Exploring Tenerife

Our first day started early, cause our flight was at 6 am from Frankfurt International Airport. It was also a bit stressful because we had to catch a connection flight in Lisbon. Luckily it all went well, and we landed at Tenerife South Airport around 1 pm. We made a huge mistake, and we didn't rent a car before our trip. We decided we can do it as we get there, and we booked with our trip an organized ride with a bus to our hotel. Huge mistake! It took more than 2 hours to get to our hotel. So, I strongly recommend, if you are planning to rent a car, book it in advance and collect it directly at the airport.

(I've just discovered that hotel where we stayed was bought by someone, and now it's called Alua Tenerife) Around 3.30 pm we finally managed to check into our hotel. The staff was very friendly, and our room was clean, so I can't really complain. But if I ever go back to Tenerife, I will look for a hotel on the west side of the island (Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos, etc.). If you are visiting in late Autumn, like we did, you will get a lot more sun on the west side of the island. After checking in we were too exhausted to do anything, so we just went to rent our car and then to the hotel pool.

Our first stop was Mirador de Humboldt. If you have time, make a stop there and enjoy the view.

After our short stop at Mirador de Humboldt, we continued our drive to Anaga Rural Park. The Anaga Rural Park lies in the northeastern part of the island. The park has been protected by UNESCO since 2015. This park is home to mountains with sharp peaks and more than 800 endangered species of flora and fauna. In other words, Anaga Rural Park is a real haven for nature and hiking lovers. On your way, you can choose between numerous hiking trails of distinct difficulties and lengths. Every hiking trail will take you to different corners of the park. Some of the trails will lead you through villages like Chinamada and Taganana, where you can feel the rural life of the Canary Islands. Other trails lead to lovely volcanic black sand beaches. Because it was raining in the mountains that day, we didn't walk very much and as you can imagine the views weren't that great either. At some places, we couldn't see anything at all. So, we decided to go to the beach, cause as we learned, just because it's raining in the mountains, it doesn't mean it's raining at the beach too.

The first beach we've visited was Playa de Benijo. This beautiful black sanded beach is probably one of our favorite beaches on the island. Just a little warning for you, if you are planning to go on wild beaches. The sea here can be really dangerous. So be careful, don't go very deep into the sea, and make sure that you don't go into the water if there is a red flag.

The second beach that day was on the other side of the island, Playa de Las Teresitas. Beautiful long beach, with golden sand. It's one of the busiest beaches on the island. It's also perfectly safe for swimming.

Before heading to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, we decided to grab something to eat at the beach (Strasse Beach).

We did a short walk around the city and after that, we went back to our hotel.

We started our day at Loro Park. Loro Park is a zoo located in Puerto de la Cruz. It houses an extensive and diverse reserve of animal and plant species. Initially created as a paradise for parrots, Loro Park has become one of the most respected zoological institutions in the world. Several times a day park hosts dolphin, Sea Lions, and Orcas shows as well as an amazing Loro Show with parrots. How much time you should spend in Loro Park is hard to say. We spent about 5 hours in the park and were able to see all the shows except the one with Sea Lions (due to construction work shows were not held). The shows take place at different times, so if you plan your visit right, you may be able to see them all. Entrance 38€

After lunch, it was time for our tour to Teide Observatory. The bus picked us on a bus station just a few minutes from our hotel and we headed to the Observatory. The Canary Islands are one of the three best spots in the world to observe the sky, along with Chile and Hawaii. If you are a fan of astronomy or you just love to watch stars, Mt Teide is a perfect place for you. What do you think about how many days in the year is the peak of Mt Teide cloudless? Well, our guide told us the answer is about 350 days a year. Imagine now how “lucky” you have to be to visit this place on a cloudy day. Well, the day of our astronomical tour was cloudy, and we couldn’t do the stargazing. Apparently, I’m not the right person to talk about luck. Nevertheless, in situations like this, the stargazing takes place in a small planetarium. In the end, we’ve seen the stars above Mt Teide in a warm planetarium. So, that’s not so bad, don’t you think? Price from 40€.

Monkey Park, also known as the biggest little zoo in the world houses a great collection of monkeys, parrots, exotic birds, and reptiles. What differentiates this zoo from other zoos in the world is the fact that in some parts of the zoo, you can actually walk through the monkey’s cages and feed them. You will quickly notice how smart these little animals are and how they will, without a problem, still have some food if you are not careful enough. Entrance 10€

Siam Park is a waterpark in Costa Adeje. This water kingdom is awarded as the number one waterpark in the world by TripAdvisor many years in a row. The Thai theme of the park is implemented in all rides, buildings, and restaurants. The park has something for everyone. Meandering rivers and beautiful beaches for relaxation, a magical water fortress for the little ones, and free-fall slides for adrenalin junkies. Tip: if you are visiting in the low season, I’m advising you not to buy a fast pass. We were there in November and the average waiting time was only a few minutes. Entrance 38€

After having a great time in Siam Park, we went to Los Cristianos Beach.

El Drago Milenario, or Drago de Icod de Los Vinos, is the oldest and largest dragon tree in Tenerife and one of its most famous symbols. You can take a nice walk through the Icod de Los Vinos and Parque del Drago, where the tree is located. Admission to the park is only 5 Euros. But if you only want to see the tree, you can see it (and take pretty good pictures of it) from the terrace of the coffee shop across the street.

After that, we went scuba diving at Playa de Los Cristianos. It was an amazing experience.

We had an amazing lunch at Restaurante Agua Marina. If you have the chance, make sure to go there.

We stayed at the beach for the rest of the day.

On our last day, we decided to stay in Puerto de la Cruz. We strolled around the promenade, and it was a pretty amazing walk. You can overlook the ocean on one side and watch the mighty volcano on the other. Just a perfect combination. I love how despite being the most visited city in Tenerife, Puerto de la Cruz has preserved the traditional Canarian charm.

The rest of the day we spent at Lago Martinez. Lago Martinez is a complex of seven seawater swimming pools of various sizes, shapes, and depths. It is also an open-air museum of Contemporary Art. Entrance 5,50€

We also stopped for some cocktails at Compostelana Club Cafe.

We decided to go for dinner at Tasca Ihuey.