First of all I visited the Mt. Teide, the highest mountain in Spain. You can ride a cable-car to the summit. And I had an unrivalled view on the lunar-like landscape. You can see all the colours of different types of rock, orange, green, rust, black and beige.

For good photographers a must, to eternalise this fascinating view in pictures. I’m not a good photographer, so I tried to put these colours in my mind for ever.
And, believe it or not, on this bald peak I found vegetation. It was a kind of daisy flower, growing in bushy clumps, very cute.

I drove around, visited all the traditional rural towns and hillside villages, but for fun you should go out in Puerto de la Cruz. It’s said to be better for the older people, like I am, and it exceeded all my expectations. It was a quiet, cool space, that’s what people told me. And there were right! I had a relaxing evening there.

The northern coast was bordered by steep cliffs, but the southern part was for the tourists. It was not because this part was hotter, but rather the infrastructures were more developed. The beaches, made of black volcanic sand, were gorgeous and the ocean was wild and refreshing.

I walked along the ocean and sometimes I was completely alone. Wonderful! If you ever plan an unforgettable vacation, you should go there.

The most impressive in the time on Tenerife was beside the really good and wonderful conditions for swimming that the nature all around this place is so asthonishing and perfect that we were every day on a few places just to watch them. That Tenerife can present this wonderful landscape depends on their origin out of volcano activities.

The good thing about it is that the poeple on the canary islands know this and save it for tourists and themselves. Between my stay on tenerife I decided to visit some protected natural areas because nearly half of the island ist such an territory.

The best beside the „Parque Nacional del Teide“ was Anaga and Teno which are two rural parks where you can get lots of good photograph images. Also I must give the advice to watch out for the Tenerife bugloss or the Canary Islands Dragon Tree which are plants you can’t see at any other place.

My hotel was located in Playa de las Americas, this is in the south of the island.

I was shocked, because my first impression of the south was like an desert. If the trees and plants don´t get water from the resorts, then nothing would grow up there. But it looks very nice.

The name of our hotel was “Los Hibiscus”, a very nice location. There you can find a swimingpool and the rooms are with balcony. The beach was only 10 minutes away from the hotel.

The beach has black sand, but at some bays they put white sand, so it looks like classic beaches. Because of historical reasons, the island arised by volcano activities, the sand has it´s black colour.

At my first night I found some cockroaches, but you have to know, they live here longer then any human and are very shy. It´s pretty normal in these warm regions to see cockroaches.

At my second day of the holdays i made a dolphin tour, and it was very nice. Included in this dolphin tour is a shipping near the stone coast at Los Gigantes a very huge (500 meters high) mountain at the coast. After some minutes we saw many dolphins. This was my highlight of the travel to tenerife island.

Of course, many people went to Tenerife because of this, but you don’t have to do this. Tenerife has many options do make your holidays. What I liked very much, was the many beach-bars in Tenerife. My holidays were about 2 weeks and I could nearly every evening, went to another bar. It was awesome! But also the landscape was very beautifully in Tenerife. Most oft the people over there, just hang around on the beach, like I said it before. But for me, it was not enough.

Tenerife hast more to give than the beaches and the sea and everyone who makes his holidays over there, have to check out the landscape in Tenerife. And also it’s so amazing, cause the flight to Tenerife and also the hotel was very cheap. I looked in the Internet at a many flight-portals and I found a lot of really cheap flights + hotels. So I would rather you to do this at the same way.

The onliest thing you have to look at, is to find the right site for that. Maybe you can make a test in the Internet and ask there for good sites. Cause a lot of this sites aren’t very seriously. But I don’t want to put a bad taste in this, cause Tenerife is really awesome and I would make my holidays over there, every time again.

Me and my family enjoy staying at Puerto de la Cruz. The town has a long tradition as a tourist center, well known for its relaxing atmosphere. During the daytime the sand beach and the lush, tropical gardens of the city invite for some hours of sunbathing and swimming. In the evenings the restaurants in the area around Plaza del Charco offer good food and family entertainment.



One of my familie´s favourite passtimes is hiking and we find Tenerife to be an ideal place for this acitvity. The Anaga mountains in the northeast offer many romatic hiking paths that we enjoy because of the breathtaking scenary and the untouched nature. Hiking is popular on the island and guided tours can easily be arranged. We have always felt safer on the guided tours and of course there is the benefit of getting explanation about local vegetation and wildlife.

The Pico Teide is with about 3,700 meters the highest mountain in Spain. Hiking here is for experts but there is a cable car that takes visitors up to a station near the mountain top. The view from here is fanastic. You can see all of Tenerife but have a view also over the Atlantic ocean and the neighboring Canry Island.



While on vacation on Tenerife, a trip to the island´s capital of Santa Cruz is a must. There are many historical sights that remind us of the island´s ancient history and it´s native inhabitants, the Guanches. Many parks offer the opportunity to relax and downtown we find the best shopping on the island.

The young and innovative company is called patea tus montes, what means more or less: hike through your mountains.

José and his team are offering their service since 1996. Their headquarter is located in La Orotava, in the North of the isle.

With patea tus montes you can hike all over the isle. Excursions are offered round Mount Teide National Park, the vulcanic landscape, in the Anaga mountains and Teno and many other interesting places on Tenerife. With the professional guides you get a lot of background information about fauna, flora and geological conditions of the isle.

We got some instructions from José before we entered the cave

José and his team are offering as well adventurous trips through caves and vulcanic tubes, which you can find with frequency on the isle of Tenerife. I participated on an excursion to the vulanic cave of San Marcos. It was really exciting, but with José the whole group felt quiet secure deep down inside a vulcanic tube. We got a lot of information about the origin and charcteristics of such a vulcanic tube.

Inside the cave of San Marcos

Nena and Ivan inside the vulcanic tunel system of San Marcos

After we went down to playa de San Marcos and we learned how to kayak! We learned the basic instructions and how to act in case of danger. We had so much fun out there with the kayaks. Some of us got dropped into the water.

If you want to make a tour by mountainbike on Tenerife, you can join patea tus montes. They offer mountainbike tours and trips with kayaks. The tours are organized in different levels for beginners and advanced learners.

Patea tus montes arranges as well climbing trips on Tenerife. If you join an excursion with patea tus montes you get all the necessary equipment provided. The trips include transfer and professional guide.

If you are interested in excursions, hiking, climbing and mountainbiking, you can find more information on the homepage of patea tus montes:

www.pateatusmontes.com

But it does not seem so exotic any more. Volcanoes of Tenerife make this place look so special!
Have you ever heard about Mount Teide?
This place has hardly been touched by the modern civilization. There are 600 volcanoes on the island of Tenerife and Mount Teide is the highest and most impressive one.
It is like a mysterious unknown world. The volcano is sleeping (last eruption in 1909), and the access to danger is what attracts most.

The Teide Parque Nacional is a small paradise for those who love nature, hiking or trekking. Nothing can stop you from enjoying the beauty of the virgin place.
Even the air smells different.

If you want, you can spend the night walking above, being right there on the top of Pico del Teide, when the sun rises..

This would be an experience, you’ll never will forget.

Stunning landscape, light clouds …

You realize that is one of the challenging places you have ever been to.

Now, you have a chance to discover a mystic place, which is situated closer to you than you could ever think.

“The Forgotten Village” of Masca on the Isle of Tenerife is set in the north western part of Tenerife, just in the heart of the Teno Mountains. Its extraordinary character is stressed by the fact that until 1991 there were absolutely no roads to get there. Masca is an idyllic place, where the time has simply stopped.

It is a must especially for walkers and hikers or those who seek for traditional atmosphere of little tapas bars, tiny churches and cosy huts.

You may choose from the wide range boat tours from Masca to Los Gigantes (Cliffs of the Giants). This natural phenomenon is a very popular tourist attraction due to its beauty and scenic situation.

The coast offers excellent diving and fishing conditions.

In the Los Gigantes Town you will find some great pubs, restaurants, cafes and resorts. There is also a wide choice of diving excursions and watersports.

It is worth pointing out that you may take sailing lessons in a sailing club which is based there.

Around 3000 people live in this lovely village that is situated in a wonderful landscape with a lot of wonderful flowers.

The climate up in the mountains is very clean and fresh. Thats why the village is very suitable for a sanatorium.

Vilaflor is the starting point for several very interesting walking tours to the Paisaje Lunar or the Cañadas.

Above the village one can see some very big stone pines. Some of them have a hight of up to 45 meteres. Its really worth a visit.

One can also see very interesting stoneformations of vulcanic origin.

Even though there is low rainfall in Vilaflor and the surrounding regions, people practice very intensive agriculture. One can see very picturesque terrace fields on both sides along the road towards San Miguel.

Worth a visit is also the church Iglesia de San Pedro Apóstol, build in the 16th century on an older chapel. What is very interesting is the cross with Jesus sitting next to it. Its very recommendable to visit this church while being in Vilaflor.

A really nice sight near Vilaflore is the Parque Natural del Teide.

The Teno-range in the west of Tenerife and the Anaga-mountains are a famous destination for active holiday makers and those who like hiking and exploring.

The visitor finds many small original villages, which escaped from the mass tourism because of their location far away from the popular beaches and the big cities. One learns about the roots of civilization of Tenerife and can enjoy the intact landscape and meet the autochthonous people living there.

We explored the moste interesting and charming places of the island to give you some usefull tips.
One of the most beautiful beaches, called Playa de las Teresitas, is situated in the north-east of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capital of the island. Playa de las Teresitas has been created artificially with sand from the Sahara desert, you can enjoy a safe bathing pleasure as well adequate for children.

In the south of the island of Tenerife you can find different natural sandy beaches at El Medano and artificially created ones in the tourist resorts like Las Americas and Los Cristianos.

La Tarta:

With approx. 3 Mil. visitors per year the national park of mount Teide is the most-most visited national park of Spain.

“Pico del Teide ” is with 3.718 metres the highest mountain of Spain.
Furthermore mount Teide is third-highest island volcano of the world.

He forms the northern border of the national park. In the south, the west and the east the mount Teide national park is limited by the cañadas, or lava flows which enclose a diameter of approx. 16 kilometres.

The park and the lava flows are called “caldera”, what means kettle and describes a broken in place in the volcano which is formed like a kettle. This landscape has been created when the empty vaults of magma under the earth, which are near the surface, collapsed.

In the late spring or early summer, in the months of May and June is the time of flowers in Tenerife.
In the rest of the year Tenerife, and the national park Teide resemble a moonscape. But in may it’s the time of the anthesis of the flower tajinaste.
The tajinaste, (tajinaste rojo, Echium wildpretii, Tower of Jewel) is a columnar flower with a beautiful and lush red colour.

It is among the category of the tropicals and tender Perennials.

It is 4 to 6 feet high (or 1,2 to 1,8 metres). Birds, bees and butterflies love the tajinaste flower.
It sows it’s seed for itself. The leaves are herbaceous.

In San Lorenzo, Adeje and Arona you can find a lot of lookout points ofer a rugged area with canyons and isolated mountain paths with a magnificent panorama view over the south of the island, which is a famous sunbathing area with beaches.

The regions we mentioned for you are a paradise for nature lovers. But also climbers and mountaineers.
Under mountaineers and hikers Tenerife is a very popular destination. Guided groups and individual hikers find accommodation in mountain cottages, small mountain hotels, youth hostels.

Guided holidays for hikers can be booked in advance in internet.

The colour palette of the isle is dominated by the black lava sand, some ocher coloured sand beaches and a deep green of the varied vegetation.

The colour green of the vegetation is dominating on the three smaller Canary Islands of La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.
Instead on Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote the landscape is formed by drough rocks and desert regions similar to the Sahara.
A lot of creativity from the native canarys has been necessary to make agriculture and cultivation possible.

The attraction of Tenerife is its versatility. There are lively colonial towns and romantic mountains which are crowned by a volcano, the Pico del Teide. The volcano is 3718 meters high and is Spains highest mountain.

You can get to know Tenerife on extensive walks through hidden mountain pathes. In the range of Anaga and on an exciting discoverer tours in the Teide national park or in the mountains of Teno you can discover the soul of the vulcanic island.
Where can you see such a bizarre volcanic landscape full of craters, solidified magma rivers like on Tenerife?

Tenerife has a surface of 2.068 km² and a population of approximately 800.000 inhabitants. In the language of the aborigines called “Guanches” Tenerife means “snow-covered mountain”.

The “Pico del Teide“, the highest mountain of Spain, situated on the isle of Tenerife, divides it into two climatical different parts:

The north is very fertile and abundantly covered by vegetation, while the south of the island is very dry and similar to a desert. Therefore, sometimes Tenerife is called the “island with the two faces“.

The volcanic landscape in the middle of the island covers two thirds of the whole island. The peak of the vulcano Teide reaches a height of 3.178 metres. He is the highest mountain of Spain and the third highest volcano of the world after two in Hawaii.

Almost all inhabitants of Tenerife live distanced from the sea in the valleys, near the area of agriculture like in La Orotava
.

Within a few minutes, anyway one comes from a climatic zone by car into the next one.
So for example it can happen that you start from the Puerto de La Cruz in the north of the island with cloudy weather and you drive in direction to Bajamar or Tacoronte, only a few kilometers, and you will find sunshine there.

The complete northeast of the island of Tenerife is formed by a rugged area. The massif rises steeply up from the Atlantic, which is forming the precipitous coast. The range of Anaga is abundantly covered with vegetation for the most part and sometimes veiled by clouds.

Places you should visit are the botanic garden and the Loro Parque in Puerto de la Cruz, or the small idyllic mountain village Masca situated in the romantic range of Teno.

Another highlight of Tenerife are the historical centers of La Orotava and La Laguna. For who is interested in winegrowing culture, the wine museum in El Sauzal in the north of the island, would be interesting to visit.

In the most sunny month of the year is July with an average of 10.6 hours of sunshine a day. There highest temperature with 25 °C are reached in the month of August. The water temperature reaches the highest temperature of 23°C in September and October. The islands of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma and also Gran Canaria form also part of the Canary Islands and are known to have the warmest climate of the whole seven islands. The islands arose by volcanic activities approximately 5 – 7 millions years ago.

The mountains of Anaga and the range of Teno are geological the oldest area of the island of Tenerife. The Pico del Teide is with 3.718 meters of altitude the highest mountain of Spain.

In the variety of vegetation you find numerous species of plants, which are found only in the Canary Islands. The best known plant is surely also the Canary dracaena called Dragon tree. The oldest example of a Dragon tree can be found in Icod de los Vinos.

All of the Canary Islands have one thing in common:
A balanced climate with for us springlike winters and temperatures below zero only in high mountain regions.

The visitor can enjoy a bath in the Atlantic Ocean and a sunbath during the whole year.

The winter month are very adequate for active tourists who like hiking, mountaineering or other activities in the nature.

A highlight for nature lovers is a visit at the national park of mount Teide, it is an adventure to explore the vulcanic landscape, which is similar to a lunar landscape. Mount Teide with an altitude of 3.718 m is the highest mountain of Spain and the third highest vulcano worldwide.

As you see, you have many possibilities to practice sports and explore the island of Tenerife.

The news came on Thursday June 28, several days earlier than expected, bringing a swift end to an anxious period of waiting for the island authorities.

World Heritage status for Mount Teide means that the tiny island now has two favoured sites recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

San Cristobal de La Laguna was admitted to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites in 1999 as ‘the first non-fortified Spanish colonial town; its layout provided the model for many colonial towns in the Americas.’

In all, 37 sites around the world were under consideration at the 31st UNESCO world heritage convention in Christchurch, New Zealand. But Teide’s case was given the substantial boost of a recommendation by the World Conservation Union (World Conservation Union boosts Teide bid).

Two other sites were also granted the favoured accolade – the Karst region in southern China and the volcano and lava tubes in Jeju, South Korea.

Late spring and early summer is Tajinaste time up on Mount Teide, a time when the wild and rugged mountain landscape is briefly tamed by the blooms of a number of brightly coloured plants, most of which are endemic to the island of Tenerife.

Tajinaste rojo, or Echium wildpretii to give it its correct name, is the most spectacular, a species of bugloss which can grow to over 10ft tall.

Echium is a genus of around 60 species of flowering plant which flourish across Africa, Europe, Madeira and the Canary Islands. Some species are also found in east Asia and Australia.

The sub-alpine zones of the ravines around Mount Teide are the native habitat of the Tajinaste variant, which thrives under the hot sun and the arid and dry conditions there. It can also tolerate temperatures as low as -5C.

A herbaceous biennial, the Tajinaste’s two-year cycle sees it form a dense cluster of leaves in its first growing season, followed by tall and thick stems of bright red flowers in its second year.

Round about now is the perfect time of year to see the Tajinaste in its full glory, along with a host of other colourful and exotic plants endemic to Las Cañadas del Teide, the huge caldera that surrounds the volcanic peak.

If the Teide bid is successful then tiny Tenerife will have two World Heritage Sites after its former colonial capital La Laguna was favoured by the UN as “the first non-fortified Spanish colonial town”. San Cristobal de La Laguna, to give it its full name, became the model for many colonial towns in the Americas.

Teide’s bid has been significantly bolstered by an endorsement from the World Conservation Union (IUCN), an official advisory body to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

UNESCO will choose the locations it wishes to grant favoured heritage status to during its annual meeting currently taking place in Christchurch, New Zealand.

A decision is expected on July 2.

The IUCN recommendation declares Teide National Park to be a “mature, slow-moving and geologically complex volcanic system”.

Teide, at 12,195ft, is the third highest volcano in the world. It is one of 16 decade volcanoes worldwide considered by volcanologists to be worthy of in-depth study because of their history of large and destructive eruptions and their proximity to heavily populated areas.

Considered dormant at the moment, Teide last erupted less than a hundred years ago.

At just 75 square miles, the national park is relatively small. Nonetheless, it is the most visited in Europe and is home to 220 species of plants of which 73 are endemic to the Canarian archipelago and 16 unique to the park.

It’s a testimony to nature’s ability to adapt that anything survives at such an altitude and in the face of extremes of temperature and weather, ranging from hot and dry to gale-force winds, snow and ice – sometimes all on the same day!

After signing a multi-million dollar deal to become the face of German cosmetics company Cacharel’s new Liberte fragrance, Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, completed her first advertising shoot for them on Tenerife.

Gisele, a former girl friend of movie star Leonardo DiCaprio, will appear worldwide in television commercials, magazine spreads and billboard posters for Cacharel, all showing her posing on Mount Teide.

Cacharel chose Gisele because of her popularity in Europe, the Middle East, Japan and China.

She reportedly quit as the face of Victoria’s Secret lingerie because they would not increase her $5 million annual salary.

Also battling for the coveted nomination will be the mainland cities of Cordoba, Cuenca, Cáceres, Burgos, Tarragona, Pamplona, Zaragoza, Segovia, Valencia and Alcalá de Henares.

And while Santa Cruz may not have some of the glamour of its peninsula rivals, it need not feel inferior in any way.

The stunning Auditorio rivals any concert hall anywhere in Spain for sheer architectural magnificence, while the annual carnival is hugely popular both locally and internationally.

It also has in its environs the World Heritage Site of La Laguna and the sheer natural beauty of the Anaga Mountains.

The European Capital of Culture is designated by the European Union for a period of one year during which the city has a chance to showcase its cultural life and development.

A number of European cities have used the City of Culture year to transform their cultural base and, in doing so, the way in which they are viewed internationally.

Conceived as a means of bringing citizens of the EU closer together, it was launched in 1985 and was the brainchild of the Greek Minister of Culture Melina Mercouri.

Since then, the initiative has become more and more successful, having an increasing cultural, social and economic impact on the chosen cities.

Three Spanish cities have so far been honoured – Madrid in 1992, Santiago de Compostela in 2000 and Salamanca in 2002.

Glasgow is thus far the only UK city to be honoured, though Liverpool takes the accolade in 2008.

Thousands saw it, mostly in the east and north of the island, describing a brilliant fireball that flashed across the night sky shortly after 10pm.

It happened on Sunday May 7 and hundreds of people called the Canarian Institute of Astrophysics (IAC) seeking an explanation of the phenomenon.

Because it happened at a weekend there were many witnesses to the unusual event. Sunday had been a fine day on Tenerife and many people were returning to their homes from a day at the beach, in the mountains or with friends and family.

From the many hundreds of eye witness accounts, scientists were able to paint what they believe to be a fairly accurate picture of what happened.

It was around 10.30pm that radio stations on the island broke into their normal programmes to broadcast calls from witnesses who told of having seen a huge light in the sky.

Some said it had the appearance of a meteor but was much brighter, others feared it might have an aircraft crashing in flames.

That latter theory was quickly discounted by aviation authorities, confirming that no aircraft were unaccounted for. The object had not registered on air traffic control, military radar or on any of the many reconnaissance satellites that girdle the earth.

Many witnesses said it had been visible for around five seconds and looked like a comet with a long tail, others that a bright flash of light was seen as it disappeared.

A family in Tegueste reported that the final flash of light was so bright it lit up the inside of their home. An amateur astronomer in Santa Cruz reported hearing a noise, while others spoke of hearing a dull rumble in the distance.

In Puerto de la Cruz, two observers described the light as disappearing to the north. Some spoke of seeing Mount Teide lit up briefly, while in La Laguna reports described watching it disappear over the Anaga Mountains.

After studying the many reports from Tenerife and adding those from eye witnesses in the neighbouring islands of Gran Canaria and La Palma, IAC scientists concluded that it had indeed been a meteor and furthermore they had been able to plot quite accurately its progress across the night sky.

So sure were they of their findings that they were able to say with firm conviction that the meteorite had weighed around half a kilogram, that it had passed over the Atlantic Ocean, had started to burn up between the islands of Gran Canaria and Fuertaventura and travelled north west before exploding and falling into the ocean some 75 miles north of Tenerife.

Any surviving fragments might have yielded further information but they were well out of reach on the ocean floor at a depth of 3,000 metres.

The 90,000 tons luxury liner, being built near Venice at a cost of over £250 million, is due to be launched in December of this year before embarking from Southampton on a ‘Maiden Canary Islands Festive Celebration, on December 21.

The 16-night cruise will take in Vigo and Malaga in Spain, Lisbon, Madeira, the Canary islands of Las Palmas, Lanzarote and Tenerife, Casablanca and Gibraltar.

The liner is due to dock at Santa Cruz at 8am on December 31, and a full day’s programme of excursions will be available for passengers, taking in the usual Tenerife attractions, such as Mount Teide, La Orotava , Puerto de la Cruz, Loro Parque, the Mercedes forest and the Pyramids at Guimar.

At the end of a hectic programme, the Queen Victoria is due to set sail from Santa Cruz at 11pm to see in the New Year at sea.

Queen Victoria, which can accommodate up to 2,014 passengers in her 1,007 staterooms, has on board an 800-seater theatre, a two-storey library, three-storey grand lobby, a winter garden, 4,000 sq ft of shopping arcades, a lounge with a 270-degree view, a night club, 1,000 sq ft dance floor and a traditional London pub.

Fares on the festive voyage start at just over £2,000, though Cunard are reporting that her maiden voyages are already sold out.

On her return from the Canaries, Queen Victoria is due to set off on a 106-nights world cruise.