackly volcanic.
Teide hill and Orotava valley, Tenerife, Spain
Spain’s tallest mountain, Pico de Teide, towered above me and created a dramatic backdrop, dominating the skyline wherever I went on this sub-tropical island. The botanical gardens at Puerto de la Cruz are rich with sub-tropical plants and flowers they are a perfect haven, gripping you in a flurry of perf
ume and colour. The tropical garden and dolphinarium at Loro Parque is home to the largest collection of parrots in the world, as they swoop overhead you feel their strong, beating wings cause vibrations in the air around you.
As I ended a long day of hiking around the untouched scenery of Tenerife, I settled on the beach of Lago Martianez near Puerto de la Cruz. The area is a wonderful spot for swimming and sunbathing during the day; designed and created by Canarian architect and artist Cesar Manrique, the seawater pools and lagoons surrounded by lush vegetation is built into the volcanic coastline as though a natural formation.
I stared out to the ocean with a fruity drink from the local bar and I watched the sun set across the water before me, basking me in its last warm rays before the sea swallowed it whole and it disappeared in a shimmer. The earth around me cooled pleasantly under the twilight stars and moon above. Here I felt truly relaxed.
The climate in Tenerife is an amicable 17º on average. It made my spring visit quite pleasant as I aimed to throw myself into an active holiday of exploration and adventure. However, as I said goodbye to the warm sunshine I thought it would definitely be worth a return holiday during the hotter summer months to relax on the coast with a drink and a book under the shade of a large umbrella.
The clubs start firing up early on the densely populated beach resorts such as Playa de Las Americas, Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje; They are a magnet for fun and sun-seeking holiday makers because of their pulsating nightlife. As you walk down the bustling streets late at night it’s hard to not get caught up in the excitement. Hen and Stag parties sing and laugh as they amble bar to bar, promoters call out to the partygoers jovially rallying them into their bars. The lights transform the streets with their neon glows of blue and green it feels like you’ve visited a different world!
Capturing the Sunset in Tenerife.
On my last day in the canaries I took a boat ride out of the Adeje bay to find some hidden treasures of the island and within an hour I spotted Dolphins frolicking by the boat and the smooth backs of whales rising in and out of the water in the horizon. Following my close encounter with the aquatic life I drove to a rural village in search of the archeological evidence and information about the islands native Guanche people. Tenerife is often thought of as a place for young people to go and ‘party’, but on my holiday there I discovered it has so much more to offer and it’s clearly mislabeled by many. Tenerife is a versatile destination that caters for more and is somewhere I’ll be returning to in the near future.
We hope you enjoyed our weholiday blog this week. Visit weholiday.co.uk and plan your next adventure. Or for holiday offers, click here.
