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.

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.

This photo I made in Playa Jardin, the beautiful beach in Puerto de la Cruz in the North of Tenerife.

Unfortunately I don’t know how the name of this flower is, so if you know it, please make a comment!

Nearly all the german shops are situated in the Canary Center, which is a shopping passage. Beside noble boutiques and other shops you can find here as well physiotherapists, traditional healer and medical consults (Deutsches Ärztehaus).

The visitor can find a large variety of products, articels and services and can be attended in german or english for better understanding.

In the Canary Center there are as well shops selling arts and crafts, lace and other souvenir articles. As well a jewelery is situated in the Canary Center. Who wants to enjoy german gastronomy can try different specialities in a tipical gourmet shop in the Canary Center. A health food shop and a pharmacy are situated near all this shops. Another healthy shop ist Zumeria Brasil, where you can get many different kinds of fruit juices and milk shakes.

Another shop to mention in the Canary Center is the bakery Millo. They offer original german bread with different kinds of corn like spelt or sunflower seeds and many more.

Other german and even english products you can buy in Supermercado 2000 next to the Canary Center. If you want to make a shopping tour and get some special products as german saussage and bread you can make a trip to the Canary Center in La Paz in Puerto de La Cruz. Next to this shopping center you can find plenty of hotels for your next holiday in Puerto de La Cruz on Tenerife.

Hotel Tigaiga and the garden exist since 1959. The surface area of the subtropic garden amounts more than 4.000 m². In this little paradise you can find blooming flowers in nearly all the colours, plenty of palm trees, aquatic plants and much more. The different plants have their origin as well in the Canary Islands as in nearly all other continents and countries of the world.

A guided tour through the subtropic garden is organized once a week on clients request. Don Cristobal, a graduate biologist, guides the guests through the garden and informs about origin and special characteristics of the different plants.

The hotels employees are caring about this big variety of plants and palms with a lot of love. Mrs. Ursula Talg, one of the owners of the hotel, is specially responsible for the subtropic garden. The surface with all this subtropic plants has grown over the years and nowadays it is impressioning uns with tall palm trees and blooming flowers. The Hotel Tigaiga owns more palmtrees than hotel-beds.

A visit in the subtropic garden of hotel Tigaiga is not only possible for hotelguests and everybody interested in plants can visit this garden. If you wish to visit the subtropic garden you can contact with the reception staff of Hotel Tigaiga and will shurely be attendy kindly and guided through the subtropic garden.

Book directly online: Hotel Tigaiga ****

This Park is like a botanic garden and a zoo. Herre you can find many attractions beside a huge variety of animals. Early Loro Parque has been a zoo for lots of species of birds an parrots, some of them in danger of extinction. Nowadays it is one of the most famous and visited tourist attractions on the isle of Tenerife.

If you visit Loro Parque you can get immersed in the fascinating world of animals and also some exotic flowers and plants. One of the highlights in this zoo are different animal shows, which you can enjoy in Loro Parque. The latest attraction is a show with Orcas, who have been braught to the zoo in 2006. As well you can enjoy a great show with dolphins, sea lions and parrots with their trainers. Another thing you should not miss in Loro Parque is Planet Penguin. Here you can see different species of pengiuns. A special part has been formed into a perfect habitat for some of them. The climate of the Antartic has been formed with tons of ice and snow. You really feel like in the Antartic if you see how its continuately snowing.

one of the orcas in Loro Parque

Dolphin show

Sea lion

Penguins in Planet Penguin

In Loro Parque you can observe lots of animals, a very special habitant of this zoo ist a white tiger.

White tiger

The whole surface of this park is more than 135.000 m². In Thai Village, an originally thai village has been built inside Loro parque, you can buy some souvenirs and other things. It’s easy to get there, from the center of Puerto de la Cruz you can take a train for free, which is bringing you to the entrance of Loro Parque.

Here you will find more information: www.loroparque.com

However, Playa Jardin, which is a black beach close to Puerto de la Cruz town, belongs to the most famous on the whole island.
The black colour of the sand has the volcanic nature. Few people know that a direct skin contact with the black lava sand has an anti-rheumatism effect.

In consequence of Tenerife’s evolution, only a few natural beaches were formed. Due to the increasing number of tourists, the growing demand for public beaches appeared. Beaches created by men are the constant element of Tenerife landscapes. Created around the tourist resorts, they are of the best quality and cleanliness, with access to restaurants, bars and water-sports.

Playa de las Teresitas is one of the best beaches situated near by the capital Santa Cruz. The extraordinary thing about it, is the fact that its sand was importet directly from Sahara.

One of the latest attractions in northern part of Tenerife is the Lago Martianez and the Martianez Beach in Puerto de la Cruz, which is being developed and modernized since the end of year 2007. The beach offers perfect conditions for surfers.

The wonderful mild and pleasant climate all over the year is one of the biggest advantages of the archipelago. In winter hardly less than 18 degrees and more than 27 degrees in summer.

You can book a typical holiday package in the south of the isle in tourist resorts like Los Christianos and Playa de las Americas. An alternative is to spend your holiday in a nice country house offered by rural tourism in the area of Puerto de la Cruz in the north of Tenerife.

Stylish typical canary accommodations are offered far away from the hustle and bustle in country houses and fincas on the countryside of Tenerife.

You find a great supply of different private holiday cottages and holiday dwellings in all regions of the island. With a rental car or with the public transport system you can discover many beauties of Tenerife.

One can watch dolphins and whales on the Ocean between the two islands Tenerife and La Gomera, neighbouring island.

The Loro Parque, a wonderful zoo in Puerto de La Cruz, sustains over 1.000 different kinds of parrots is a visit worth.

For active holiday makers who like hiking and exploring the isle of Tenerife has a lot of wonderful mointain pathes to discover.

One of the most popular destinations in Europe is Tenerife, primarily for it’s pleasant climate and spectaclular landscape.

If you visit the isle of Tenerife, at least you should taste something from the traditional cuisine.The small idyllic restaurants offer a varied and palatable kitchen with ingredients like fish, seafood, meat, potatoes, sweet potatoes and other kinds of vegetables combined with exquisite spices and fresh herbs.

Primarily fish, the paella, the different Tapas, the goat’s cheese, potatoes with a salt crust are very popular. As well as tortilla, the Alioli dip, Empanadas and the Canary fish-soup.

So take the opportunity to taste some tipical canary dishes when you make a stop during an exciting excursion on Tenerife.

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.

Party time is in full swing in the northern Tenerife resort of Puerto de la Cruz, which is in the middle of its annual July fiestas.

The main festivities pay tribute to the Gran Poder and the Virgen del Carmen, the patron saints of the town.

A wide range of typical activities are organised in the course of the month, but the undoubted highlight comes on the second Tuesday of the month – this year July 17 – when the Virgen del Carmen (pictured above) is paraded through the narrow cobbled streets before being loaded on to a boat and taken out to sea.

The day draws huge crowds, as witnessed in the picture below, with families camping out overnight around the little harbour to ensure they get the best places.

It’s a typical Canarian family day, with all generations joining in the fun.

Similar celebrations are held all over Tenerife at around the same time but few are as spectacular or as moving as the processions in Puerto.

In addition to her many duties, the Virgen del Carmen is the patron saint of fishermen and the local fisherfolk consider it a great honour to be chosen to carry the enormous statute down to the harbour for her annual outing.

As they stagger and sway through the streets under the weight of the figure, the fishermen are hemmed in by hordes of onlookers desparate not only to see the spectacle but also to try to touch Carmen for luck.

As Carmen arrives at the harbour to be carried down to the water’s edge, the temperature of the occasion rises sharply as her progress is marked by the singing of Ave Maria.

It’s a moment charged with high emotion for the by now tens of thousands of people packed around the harbour, clinging to the sea wall or watching from the crowded balconies of the surrounding high buildings.

The statue is eventually lashed to a simple fishing vessel that looks as though it will sink under the combined weight of Carmen and her enormous entourage (see below) and the party edges its way through scores of tiny boats packed into the harbour as tightly as proverbial sardines.

Loro Parque in Puerto de la Cruz has a list of species that includes Orca killer whales, dolphins, sea lions, tigers, jaguars, sharks, alligators, chimpanzees and flamingos.

Virtually every important member of the animal kingdom is represented here. You’ll need a whole day to do it justice and still you will want to go back again the next day!

Many of Loro Parque’s inmates have been rescued from private owners. Others have been donated by other zoos who thought Loro Parque could offer them a better environment.

Many of the animal enclosures – there are few cages here – mimic natural habitats. For example, a virtual jungle has been created for the gorilla enclosure, housing six male gorillas and occupying 3,500 square metres

The Penguin House is a wondrous place, reproducing the climate of the Antarctic in the finest detail, even producing 12 tons of ice and snow a day for the enjoyment of the 250 penguins accommodated there.

Loro Parque shows are as spectacular as anything you’ll see in Florida, separately featuring the killer whales, dolphins, sea lions and parrots.

Loro Parque came into being over 30 years ago, initially specialising in the breeding of rare parrot species to prevent their extinction. They have since gone on to rescue and protect scores of other animals.

The new online ticketing system aims to speed up the admission process by cutting down on queues at the ticket kiosks.

Tickets can be purchased through the park’s website, www.loroparque.com.

The system operates in three languages, English, Spanish and German, and the online transaction is carried out through a safe server.

Loro Parque already operates an extensive ticket sales network with many tourists able to purchase tickets in advance through their tour operator or hotel.

The town’s original Museum of Contemporary Art first opened way back in 1953. But it closed within a couple of years and the collection has been gathering dust in storage ever since.

But a new home has been found for the works of art on the top floor of the town’s old customs house, the Casa de la Real Aduana, overlooking the picturesque fishing harbour.

The collection was put together by the artist and critic Eduardo Westerdahl and his French wife Maud Bonneaud, herself a noted artist, the surrealist Oscar Dominguez and architect Alberto Sartoris, with assistance from the Institute of Hispanic Studies.

There are 45 pieces in the gallery, which will initially be open only in the morning. Entrance is free until the end of the summer. After that admission will be one euro

Just a few weeks after the launch of the new tram service that connects the island capital of Santa Cruz with the neighbouring town of La Laguna, the island bus operator, TITSA, has announced a raft of improvements to services in the north of the island.

The frequency of services between the northern town of Icod de los Vinos and Santa Cruz (service 106) has been boosted by an additional eight journeys a day.

Line 363, which runs from Puerto de la Cruz to Buenavista del Norte has been increased from an hourly to a half-hourly service.

In Los Realejos, the new service will operate between San Vicente and Las Llanadas.

The company is pledged to develop more routes to meet government demand to get commuters, shoppers and visitors to the island out of cars and on to public transport.

TITSA island has a reputation for providing cheap and efficient bus services across the island.

But in Puerto de la Cruz in the north of the island they’re planning two fiestas in one day on Thursday May 3.

First up are celebrations to honour the founding of the town way back in 1651, involving elaborate and colourful processions through the streets.

Before that Puerto was part of the neighbouring town of La Orotava and and indeed was known as Puerto de La Orotava.

Puerto had grown in importance because the merchants and traders of prosperous La Orotava needed an outlet for their goods to be shipped off to the Spanish mainland.

The Spanish settlers weren’t the first to appreciate the potential afforded by this sheltered little bay. There is evidence that the native Guanche people, who inhabited the island before the Hispanic conquest, had chosen this same site for a cave settlement on the cliffs of what is now the up-market La Paz area of the town.

The second of the celebrations is the Fiesta de la Cruz, or Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Fixed crosses are set out in various parts of the town garlanded with floral decorations that have evolved over long periods of time.

Crosses are a distinct feature of the town and can be found everywhere, on the external walls of buildings, in chapels and ermitas, which Puerto has in abundance, and on public buildings.

Each cross has its own style of decoration, some highly colourful, others entirely in shades of the same colour. A variety of materials are used in the decorations, too, such as timber reclaimed from shipwrecks.

One particular cross, in Calle Mequinez, is decorated with fish bones and scales.

On the stretch of coast near to the island capital of Santa Cruz, look out for:

1 Playa de las Gaviotas north of the famous man-made beach of Playa de las Teresitas near Igueste de San Andrés in the north east of the island.

2 Playa de Benijo near Nuestra Señora de Begoña and El Chinobre in the far north.

3 Playa de Fabián.

4 Playa del Draguillo.

In the Puerto de la Cruz area, the best known is Playa de los Patos, about a half-hour’s walk from Puerto. Access is not easy but it is highly recommended by local naturists because of its seclusion.

Also recommended are:

1 Playa del Ancón near to the above-mentioned Los Patos beach.

2 Playa de Garañona near Tacoronte, which is a good beach but can be dangerous.

3 Playa del Camello.

In the south of the island, the best known is La Tejita at El Médano, close to the airport and the big local landmark of Montaña Rojo. Two other smaller beaches close to the ‘red mountain’, Playa de la Montaña Roja and Playa de la Mareta are also popular with local naturists.

In Las Galletas, Playa de Colmenares near the Costa del Silencio complex has its devotees, as does Playa de la Punta del Callao at nearby Los Cristianos.

Close to Playa de las Americas are Playa de la Puntilla and Playa de la Caleta.

Over on the east of the island, Playa de la Pelada is recommended in the Granadilla area.

All the beaches mentioned have been recommended by Spain’s own national naturism federation.

One word of warning though. These quieter beaches tend to be narrow and often covered by the tide at high water. Always take care to avoid being cut off by the incoming tide.

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.

They would like to see the protected area cover all of the Macaronesia islands – the collective name for the five volcanic archipelagos of the Azores, Madeira and Salvages (Portuguese), the Canaries (Spanish) and Cape Verde (independent).

The proposal will be discussed at an International Conference for the Protection of Dolphins in Tenerife in November.

The conference is one of a series of worldwide events being held to mark the International Year of Dolphins, with representatives attending from Spain, Portugal and African countries.

The dolphin campaign is an initiative of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

It has the enthusiastic backing of the Loro Parque Foundation in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, which has launched a range of events aimed at raising the interest of school children in whale-watching trips and scientific research into marine mammals, and to motivate students to support conservation and protection.

The President of the Loro Parque Foundation, Wolfgang Kiessling, is backing the Canarian government call, emphasising the need for a large protected area in the Atlantic Ocean to ensure the survival of dolphins and small marine mammals.

Ahead of the November conference, the Canarian government is consulting various interest groups such as boat owners, tourist operators, protection groups and environmental organisations on this and other conservation activities.

The International Street Arts Festival, now in its third year, takes place in the central streets, squares and around the harbour of Puerto, with a staggering 73 performances lined up over the three days. Entry to most of the activities is free.

Last year the festival drew an estimated 15,000 visitors to the town.

This event is a cultural showcase for Canarian innovation in comedy, theatre, dancing, music, photography, painting.

These include shows such as a vertical dance group, who perform on the sides of buildings; a theatre company who out their audiences in boats to tell them stories about sailors and fishermen; a story kitchen where tales are told to the accompaniment of the flavours and aromas they feature; and a competition for human statues.

The first event, body painting, starts at 6pm on Friday and various other activities follow across the town until well after midnight.

On Saturday, the day’s programme starts at 11am and again continues beyond the witching hour.

Sunday’s activities start at 10am and festival draws to a close around lunchtime

It’s a common misconception that cats hate swimming in particular and water in general.

My experience of the domestic moggy is strictly limited, but I’ve watched Prince, one of the star attractions at Loro Parque, Tenerife‘s biggest tourist attraction, enjoying a dip in his private pool on several occasions. He loves it.

Indeed, tigers love water, and white tigers particularly adore it. White tigers have the reputation of being good swimmers but poor climbers.

Which is strange really because the white tiger is not a sub-species as such, but rather a genetic misfit.

White tigers are rarely found in the wild. In about 100 years only 12 white tigers have been seen in the wild in India.

They are almost extinct and most of the ones living are in captivity, mostly in zoos, though rarely are they as well catered for as at Loro Parque.

The white tiger is neither an albino nor a separate sub-species of the tiger, but simply has the rogue gene needed for white colouring.

None of which concerns Prince as he takes his daily dip before stretching out regally in the sun as his many admirers pay homage.

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.

‘There is more meaning and mutual understanding in exchanging a glance with a gorilla than any other animal I know.’

An estimated 500 million people worldwide heard Sir David Attenborough whisper those words as he lay next to a 100kg female gorilla in Rwanda nearly 30 years ago.

His encounter with the gorillas in the BBC natural history series Life on Earth is one of television’s most memorable.

At Loro Parque in Tenerife, you can’t get quite as close to the gorillas as David Attenborough did all those years ago.

But, as the pictures above and below show, you do get a pretty good view of the park’s gorilla enclosure, which covers 3,500 square metres and houses six gorillas in conditions very like their native habitat.

The six gorillas are part of an experimental group on loan from various European zoos and form part of a breeding programme for endangered species.

Situated in Puerto de la Cruz in the north of the island, Loro Parque is rightly recognised as one of the finest animal parks anywhere in the world.

The gorillas are fed only the best fruit and vegetables and their living quarters have constant ventilation and under-floor heating to provide perfect conditions for them.

Incidentally, the BBC4 will be broadcasting on Easter Sunday a programme entitled ‘Gorillas Revisited with David Attenborough’, in which he tells the story of how he and his film crew managed to obtain such excellent pictures of the Rwanda gorillas.

Sunsets over Tenerife can be pretty spectacular, as this shot taken from the mirador at La Paz, Puerto de la Cruz, clearly demonstrates.

The scientific explanation for the vivid colours we see as the sun goes down revolves around the low angle scattering of light off fine particles of dust, soot, smoke and ash.

One of the reasons sunsets over Tenerife can be so special is the island’s relative proximity to the Sahara Desert.

For most of us, their sheer beauty is intoxicating enough not to require further explanation.

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.

Snow falls every day in Tenerife – up to 12 tons of it on to a bleak, rocky landscape where the temperature never rises above zero degrees.

Impossible you might think in this island of eternal spring, where the sun shines all year round and the climate is reckoned by many to be the best on the planet.

While the sun worshippers spend lazy days on the beaches of Puerto de la Cruz in the north of the island, just a few yards away conditions are very different for the residents of Planet Penguin at Tenerife’s most popular visitor attraction, Loro Parque

This penguin paradise replicates in minute detail the habitat of their native Antarctica, where the world’s largest fridge maintains a constant temperature of air and water, and where snow falls throughout the day to ensure that the King, Rockhopper, Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins feel perfectly at home.

Their well-being was confirmed recently by the hatching of seven chicks, with another 20 eggs continuing to be incubated by parent birds in the comfort of specially-built nests.

The 4,000-square metres penguin quarters are a constant amazement to the thousands of visitors who flock to Loro Parque every day to be escorted through the spectacle on a conveyor-belt walkway for a close-up of the penguins as they swim, play and chatter, just as they would in their natural environment.

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.

Some of the smaller towns and villages try to organise their events so as not to clash with the two giant events. But for all of them, carnival follows a traditional pattern of groups of music, dance and sumptuous costumes.

The burial of the sardine is another ritual conducted everywhere, though those in Los Realejos, La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz are considered to be the best.

Each of the cities, towns and villages sets a theme for its carnival celebrations, this year’s being the ‘World of Fashion’ in Santa Cruz and ‘Paris of the 1920s’ for Puerto de la Cruz.

In La Orotava, the theme for 2007 is ‘Fiestas in Egypt’. The grand parade is on Tuesday, February 20. A parade of vintage cars begins the day’s actitivities at 10am from Plaza de la Constitución.

The carnival parade at 4pm sets out from Cruz del Teide to Plaza de la Paz. The partying carries on long after the parade has finished.

Thursday, February 22 sees a Drag Queen Festival at 9pm in La Orotava, featuring some of the best drag acts from Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

This year’s carnival theme in Los Realejos is ‘Atlantis – the Lost Continent’ and it runs from February 9-21, while in Los Gigantes it runs from March 1-5, the theme for 2007 being Mexico.

Los Cristianos stages one of Tenerife’s smaller carnival celebrations, though it’s still the biggest in the south of the island, from February 20-24, events including a masked ball, children’s carnival queen competition and a parade of horses.

Just as everywhere else, celebrants adorn themselves in the ridiculous, the daring and the unashamedly outrageous, converging on the streets and squares to the rhythms of congas, sambas, rumbas and the more traditional Spanish zarzuela – providing a good chance to take in some songs and dances indigenous to the island.

Some of the biggest and best of the celebrations are in the island’s northern resort of Puerto de la Cruz, which traditionally acts as an appetiser for the main event in the capital, Santa Cruz, generally regarded as ranking second only to Rio de Janeiro in world carnival terms.

It may all sound a bit sedate judging it purely on the list of events, but that would be to forget the Canarian appetite for having a good time and their stamina in making the celebrations last well into the wee small hours for the duration.

Make no mistake, ‘Carnaval’ in the Canaries is a raucous and riotous fortnight of revelry to be survived by only the strongest of constitutions.

Puerto’s International Carnival, the theme for which this year is ‘Paris in the 1920s’, started with the choosing of the children’s carnival queen on Sunday (February 11) and continued with the election of the 2007 Carnival Queen on Thursday (Feb 15) in the Plaza de Europa.

The rest of the programme is as follows

Saturday Feb 17, 8pm: Parade through the town to officially announce the carnival; 10pm: First of the Grand Balls held every night in Plaza del Charco and its surrounding streets.

Sunday Feb 18, 4.30pm (all in Plaza de Europa): children’s dance groups perform; 5pm: Children’s fancy dress competition; 6.30pm: More children’s dancing; 8pm: Adult dance groups; 8pm: Adult fancy dress competition; 9.30pm: More adults dancing. 10pm: Grand Ball in Plaza del Charco and surrounding streets.

Monday Feb 19, from 6.30pm: Ritual Matar la Culebra, or killing of the snake, at various locations throughout the town centre; 8.30pm: Exhibition of carnival groups, Plaza de Europa; 10pm: Grand Ball, Plaza del Charco and surrounding streets.

Tuesday Feb 20, 1pm: Parade of veteran cars centred around Avenida Colon; 9pm: More carnival group exhibitions at various locations around the town; 10pm: Grand Ball in Plaza del Charco and surrounding streets.

Wednesday Feb 21 9pm: Entierro de la Sardina, or funeral of the sardine, procession through the town culminating in a huge fireworks display and the cremating of the giant sardine on a funeral pyre. 10.30pm: Grand Ball, Plaza del Charco and surrounding streets.

Thursday Feb 22 9pm: ‘Exhibition of Fanfare’, Plaza del Charco.

Friday Feb 23, 8.30pm: Enrolment and scrutineering of heels for the 13th running of the ‘Mascarita Ponte Tacon’, or Men’s Marathon in High Heels in Plaza del Charco; 10pm: Race starts (and finishes) in Plaza del Charco; 11pm: Grand Ball, Plaza del Charco and surrounding streets.

Saturday Feb 24, from 4pm: Grand Puerto de la Cruz International Carnival Parade; 8pm: Grand Ball, Plaza del Charco and surrounding streets.

Sunday Feb 25, 5pm: Exhibition by senior citizens carnival groups, Plaza del Charco; 6.30pm: Grand Ball, Plaza del Charco and surrounding streets.

Check back again for more information on carnival plans in towns across the island.