TENERIFE, CANARY ISLANDS
Tenerife has something special for me, Cris. My grandparents have been living there for almost 25 years, so it was one of my yearly summer destinations since I was born. Therefore, I know this island very well and have a special connection with it.
Located in the Atlantic Ocean, the Canary Islands form part of Spain, but they are at the height of Africa, therefore the warm and hot climate is normal. As in many islands, the north and the south are very different. First of all the climate. In the south it is sunnier than in the north, but in summer sometimes too hot. The beaches are also quite different. In the north, beaches are more rocky, such as on the picture below. Tenerife is a volcanic island, therefore, its beaches are mainly with black sand and its coves surrounded by volcanic stones.
The picture below is a cove located in the north of Tenerife, in a little village called Los Silos, and is called Charco de los Chochos. It is definitely worth it making an excursion there, but be careful, bring good and waterproof shoes with you, little sea urchins live under the water!
One of my favourite places to be in Tenerife is Masca. Masca is a small village which lies on an altitude of 650 meters. The way to this amazing viewpoint is a little tough, because there is a curvy street to reach there, but as you can see in the picture, it is definitely worth it.
From there, there is the possibility to do an excursion from the highest point until the sea. When you arrive at the end, you will find this amazing beach, where a boat will take you to Los Gigantes, the nearest village with a port.
Something to take into account when visiting the beaches of Tenerife is the tide. Normally, this doesn't affect that much the south, but the north. When there is low tide, beaches are impressive, such as the beach in the picture above, but when there is high tide, water can get very dangerous. The immense strength of the Atlantic Ocean can create strong currents..
El Teide and its wonderful National Park. It lies in the middle of the island and is with a height of 3.718 meters the highest peak in Spain. To discover these amazing landscapes, the best option is to get there by car and drive along the road with spectacular views. By car, you get to the beginning of the volcano, but there is the option to get the cable car which costs around 15€ which takes you to the top.
As said before, beaches in the north and in the south of the island are quite different. Playa el Bollullo is one of the most impressive in the north, and Las Teresitas. Teresitas is one of the few islands' beaches with no black sand. The sand of this beach is imported from the Sahara Desert.
Tenerife goes from spectacular long beaches, such as Los Cristianos, Las Americas and El Médano, which is known well by surfers, hidden magic coves, to breathtaking landscapes as Masca or Los Gigantes.
The district of Los Gigantes has nice cliffs, and some of them are places just above the beach. This views are very nice but can get dangerous, too. In 2009, there was a rockfall, and the beach was affected.
What to eat
One positive thing when it comes to food and beverage is the price. Not only food, but also other things, are cheaper than in other places.
Papas arrugás con mojo pincón is a special dish of the Canary Islands. These are boiled potatoes with special sauces, which are usually accompanied with fish and seafood.