Tenerife

Formed when three volcanoes fused together Tenerife is an island of two halves:  the arid desert-like south and the verdant north.  The island is perfect for an active holiday hiking, windsurfing, paddle boarding and cycling in lunar Teide National Park.  There is great hiking in the Anaga cloud forest in the north as well as in Teide National Park where strong walkers can summit Mount Teide itself.  Those of you wanting a more genteel holiday will enjoy the world heritage town of San Cristobel de Laguna, (perhaps for churros and hot chocolate) and visits to vineyards. It is also possible to take a cable car to near the top of Mount Teide and there is fabulous star gazing to be had.  For winter sun, Tenerife offers genuine warmth staying  hot enough for a day on the beach most days.  Highlights include:

• Tenerife’s dark night skies make it one of the best places to study the solar system.  You can also book a daytime visit to Teide observatory.
• Cycling around the lunar landscape of Tenerife.  Electric bikes also available.
• Take the cable car to the summit of Mount Teide to enjoy stunning views.  It is possible to book sunset and stars ascents where the cable car whizzes you up for an evening’s stargazing.
• Wander around Tenerife’s capital Santa Cruz with many beautiful historic buildings and a good food market.
• Take the family to the magical water kingdom of Siam water park.
• Take a boat out to sea (or paddle a kayak) to view the spectacular sheer cliffs of Los Gigantes.
• Take a picnic to one of the many coves surrounding Garachico and swim in one of the lava rock pools surrounding the town.
• Visit the historic centre of world heritage town of San Cristobal de la Laguna.

Walking in Tenerife

The Anaga Rural park (or Cloud Forest as it is also called) provides a network of trails and paths which are excellent for walkers of all abilities.  It is also possible to summit Mount Teide but this is a strenuous hike for strong walkers only.  It takes about 10 hours on a series of tracks and pathways through the volcanic landscape. Easy to intermediate trekking can also be found in walking to the Chinyero volcano and climbing Samara volcano for a stunning view over the volcanic cones.  Shearwater Travel can organise guides for all these walks in combination with flights and accommodation so please get in touch.