10 Top Tenerife thrills . . .

LAVA IT UP

Engulfed in lava by an eruption in 1706, Garachico is one of Tenerife’s most popular day-trip destinations, where swimming in rock pools hewn from the lava is a unique experience.

DIVE IN

Clear waters, teeming with marine life, make Tenerife an excellent destination for divers. The best places are Las Galletas, Los Gigantes, Los Cristianos and Puerto de la Cruz.

HAVE A WHALE OF A TIME

Around 28 species of whale and dolphin feed in the waters between Tenerife and La Gomera, making it a superb place for watching cetaceans.

LORO FUN

Set within a Jurassic Park-style environment of tropical palm groves, shows featuring parrots, dolphins, orcas and sea lions ensure Loro Parque’s enduring popularity.

SUPER SLIDE

From a lazy ride down the Mai Thai river in a rubber dinghy, to the white-knuckle Tower Of Power slide, which plummets you down a near-vertical 90ft drop, Siam Park delivers thrills and spills.

LAP UP LA LAGUNA

A UNESCO World Heritage site where convents and beautifully preserved mansions dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries sit cheek-by-jowl with tapas bars, antique shops and bookstores.

VISIT A VOLCANO

The fourth-largest volcanic tube in the world, the Cueva del Viento runs for 11 miles in a three-tiered labyrinth of tunnels beneath Icod de los Vinos.

BE A BEACH BUM

Playa del Duque’s manicured sand, thatched sunshades and blue and white striped changing booths are more reminiscent of the Caribbean than the Canary Islands.

MULL OVER MASCA

Accessed via a road which affords breathtaking views, the village’s highlight is a stamina-testing hike down the gorge to the beach from where a boat takes you to Los Gigantes.

TAKE A HIKE

Tenerife has some excellent hiking paths – and because they are not well-known, you can often walk for hours and not meet another soul.