Isla de Tenerife Things to Do

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From the harbor of Los Gigantes you can take a boat tour to see the whales and dolphins. Although the whales are not too big, approx. 6m long it is still very nice to do. Also with kids as trip takes approx 1,5 hrs.
Food and drinks on board.

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After stopping at the the little town of La Orotava with the House of the Balconies we soon arrived at the harsh moon like country that surrounds Pico del Teide (3,718 m). Where Niel Armstrong walked on the moon we were told. Good roads for bicycle riders, that is if you are in training for the Tour de France.

Quite amazing country. Harsh on the eastern side of the Island and green, lush, and fertile on the other.

This happens because the clouds from the east get "stuck "on the high ground that runs down the centre of the island and the west coast benefits from the rain that results.

We were told our day was brilliant. Some days if there are clouds there is no view at all.

We stayed right in town and walked the cobbled streets and indulged our taste buds in Cafe de Paris. We gazed at the Atlantic ocean in awe as waves crashed on to the rocky shore. We looked at trash shops and said"It is about time to explore the island"

Nearby to Hotel Marquesa we found Tourist information...Erik and Renata. So with their excellent advice we arranged three days of touring by bus to different parts of the island.

When we saw the winding and I mean winding roads to the little villages we were glad not to be driving ourselves.

And when we found we had booked a tour on the day we were leaving there was no problem to make the change.

I will have to go back and see if they are still there.

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So you like the tour we did yesterday ...so come to see Santa Cruz. And do not miss the famous beach. Once it was just all rocks but loads and loads of sand from the Sahara Desert turned the stretch of coast into a sandy beach.

Of course Santa Cruz is the capital of Isla de Tenerife. We explored the mall, found a coffee stop and a toilet. Back at the meeting place we ventured underground to see the remains of the old city wall. Should have allowed more time for that. Saw where the cruise boats dock.

Of course my favourite for the day was to visit the once remote village of Taberno. Down the winding road which has been open only 30 years.
And this is where we had lunch. The most fun lunch stop of all the tours...that is until the owner came out wielding his baton to make sure we paid the bill!

But you do get local potatoes and local wine. YUM!

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So south of Puerto de la Cruz down the most winding, hair pin bend roads I have ever been on in my whole life... (up to now it was the local Obi Obi Road until it was upgraded)... to visit Masca.

Wow those roads...smaller buses only...a few passing places...and lots of back ups when two meet on the narrow road. Do not look out your window if you are on the drop away side!

Masca, when you get there, is a cute little place down heaps of stairs which keep the locals fit and had me puffing.
Some local gifts to buy in some hidden nooks...such as the hotel where we had a beer. Lots of ordinary gifts too which will amuse you and keep you away from the stairs.

But what spectacular views on the way. Just go and see for yourself. Now this is on the west coast so guess what? Green ,fertile, and beautiful and of course the Atlantic Ocean crashing on the shore.

A little place of interest we saw from above was Garachico nestled in the hills...has been covered by volcanic lava three times we were told.

Spanish are the best taking advantage of beaches, even when... there is no beach. That is not exactly the case, but I must confess that Canarias are far from being a great option for beach - cold water, only a few and crowded beaches, arid landscape where, as a friend of mine with great sense of humour said that each single palm tree 50 centimeters high deserved a dedicated light, doesn't match the idea of tropical paradise that most people have in mind before going.

Spanish professionalism makes miracles, and the poverty of the islands is well disguised - a never stopping line of hotels restaurants and bars turn it in a lively place, where no one gets bored, and if you decide to really go to the beach... well it's possible... here and there...

El Médano is the island's windsurfing hotspot. Located only 2km away from the airport Tenerife-Sur, it is rather noisy with all the planes starting, but popular nonetheless. The beach consists of dark yellow fine sand and is encompassed by a nice wooden promenade with several shops and restaurants. The water is flat and the waves are not very strong so that El Médano seems to be a good place for families with small children to go swimming. But the main thing to do is windsurfing or kite-surfing. When we were there, hundreds of people were surfing and the azureblue sea was dotted with all kinds of colours: yellow kites, green surfer suits, red surfboards...

Garachico is a picturesque village on the north coast of Tenerife. It used to be a very rich village as a sugar merchant lived there, but was almost completely destroyed by a devastating volcanic eruption in 1706. While it was rebuilt immediately after the catastrophe it could never reach its wealth anymore as its port was buried under masses of volcanic debris. Nowadays, it's a sleepy village in the morning before the tourists arrive. Narrow steep streets lead up the hills and offer some nice views on the sea and the tiny island of Gara Chico which gave the village its name. Garachico is the village of statues: nowhere else on Tenerife have I seen as many statues. There is a rather famous one commemorating the "wine uprising" of 1655 when the people of Garachico spilled thousands of litres of wine in the streets to demonstrate against exploitative prices dictated by the British, there is a statue of Simon Bolivar, whose grandmother came from here, on Plaza de la Libertad, and numerous others. Plaza de la Libertad is the centre of the village, surrounded by a monastery, a church and several other beautiful buildings.