You are planning a trip to Tenerife and you have no idea where to start? We show you the five best ways to discover the island by boat or by foot.
The first way to discover the great opportunities of the island is by boat. For example by going on a boat trip to watch whales and dolphins…
Whale watching in Tenerife – Spectacular water games
The trips for whale watching around the coast of Tenerife are the best ones. Because you will always see something. The Atlantic offers plenty of whale species, about twenty-one different kinds, amongst others giant blue whales or even orcas. However most you´ll see species like the pilot whale and the bottle-nose dolphin which live close to the south-west coast of Tenerife.
Dolphin swarms can be seen
Sometimes there are dolphin swarms traveling through the Atlantic close to Tenerife. You can see many of them and even big groups with calves, juveniles and adults. You´ll see them diving all together, playing in the water or jumping around. This is a great experience. So if you are in Tenerife, don’t miss it.
Where to charter a boat trip?
There are many spots where you can charter a boat for a private tour or join a trip with more people. For instance at: Puerto Colón, Costa Adeje, Puerto de Los Cristianos, Arona, Puerto de Los Gigantes, Santiago del Teide.
Sailing in Tenerife – The most convenient liberty on water
The second way to get to know Tenerife by boat is by taking a taking sailing-trip. Especially when you are searching for entertainment at its best accessible for all of your family – sailing may be the right choice!
Indeed, this great experience is not reserved only for the rich.
In Tenerife you will detect the wish to embark, at the latest when you see the harbours and marinas full of yachts and motor cruisers everywhere around Tenerife.
How about combinig more activities in one?
If you go sailing in Tenerife you have the possibility to combine two or three activities. For instance, if you charter a boat you could include whale & dolphin watching or you take a short brake for snorkeling beneath the Atlantic’s surface. Everywhere you have a scenic view of the nature or just visit the harbour for lunch to get familiar with it.
There are many boat companies that offer different trips around Tenerife and also to other lovely islands nearby. For the ones who want to enjoy a private trip and hold the right qualifications, a sports cruiser or yacht may be interesting.
In case you want to make a practical or theoretical training, there are plenty of opportunities to choose from in Tenerife or other islands nearby.
Hiking in Tenerife – Explore the paradise by foot
To discover the island by foot hiking is one of the best options. Trekking or hiking in Tenerife is maybe not the first thing you would think about if you are planning your holidays in Tenerife.
But if you are staying here you should take the chance and make at least one hike. But be careful, it is absolutely addictive! Hiking in Tenerife an absolutely must!
The island offers an almost unique variety of flora and fauna and a significant number of microclimates.
There are the steep coastlines, the pine forest, the valleys, the massifs as such as the Anaga massif (1024m / 3360 ft), the Teno massif (1342m / 4403 ft) or the Adeje massif (1001m / 3284 ft) and of course, the peak of Teide mountain (3718m / 12,198 ft) located in the center of Tenerife.
A lot of companies offer guided tours, pickup service and lunch included.
Usually, those tours are of very high quality, carried out by friendly and enthusiastic guides. They offer trekking tours for seniors, rookies and passionate hikers.
Is it really necessary to make a guided hiking tour in Tenerife?
The honest answer is – no. The hiking paths in Tenerife are well labeled and you will find a lot of information and tips about the different walking tours.
If you decide to go hiking in Tenerife by yourself make sure that you note the following points:
– Never hike alone,
– Take enough water with you,
– Use sun protection (e.g. hat, cap) – The solar radiation can be very intense,
– Bring warm cloth and/or a wind jacket, in the higher alltidtudes it can be freezing cold,
– Make sure you start your trip with a fully charged cell mobile – Tenerife’s emergency number is 112,
– Good footwear (for God’s sake, Flip-Flops or high heels don’t qualify as good footwear!),
– Inform yourself about the length and level of difficulty of the chosen hike and plan your schedule accordingly.
If you stick to these few rules you will have a great time in the beautiful nature in Tenerife!
But if you are feeling insecure or just don’t want to bother about planning a hike, book one of the many tours and I assure you, you won’t regret it!
Have a look at this expressive video of hiking in Tenerife
Senderismo con Teno Activo from Teno Activo on Vimeo.
A beautiful quote from the great explorer Alexander Humboldt about Tenerife:
“…but having traversed the banks of the Orinoco, the Cordilleras of Peru, and the most beautiful valleys of Mexico, I own that I have never beheld a prospect more varied, more attractive, more harmonious in the distribution of the masses of verdure and rocks, than the western coast of Tenerife.”
Climbing in Tenerife – where to find the best crags
Our fourth way to get to know Tenerife is to go climbing. The Climbing scene in Tenerife has grown a lot in the last 10 years. There are a lot of great spots for climbing, the weather is most of the time just perfect and nowadays you can find, especially in the South, decent climbing stores with all the equipment you need including Topo-Guides for whole Tenerife.
Climbing in Tenerife is fun for both advanced climbers and beginners. The island has to offer a vast number of sport and trad climbing as well as extensive bouldering. The wonderful things about climbing in Tenerife are especially the landscapes and the view.
Imagine hanging in the crag and watching down to the ocean!
Arico is the largest area for climbing in Tenerife. It is located in the south and has 261 sport routs. Here you will find for sure your perfect route. The grades varied between 3 and over 7b.
The canyon Guía de Isora (Guaria) has the tallest crag. There you’ll find a number of multi pitch routes (2-3 ropes). The third largest rock climbing area is located in the southwest of Tenerife and has over 100 routes. If you are lucky you can see the islands La Comera and La Palmas.
Las Cañadas or La Cañada del Capricho is known as the best place for bouldering in Tenerife. Las Canadas is lying in the National Park of the mountain Teide. The landscapes are stunning but be careful, the altitude is over 6600 ft (2000 m) so the sun can be very strong and in winter it can get pretty cold too.
These are just three perfect rock-climbing places in Tenerife out of many and there is still a lot to explore. So pack your gear and get ready for an unbelievable cool climbing experience.
Kitesurfing in Tenerife – Experience the adrenaline rush
If you like it more active try Kitesurfing, it is definitely one of the trend sports nowadays. It has become the most popular water activity. Recently more and more people developed a passion for kitesurfing and its unbriken coolness.
What’s of major importance for kitesurfers? Of course! The weather- respectively the wind forecast.
Therefore in Tenerife you are at the right place. The island offers great conditions with stable wind and weather conditions and it has around 290 days of good wind per year.
Where to kite?
The best place to kitesurf in Tenerife is El Medano, which means the sand dune in english, which is famous because of it’s strong winds. Since the sport has become more popular, El Medano also became famous and is now known as one of the best spots for kiters in the whole world.
Here are three kitesurfing spots:
– the Bay
– the Harbour Wall (sideshore)
– Cabezo Beach (side-onshore)
After kitesurfing at El Medano, the kiterboarders always return. This is because of the magical wind in the south of the island.
So enjoy it !!!
Whether you want to visit this region because you want to kitesurf or you are planning a vacation in the south, it is easily reachable because of its proximity to the Reina Sofia airport (Tenerife Sur).
There are also beautiful natural beaches in its neighbourhood, like the the Playa Grande and the Playa Tejita.
If you want to learn how to kitesurf, there is the possibility to take classes as individuals or in groups. Depending on the number of participants and the included equipment, you can get a good price in the Kiteschools, both beginnner and experienced kiters.
So go on. Plan your trip, pack your things and come here to Tenerife to discover the beauty of this glory island.