8 Things you should know about Tenerife. The Canary Islands were a mainstay of family holidays during my childhood. My parents worked in hospitality so we took holidays when business was quiet. This often meant we were looking for reliable, sunny escapes during the winter months. Because of this the Canaries conjure fond memories for me, particularly Tenerife.
Much time has passed since then and it had been over 20 years since my last visit. During this time I had forgotten about the many places that had made Tenerife so magical to me as a child. I forgot all about the island’s fantastic attractions and began to associate the island with mass tourism, parties and package holidays.
There’s no denying that Tenerife caters well to mass tourism. If you’re looking for a poolside holiday, look no further. But there’s a side to Tenerife that receives much less attention. There is so much to discover here. So I’m getting on my soap box and shining a light the hidden side of the island. Forget your what you know about Tenerife, the island is a gem and deserves a visit!
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Things you should know before you go to Tenerife and why it’s such a great place to visit!
There are so many things you should know about Tenerife. And by digging beneath the surface, you could uncover more of what this island has to offer. Here are some of the things many travelers don’t realise about this incredible island.
1 – Where is Tenerife?
A lot of people get this wrong!
Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands, a string of islands which have belonged to Spain since the 1400’s. Being Spanish territory, many assume that the islands are close to Spain. They are actually closer to the west coast of Morocco, meaning the islands have a climate similar to west Africa.
The weather here is hot in the summer yet warm during the winter, particularly in the south (we’ll come back to this distinction later). It’s the perfect destination for year round sunshine and winter sun. Other popular islands within the Canaries include Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and La Gomera; all of which are popular with European visitors.
2 – There’s an amazing national park!
One thing you should definitely know about Tenerife, is that it’s home to Europe’s most visited national park. The Parque Nacional Del Teide draws over 4 million visitors each year and is one of the ’12 Treasures of Spain’. The jewel at the centre of the national park is Pico del Teide, a sleeping but active volcano which towers over the island. It also has the distinction of being the highest mountain in Spain and the highest point on any of the Atlantic islands.
Most of the national park sits inside a gigantic volcanic crater which stretches over 11 miles. This caldera is the result of a catastrophic volcanic eruption which destroyed most of the island over 150,000 years ago.
Since then, volcanic activity has continued to shape the park with eruptions taking place up to 1909. And there are still signs of activity beneath the mountain. The evidence of this volcanic activity surrounds you in the park, from dramatic rock formations to blackened lava flows. Very little plant life survives in the national park, creating a moon-like landscape. In fact, technologies for exploring other plants have been trialled here as the landscapes are similar to those found on Mars.
It’s an amazing place to visit and it’s well worth exploring this area during your visit to Tenerife. Intrepid explorers can climb to the top of Teide which offers amazing views of the island and across the ocean towards the other Canary Islands.
There’s plenty to see without climbing the mountain and plenty of Jeep safaris available to show you everything that the Teide National Park has to offer. There’s even a small hotel in the park if you’d like wake to stunning views of this majestic mountain.
Time your trip carefully though. The weather around Teide can be temperamental due to the altitude and often the summit has to close. So try to plan your trip for a clearer day with low winds.
3 – Tenerife has the perfect climate for everyone
There’s a lot of variation in climate on Tenerife, so depending on which part of the island you visit, you’ll get very different weather. This is because Mount Teide is so high. It literally casts a shadow across the north of the island and causes clouds to form around its summit.
Teide is so high that it stop rain clouds from reaching the south of the island. This means that the south of the island is dry and arid, perfect for visitors looking for sun and sea. It’s no surprise that Tenerife’s most popular tourism spots are on the southern coast.
In comparison the north is lush green and exceptionally humid. This part of the island gets over three quarters of the island’s rain. Here you will find green forests and banana plantations. It’s also slightly cooler so if you’re not fond of the heat, base yourself in northern Tenerife.
Many are surprised to find out that you can also get snow in Tenerife. The altitude of Mount Teide means it can be snowing at the summit, whilst visitors are sunbathing in the south.
Overall though, Tenerife has warm weather for most of the year. The island gets particularly hot in the summer months (May to August) but will remain warm for most of the winter too. The island is a popular option of visitors looking for sun during the winter. May retired European’s chose to head here for months at a time to escape the harsh winters up north.
4 – Tenerife has incredible history!
Not many visitors head to Tenerife to learn more about the island’s history. Which is a shame because this island, along with the other Canary Islands, has lots of stories to tell. Scratch beneath the surface and these stories quickly come to life!
From Indigenous Populations…
There has been life on Tenerife for thousands of years. The indigenous population of the Canary Islands were the Guanches. The Guanches were originally from north Africa but came to the Canary Islands around 3000 years ago. There are remnants of Guanche settlements throughout the Canary Islands, and many of them are in Tenerife.
Mount Teide had special significance to the Guanches as they believed a mythical figure lived in the fires of the volcano. Ritual sites have been found inside the Teide National Park where it’s thought sacrifices would be made to the great mountain. More remnants of the Guanches are found at the Pyramids of Guimar or inside the Reserva Ambiental de San Blas where a number of settlements and ritual sites are found.
If you’re interested in discovering more about the Guanches, head over to Gran Canaria. The Ceuva Pintada or Painted Cave in Galdar brings the Guanches to life as well as being home to the finest preserved cave paintings from the Guanche era.
…to the Spanish Conquest
The Castillian conquest of the Canary Islands began in 1402. As did a dramatic chapter in the history of the island. Conflicts between the Spanish and the Guanches continued for decades and by 1496, the Guanches were no more.
For a glimpse into this fascinating history, look no further than Masca, a village on the west coast of the island. Masca sits in a plunging valley, between towering cliffs. This is one of the oldest settlements on the island; once being home to the Guanches, it was eventually resettled by the Spanish. The valley is rich with tales of piracy and claims pirates hid in the village before pillaging passing ships, returning to Masca with their spoils.
The journey into the Masca gorge is breath-taking albeit a nail-biting experience. The road zigzags down the side of the valley offering astonishing views of village below. The road is a relatively recent addition. There was no road access to the village until the 1970s which helped the village to maintain its sense of isolation. The village has a small public square and a tiny church, plus a number of small restaurants which are perfect for a spot of lunch. It gives a glimpse into a much quieter version of Tenerife despite being very popular with tourists.
If you are feeling adventurous, you could attempt hiking the Barranco de Masca which is a 3 hour trek from Masca to the coast. However this hike is fairly strenuous and you should allocated six hours if you are making a return journey.
5- There’s a lot of nature to see…
…especially on the coast.
The Canary Islands are a great location for whale watching and one of the only locations in Europe where whales are present all year round. You can see pilot whales and dolphins at any time, however lucky visitors may also see sperm whales and orcas who pass the islands during their migrations. Seeing these animals in the wild is a great experience and if you are in luck you could even see sea turtles.
Our tour also gave us the opportunity to snorkel in shallower waters as well as a Cava reception, all of which added to a great experience.
6 – The Annual Carnival is Massive!
Another thing few people know about Tenerife, is that the island is home to one of the worlds most incredible carnivals! The annual carnival in Santa Cruz, the island’s capital, is the second largest carnival in the world after Rio de Janeiro. It’s been going since 1605. The Canary Islanders take their annual carnival very seriously. Visitors will witness elaborate costumes, masses of locals in fancy dress and street parties which continue into the early hours of the morning.
In 2019 over 400,000 people attended, equal to almost 50% of the island’s population. For this reason, Carnival time (usually in February) is a very popular time to visit the island.
7 – The Canary Islands are outside the EU VAT Area
Many people don’t know this about Tenerife! The Canary Islands are a part of Spain so technically are part of the EU, but they are a Special Member State. This means the Canaries are not part of the EU VAT area. This means you don’t pay VAT in Tenerife. There is an equivalent tax in the Canaries called the IGIC but this is much lower than most VAT rates. This means that your purchases could be around 10% cheaper in the Tenerife.
Obviously exchange rates and other factors contribute to the costs, however it’s worth shopping in Tenerife to see whether the tax reduction can save money on your larger purchases.
8 – Where to stay
There are a lot of places to stay on Tenerife and many different areas to explore. There’s even a hotel inside the crater of the Teide National Park! It’s safe to say that this hotel’s view of the volcano are second to none!
I stayed at the Sandos San Blas Eco Resort which is ideal for accessing the airport and relatively quiet despite being on the busy southern coast. The weather is also more reliable in the south than in other parts of the island. Staying here also gave us free access to the Reserva Ambiental de San Blas which is part of the hotel complex. The rooms here were great and the facilities were exactly what we were looking for.
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So there you have it, 8 things you should know about Tenerife before planning your visit. I hope this inspires you to book a trip to this amazing island. If you enjoyed reading this post, you might also enjoy these ones too:
- Driving in Gran Canaria – The Best Places to Visit by Car
- In the Sand Dunes of Maspalomas
- 11 Awesome Things to do in Las Palmas
- Discover Lanzarote
