The Secret Side Of Tenerife
There’s so much more to the favourite holiday island than beautiful beaches…
1Volcano1 AMID WILD FLOWERS
Away from the beaches, Tenerife’s main tourist draw is Teide National Park where scenes from StarWars and Planet of the Apes were filmed. Dotted among the flowering cacti and crazy rock formations, carpets of wildflowers litter the ground and you’ll even find green sand here! Perfect conical volcano Mount Teide is Spain’s highest peak. Energetic folks can climb to the top but if that’s too much of an effort, there is a cable car. However you choose to get there, it is worth it, because views from the top of the spectacular crater are breathtaking.
2 VINEYARDS AND MARKETS
Tour the officially recognised wine route in the island’s Tacoronte area with its opportunities to visit vineyards, sample the produce, follow walking trails, shop at local markets or take part in culinary workshops. You’ll have the chance to visit Bodegas Monje too, a winery dating all the way back to 1750! Red wine is still produced here by combining the best traditional methods with modern viticultural techniques.
3 DELICIOUSS CUISINE
Fresh, simple and tasty, Tenerife’s gastronomy can be attributed to three essential factors: weather, sea and history. Specialities include sweet black pudding, hearty meat casserolesoles and the freshest of bright bright-eyedeyed fish – sardines, wahoo, cuttlefish, octopus, sea bass and shellfish galore, all with flavour in surround sound. Herbs that smell of sunny hillsides are included in as many local dishes as possible, yielding flavour-packed meals with an exotic touch. Popular herbs are saffron, oregano, basil, thyme or bay leaf.
4Juicy FRUIT, TROPICAL FLOWERS
Get under the skin of Tenerife and you’ll discover it has an incredible natural beauty. Streets and plazas brim over with sub-tropical species – palms, banyans and frangipani – suited to the warm, humid climate, while terraced fields produce succulent grapes and tomatoes. The tropical banana park Bananera el Guanche in Santa Cruz has more than 400 types of cacti and flowers.
5 ACTIVITIES GALORE
There are lots of opportunities for windsurfing, sailing and diving but you don’t have to be a fan of beaches to enjoy Tenerife. There are golf courses, national parks and botanic gardens to discover, as well as camel and horse riding, whale, dolphin and porpoise watching and ballooning. Besides all that there are more than 1500km of hiking and cycling trails and mountains to climb, too.
6 POP IN TO A GUACHINCHE
The north of the island is home to most of the island’s Guachinches – makeshift, pop-up restaurants which appear pretty much anywhere – in the middle of banana plantations, in a courtyard or garden or someone’s house. By law they must offer a maximum of three dishes which are home-cooked, and they serve their own wine. They aren’t allowed to sell beer, coffee or tea but do sell water. If you’re looking for an authentic experience, you can’t do better than eat at a guachinche!
7 PRIME STARGAZING TERRITORY
Teide National Park is one of the world’s best places for stargazing thanks to its clear, dark skies, high altitude and proximity to the Equator – a long way from tropical storms. There is a visitor centre at the Teide Observatory where those interested can learn more about the work carried out there.
8 PREHISTORY AND PYRAMIDS
Explore the island and you will happen upon extensive prehistoric woodlands, timewarp villages and old colonial towns. Tenerife has a glut of glorious churches andmuseums too, such as the Natural and Human History Museum in Santa Cruz. The island even has its own black pyramids at the Ethnographic Park Piramides de Guimar. You canwalk around thesemysterious structures and learn about the theories that surround their construction. Many believe they are the legacy of an ancient civilisation.