About Tenerife

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Unesco World Heritage site comprising a 10-mile-wide volcanic crater which dominates the centre of the island. At its heart, the Mount Teide volcano rises to 3,718m (12,198ft) above sea level, making it Spain’s highest peak. A cable car takes visitors 1,200m (3,937ft) above the crater floor to mesmerising views over much of the Canarian archipelago.

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A Thai-themed aquatic playground of water slides and adrenalin-pumping rides, Siam Park is Tenerife’s biggest and best theme park. From a lazy ride down the Mai Thai river in a rubber dinghy to the white-knuckle Tower of Power slide, which plummets you down a near-vertical 90ft drop, Siam Park delivers thrills and spills for the everyone.

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The sister resort to Siam Park, this is Tenerife’s longest-established theme park and features the world’s largest collection of parrots. Set within a Jurassic Park environment of dense tropical palm groves, shows featuring parrots, dolphins, orcas and sea lions ensure the park’s enduring popularity.

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Balancing on a rocky plateau in the Teno Mountains, the village of Masca was cut off from the rest of the island until the 1970s. Accessed via a road which affords breathtaking views for everyone but the driver, its highlight is a stamina-testing hike down the gorge to the beach from where a boat takes you to Los Gigantes.

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Once the wealthiest town on Tenerife, Garachico was engulfed in lava by an eruption in 1706. The most picturesque town on on the island, it is one of Tenerife’s most popular day trip destinations, where swimming in rock pools hewn from the lava is a unique experience.

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Clear, warm waters year-round and underwater volcanic columns teeming with marine life make Tenerife an excellent destination for divers. The best places for diving are Las Galletas, Los Gigantes, Los Cristianos and Puerto de la Cruz.

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Tenerife has some excellent hiking paths – and because they are not well-known, you can often walk for hours and not meet another soul. The best hiking is in the Anaga Mountains, in Teno National Park and in Teide National Park itself, where the ultimate challenge is to ascend to the peak of Mount Teide on foot.

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Once the capital of the island, this university city is a Unesco World Heritage site where convents and beautifully preserved mansions dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries sit cheek-by-jowl with tapas bars, antique shops and bookstores.

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The largest volcanic tube in the European Union – and the fourth-largest in the world – the Cueva del Viento runs for 11 miles in a three-tiered labyrinth of tunnels beneath Icod de los Vinos. There are guided tours with an excellent commentary in English.

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A well-signed trail leads from the heart of the Mercedes Forest to the coastal resort of Punta del Hidalgo. Traversing an ancient rainforest that pre dates the Ice Age, through a troglodyte hamlet where you can enjoy traditional cuisine in a restaurant in a cave, and along giddy paths that skirt abyssal ravines between craggy pinnacles where moisture climbs in steamy columns from the dense canopy, this is a side of Tenerife untouched by the hand of tourism. A million miles away from the resorts of the south west coast, a walk through the Anaga Mountains is breathtaking.

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Tucked into the shelter of a small bay, the developments of the south coast hidden from view by a rocky promontory, the pale sand beach of Playa del Duque wears a designer label. Its manicured sand, thatched sunshades and blue and white striped changing booths are more reminiscent of the Caribbean than the Canary Islands. Backed by chic cafés and high-end shopping.