On the website www.e-tenerife.com you can find any kind of information about the splendid isle of Tenerife. The page informs about leisure time and activities to do on the isle during a holiday or living there.

E-Tenerife.com tells you all about sports, culture, nature and landscapes on Tenerife. You can book interesting an exciting tours on Tenerife, like for example the Masca Tour, visiting a tiny village in the middle of a huge mountain massive.

You can look for news and other kind of information on this site. Beside this information service there is a blog provided. In the blog you can read articles about actuality and any kind of interesting issues on Tenerife.

Here you find the link for visiting this entertaining blog:
Tenerife Tattle

The climate on Tenerife is very comfortable with temperatures that rarely get too high to practice physical activities, so for sports conditions are almost ideal.

The most popular courses are in the south, but some people seem to prefer the northern part of the island that is more green and also offers some very nice golfing facilities.

What makes the golf courses of Tenerife so attractive is the care with which they are laid out, giving the impression of a genuine Canarian garden. Some courses have very reasonable prices and special offers for families.

Tenerife has many attractions to offer but it is certainly a place to consider, if one likes to spend a holiday on the golf course.

Small country hotels, holiday cottages, chalets and fincas offer the adequate accommodation. One can book his holiday through various tour operators or without any problems directly by the Internet.

Tenerife is not one of the cheapest holiday destinations, but with a bit of luck you can find a good bargain.

Journeys to the isle of Tenerife are particularly popular at Easter, Whitsun, Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

However, unfortunately, this boom has a very strong influence on the prices.

The island of Tenerife offers extensive possibilities to everyone who wants to practice physical activities and does not only want to lie on the beach in the sun.

Hiking, climbing, trekking, diving, windsurfing, surfing, mountainbiking and not at least golf are examples for a variety of holiday activities.

Flora and fauna have to offer a huge diversity to the visitor. The whales can be watched during a boat trip between the two islands Tenerife and La Gomera. Dolphins attract many animal enthusiasts, and can be watched as well on special organized boat trips in their natural surroundings.

The vegetation over all in the north of the island is very interessting and influences on the charming abmience.

The so called queen of the Canary Islands guarantees temperatures of over 20 °C in winter as in summer with many sunny days to take a sunbath. Over all the south of the island is well known for nearly any cloudy or rainy day. Most beaches are situated near the holiday centres like Los Christianos or Playa de Las Americas.

The holiday-maker has a lot of hotels and a perfect tourist infrastructure with appropriate restaurants, amusement parks and much more on his disposal.

It is a quite special experience for every tourist to visit Santa Cruz during the carnival time the months of January and February. Thousands of people dressed up with colourful costumes dancing and celebrating on the streets of the capital of Tenerife.
The carnival is accompanied by Salsa, Merengue and Samba rhythms. The carnival of Santa Cruz is after the one in Rio de Janeiro the most popular worldwide.

So, you see, you have many possibilities to escape from the cold winter months in Germany.

The visitor finds the most varying landscapes on this island that you can immagine.Tenerife is called as well “island of the eternal spring” due to the mild climate during the whole year, that’s why it is a famous destination as well in the winter.

The countryside on Tenerife is very charming. In the area round the vulcano mount Teide you find far-ranging woods of canary pines.
Between the drought and ocher coloured south and the deep green north full of vegetation is a very interesting contrast, you will discover making some excursions.

The island with its mild and pleasant climate is a popular holiday destination, because in winter we never go under less than 18 °C and in summer the temperature is more than 27 °C.

The altitude and the pure, fresh air form the Atlantic Ocean are very good conditions for persons suffering from rheumatism or respiratory diseases.

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.

The BBC is staying tight lipped about the actual location for its live broadcast, preferring to announce it live on air on Tuesday (July 17).

The Tenerife roadshow is part of Radio 1’s ‘Six Weeks of Summer’ event, which also sees live broadcasts from other European holiday destinations such as Majorca, Ibiza and Zante.

Confirmed presenters for the Six Weeks of Summer series include Edith Bowman, Vernon Kaye, Sara Cox and Nihal, but listeners have to tune in to the Chris Moyles show each Tuesday to find out who is going where and what they’ll be up to.

The Radio 1 roadshows have been a regular summer feature for many years, drawing huge crowds to the UK resorts chosen to host the live events.

The Faro club in Costa Adeje is developed around a lighthouse and has a level of sophistication more usually associated with exotic night spots in the south of France or the Miami strip.

It offers an eclectic mix of music and art in sumptuous and relaxing surroundings.

It will act as a venue for live concerts and art exhibitions as well as providing an exciting night time experience for holidaymakers after a day on the beach.

The Faro has a special Zen terrace where clubbers can chill out and watch the sunset before picking up the pace as the night wears on and the tempo increases.

The Faro can be found between Playa Puerto Colon and Playa Fanabe on the island’s west coast.

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

The town hall at Los Silos in the north west corner of the island hopes to have the organic market up and running by March of next year.

The market will operate on Sunday mornings, though whether it will be a weekly, fortnightly or monthly event has still to be decided.

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.

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.

Early reports indicate a wide range of discounts available in the stores of the island capital of Santa Cruz, with some stores offering just 20 per cent off, while others have bitten the bullet and gone straight in, cutting prices by as much as 50 per cent.

But seasoned Canarian shoppers won’t be taken in by these headline offers.

They know that the sales will continue until the end of August and if they keep their powder dry – and their purses clamped firmly shut – that the bargains will become even more tempting in a few weeks time.

It’s an annual game, one the Canarians love to play.

It requires nerves of steel, an icy determination and, most important of all, the instinct and experience to know exactly when to strike.

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.

Monarch operates flights to Tenerife South from Birmingham, Gatwick, Luton and Manchester.

Bookings can be made online at www.flymonarch.com.

All flights on all routes and all dates are discounted, with the sale offering various increases to the normal web booking discount, usually £10 off return flights.

The offer only applies to bookings made online.

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!

The fiesta programme of events began on April 26 and some, notably the sports tournaments, continue until the end of May.

But the one event that draws extraordinary crowds to the town is the Exhibicíon Pirotécnica, this year on Thursday, May 3.

Two rival manufacturers supply the fireworks for the late-night display, which is generally regarded as being the best anywhere in the Canaries, if not the whole of Spain.

And this is on an island where they need little or no excuse for staging spectacular fireworks displays.

Thursday’s pyrotechnic show will come at the height of the Festival of the Cross, around which the whole of Los Realejos’s month-long celebrations are centred.

The month-long event celebrates the culture and important traditions of the Canary Islands, with the focus on music, costumes and crafts.

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.

The two Canary Island destinations had on-time departures of over 65 per cent and average delays of less than half and hour.

With our skies getting more and more overcrowded, however, the statistics revealed by the Civil Aviation Authority painted a less than rosy picture.

Their survey, covering the last quarter of 2006, covered ten British airports, with only one, Edinburgh, reducing delays when compared with the same period in 2005. Gatwick recorded the biggest increase in average delays, climbing from 26 to 35 minutes.

The heavy fog which caused widespread disruption to flights in the south of England between December 18-23 contributed to half of the fall in punctuality for scheduled services and all of reduction for charter flights.

A flight is deemed to have left on time if it is up to 15 minutes late.

For scheduled flights, the biggest drop in performance came at London City and Heathrow airports.

The punctuality of charter flight departures actually improved at Newcastle, Birmingham and Edinburgh but fell at the other seven. The biggest drop-off in performance was at Stansted, where on-time departures fell from 75 per cent in 2005 to 65 per cent in 2006.

A full range of events is planned for the week-long festival, starting on Sunday April 29 and continuing through to Sunday May 6.

They take place across the city, but mainly in Plaza del Príncipe, Parque García Sanabria and Calle La Noria.

The colourful series of events include an International Marionette Festival, several other puppet shows, an exhibition of flowers, a concert of Canarian music, and a flower crosses workshop and competition.

The whole city will be decked out with traditional floral crosses and the highlight of the programme will be on the evening of May 2, a Great Canarian Fiesta with traditional Canarian dress a prominent feature.

In 1999, the party, known as the Dance of Magicians, went into the Guinness Book of Records when 8,000 people ate, drank and danced in the streets in traditional costume.

The fiesta week is centred around May 3, the date on which the city was founded way back in 1494.

The tapas competition is another popular feature and is now in its sixth year. Restaurants and bars specialising in tapas will compete in three classes – traditional, creative and Canarian.

Participating establishments will not be revealed until nearer the date, though generally they are concentrated around Calle La Noria and surrounding streets, which make up the old part of the city.

The winners will become part of a ‘Ruta de la Tapa’ (Tapas Route) through the city, a great way of exploring the ancient capital while at the same time tasting some of its best gastronomic offerings.

May is a great month of celebration in Santa Cruz and the rest of the island, reflecting the traditional culture, history and religion of the island, and is marked by processions, pilgrimages and sporting contests.

The Prime Minister of Spain, José Luis Zapatero, had to deal with just such an allegation in the build up to the country’s forthcoming elections when he took part in a live question and answer session on television.

Did he know the price of a cup of coffee, he was asked by a member of the audience.

He thought it was about 80 cents, a response that was greeted with much laughter by those in the studio, who were quick to accuse him of being out of touch with reality.

The following day the Spanish press, quick to latch on to his obvious discomfort, despatched reporters to all corners of the kingdom to conduct a nationwide survey.

They discovered that in most towns and cities across the peninsula a cup of coffee costs between one euro and 1.20.

The Prime Minister was roundly condemned as truly being out of touch.

But riding to rescue came the people of Tenerife, who reminded the newspapermen that on their fair island a cup of coffee could indeed be purchased for 80 cents.

And they invited the PM and anyone interested in this thorny issue to visit the island and see for themselves.

And it has given those whose job it is to promote the merits of Tenerife as a holiday destination an opportunity to stage something of an advertising coup by demonstrating that the cost of living in the ‘island of eternal spring’ is indeed lower than the rest of Spain – certainly where a cup of coffee is concerned.

In my experience, 80 cents might even be considered a little on the high side because there are many establishments in Tenerife still serving café cortado – a small, strong espresso with a dash of milk, usually served in a glass – for 70 cents and even the odd one or two who still have it at 60.

The five-day festival will feature some of the world’s leading exponents of the arts of paragliding, hang gliding and parachuting.

The festival has quickly established itself on the international schedule of paragliding events, due in no small part to the fact that Tenerife offers perfect all-year-round conditions for the sport.

At the first staging of the event two years ago, two new world records were set, one for paramotor altitude at 5,395 metres and the other in acrobatics when 75 manoeuvres were achieved in a vertical tumble of 1,900 metres, massively overhauling the previous record of 30.

The first day of this year’s festival will be devoted to a welcoming party, checking of participants’ credentials and an official opening.

The real fun gets underway the following morning with first take-offs set for 11am.

Among the record attempts planned for this year is a crack at the world paramotor distance mark in which Spanish pilots César Maldonado, Francisco Renedo, Ramón López Santiago and Ramón Morillas will endeavour to fly from Andalucia in mainland Spain to Los Realejos.

The leading Spanish pilots taking part in the festival will be joined by a galaxy of world’ leaders in the sport from Austria, the United States, Venezuela, the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland and Japan.

Running alongside the aerial activities will be a series of concerts, which will culminate in a spectacular and colourful pyromusic show as the climax to the closing ceremony.

At the same time the operator is doubling the number of flights from Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

It means that flights will operate daily from Glasgow and twice weekly from Edinburgh. Prices start at £69.99 one-way, including taxes.

The twice weekly flights from Aberdeen start at £79.99 one-way, with taxes.

Flights from Edinburgh and Aberdeen will operate on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Flyglobespan also operates Tenerife flights from London Stansted and Liverpool John Lennon airports.

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.

Yet already the bar, cafe and restaurant owners on the island of eternal spring are asking: ‘Where are all these tourists? We can’t see them!’

The problem is that so many of the island’s hotels are signing up to the latest tourist fad – namely, the all-inclusive holiday.

Going ‘all-in’ means that you take all your meals and all your drinks within the confines of the hotel and its grounds.

Personally, I can think of nothing worse than spending an entire holiday cooped up within the confines of one establishment. But it seems that many 21st century tourists see it as the perfect holiday.

And it’s leaving many small business owners on the island ringing their hands in disbelief. Not a few of them are worried.

Recent Canarian government figures confirmed that there are some 10,000 catering establishments on Tenerife and it seems that many of them are already feeling the pinch as more and more hotels and tour operators turn over to this latest fancy.

To give an idea of how all-embracing and world-encapsulating this trend has become, simply typing in the words ‘all inclusive holidays’ into Google returned a staggering 2,660,000 results, offering all-inclusive deals in all four corners of the globe.

In reality, it’s yet another example of the march of global corporatism that threatens to make every town and city in the world a carbon copy of its neighbour.

It’s already ruined High Streets the length and breadth of the UK and now it’s beginning to threaten those places where traditionally we have been able to get away from it all.

Undoubtedly we live in a crazy world – yet it seems to be getting still crazier by the minute.

According to ABTA (the Association of British Travel Agents) London’s three airports, Heathrow Gatwick and Stansted will preside over the departure of over a million sun-seeking passengers.

And the largest proportion of them will be heading for Tenerife, with the southern resorts of Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos likely to receive most of them.

Spain is also high on the list of popular holiday hot spots with Brits, followed by Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco.

It’s all part of a record British Easter period, with around 2,500,000 want-aways set to leave the country by the weekend.

The UK Met Office is advising tourists to pack an umbrella and waterproofs as many European destinations are forecast to receive heavy rain over the next week.

However, those opting to spend their Easter break in Tenerife are unlikely to be disappointed. Apart from a few isolated showers on Saturday or Sunday, there is likely to be plenty of sunshine around right through the week.

The Dragon Tree, or Drago, is one of the iconic symbols of Tenerife.

It is very slow growing, but when it attains maturity it usually has a thick trunk which is crowned by a thick umbrella-shaped canopy of dagger-like leaves.

It gets its popular name from the secretion of a reddish resin, know as dragon’s blood, which appears when either the bark or leaves are cut.

It is thought that the original inhabitants of the island, the Guanches, used the blood-red sap from the tree in medicines and as an embalming fluid.

Because it grows so slowly, generally taking ten years to reach a height of one metre, many of the taller specimens are believed to be hundreds of years old.

The oldest, in the town of Icod de los Vinos (pictured above) in the north of the island, is reputed to be a thousand years old, though it is generally accepted in the scientific community that in reality it is somewhere between 600-800 years old. It is, nevertheless, a popular tourist attraction.

The difficulty with accurately determining the age of a drago is that it does not display annual growing rings, but instead can only be dated from the number of times it has flowered.

No violent deaths were recorded in the city last year.

Bear in mind we are talking about a city with a population of almost a quarter of a million, which is a major port, hosts the second biggest carnival on the planet and entertains hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world every year.

It is just one of a number of startling facts revealed in the latest set of government statistics for the island, which also show a reduction of more than six per cent in the overall crime rate in the city.

Furthermore, burglaries were down by a staggering 38.3 per cent, credit card thefts down by nearly a quarter and car thefts down by nearly 20 per cent.