A Tourist's Guide to Tenerife

Never heard of Tenerife, you say? This is your first trip there because your friend has suggested it? Want to know where this place is and what they have to offer in the form of a vacation? Then you need to read this article.


Tenerife is one of the Canary Islands. Oh, you've heard of the Canary Islands, huh? Then how could you not have heard of Tenerife, since it is the largest island of them all? Don't shrug your shoulders at me! Tenerife not only has beautiful weather the whole year through but it has miles and miles of glorious beaches surrounded by sparkling water. And that's not all. Tenerife also has many old buildings that will delight any historian. And if you or any of your friends are volcanologists, they will fall in love with the crater type landscape. Okay, that's stretching it a little bit. You don't have to be a volcanologist to enjoy your surroundings. These are just a few of the reasons why Tenerife is considered to be one of the most popular vacation spots for any tourist.


It is said that millions of years ago, a tremendous volcanic disruption occurred that caused the main volcano and three different islands to melt together creating what is now known as Tenerife. Since the volcano did not actually erupt but rather melted into it's own crater, Tenerife is known as one of the largest and most well known collapsed craters of the world.


Christopher Columbus was a well known visitor to the island, stopping there four times between 1492 and 1502 while on his way to America. In 1494 the Spaniards, thinking all the indigenous people had been gotten rid of, walked into a trap set by the native people. Using only stones and spears as weapons while fighting naked, the natives managed to defeat the Spaniards. Fernandez de Lugo was so humiliated by this loss that he sold everything he had and went back, finally defeating and decimating the natives. While Tenerife remains under Spanish rule, it has become an island known for it's tourism and continues to make most of it's money from tourists.

So how do you get to Tenerife? There are two different options. One is by plane, two is by sea. If you opt to travel by airplane, you will land on one of the two different airports. One airport, Los Rodeos, is located on the north of the island. Reina Sofia is located on the south side of Tenerife. If you choose to go by boat, which does take longer, then you will end up in Santa Cruz. When you have reached the island, you can either rent a car from one of the many car agencies available or you can take either a taxi, a bus or walk. It's up to you.


Once you get to Tenerife, there are all kinds of accommodations available. They range from campgrounds and hostels, to budget hotels or expensive luxury hotels. You can even rent an apartment along the beach at Apartamentos Hesperia Bristol Playa, Fuerteventura. So no matter what type of budget you are on while visiting Tenerife, there is something available for everyone at every price.

While in Tenerife, you will never be bored. There are so many different attractions that anyone can find something to love about this island. They have many parks, each with their own type of theme. There is the Loro Park (or Puerto de la Cruz) which is a tropical park. They have tons of different varieties of birds, dolphins, and the world's longest underground walkway, where you get to walk through while looking at the sharks and various fish. If your type of park is more in the line of amusement parks, there is the Octopus Aquapark. There you will be able to sunbathe or watch dolphin shows. They also have water slides, tubes, pools with diving boards and much more.


You can also do some sightseeing through aquatic or botannical gardens, visit the Natural History Museum, take a cable car to the peak (12,200 ft.) of Mount Teide or visit the many craft markets Tenerife has to offer. You can also play golf, go skateboarding or karting or even hang glide. At night there are discos, Medieval nights or jazz clubs. They also offer ballet by the Riverdance Company.

There are various restaurants all over the island where they serve not only the Canarian type of foods, but regular foods as well. They have a variety of foods to sate any palate, including French, Indian and Greek Foods. They even have an Irish Tavern. Just let it be said that you will never go hungry in Tenerife.


So now that you know all of the things about Tenerife, where it is and what you can do there, plan your trip out and have fun!


Continue reading: Tenerife, from the beaches to the Mount Teide