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
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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.

A new farmers market created in the heart of the traditional agricultural area on the island of Tenerife is proving to be a shrewd development.

In the heart of the Orotava Valley in the town of La Orotava, the unofficial agricultural capital of the island for centuries, the new purpose-built market opened last month and has already established a popular following with locals and visitors alike.

Nearly €300,000 was invested in a 1,500 square metre site to provide a covered market area big enough to house 40 stalls, together with a children’s playground, cafe/bar and parking for over 100 cars.

The market, which runs on Saturdays and Sundays from 8.30am to 3pm, sells a good range of local produce and crafts, including fruit and vegetables, cheeses, honey, bread, cakes, eggs, wine, plants and flowers.

My spies were out in La Orotava and the nearby Villa Centro shopping mall this week.

In La Orotava itself, there were plenty of ‘rebajas’ signs to be seen and some headline discounts of 20, 30 and 50 per cent. One shop promised 70 per cent reductions, but closer inspection revealed little on display to justify the extravagant claim.

In Villa Centro the story was much the same, one shop proclaiming 80 per cent reductions. A check round the shelves revealed little more than token items justifying the banner.

It is the second time the Jazzindance festival has been staged and it seems likely it will become a permanent fixture on the island’s cultural calendar.

Admission to the festival, being staged in the town’s historic Plaza de Constitucíon, is free.

A number of British performers are taking part, including the Jazzcotech Dancers from London, who will be organising a Jazzindance Workshop between 10.30am and 2.30pm.

In the evening, a series of Jazz gigs and DJ sets takes place on two stages, starting at 9pm and going on into the small hours.

Easter celebrations in Tenerife are known for their magnificent processions, which take place all over the island throughout the week, though the ones in La Laguna, La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz are among the grandest.

As the seat of the Bishop of Tenerife, the celebrations in La Laguna are the most important and culminate in the magnificent Magna procession on Viernes Santo (Good Friday, April 6), which starts at 5pm from the church of Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion, one of the oldest churches on the island, dating back to 1502.

The Magna procession is followed by the Silence procession, starting at 9pm, in which all the town’s religious brotherhoods take part.

La Orotava’s main event takes place on Maundy Thursday, or Jueves Santo, with the procession of Senor de Columna, which starts at the church of San Juan and ends in the main square in front of the town hall.

Processions of one kind or another take place pretty much every day in Puerto de la Cruz, starting from church of Nuestra Senora de la Pena de Francia.

The town’s Magna procession is on Maundy Thursday, but most impressive of all is the Crucificado procession which takes place before daybreak on Good Friday, starting at 4am.

In Adeje, they stage their own version of the Passion, starting at 12 noon and re-enacting the events leading up to the crucifixion.

It is carried out on a grand scale, with over 300 local people taking part, with the whole of its two hours screened live on Canarian television.

Semana Santa is celebrated in towns and villages across the island, with other important processions taking place in Guimar, Garachico and Los Realejos.

Los Rodeos is only six miles from the Tenerife capital of Santa Cruz and 12 miles from the popular resort of Puerto de la Cruz and the historic 500-year-old town of La Orotava.

A new VIP lounge opened recently, part of an ongoing programme of improvements soon to include a new transit lounge, new ticket sales desks and the expansion of domestic and international arrivals areas.

Despite being the first airport to open in Tenerife way back in 1930, Los Rodeos was forced to take a back seat as far as tourism was concerned when Reina Sofia airport opened in the south of the island in 1978.

But after a sharp increase in passenger numbers during the 1990s, Los Rodeos underwent substantial modernisation between 2002 and 2005, with a new car park, motorway access ramps, a new four-storey passenger terminal with 12 gates a separate terminal for inter-island flights.

As well as offering domestic and international connections, Los Rodeos has become an important inter-island hub, connecting with all six of the other islands in the Canaries archipelago.

Last year the airport handled over four million passengers.

New services from the British Isles include BA’s Gatwick flights, operated by its GB Airways subsidiary, Ryanair’s from Dublin and winter charter flights from Gatwick and Manchester operated by Britannia Airways.

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.