Holiday Guide To Tenerife
Tenerife Travel Guide

Tenerife guide provides detailed listings of hotels, apartments, water parks, animal parks, theme parks, attractions, excursions, holiday resorts, beaches and other activities for a perfect holiday in Tenerife.

Where is Tenerife

Tenerife is a Spanish island and is part of the Canary Islands archipelago, situated in the Atlantic Ocean off the North West coast of Africa. It's about 28° north of the equator at the same latitude as the Sahara desert and Florida. The usual flight time from most of Western Europe is about 4 hours.

About Tenerife

Tenerife is the most popular and largest of the seven Canary Islands. It receives on average 5 million tourists each year. The language is Spanish, but, especially in the south you will hear English almost everywhere. The currency is the Euro, with all the usual credit cards accepted. You will find money exchange offices in all the holiday resorts as well as the Airports. The waters around Tenerife are home to a vast array of marine life, including Pilot Whales and Dolphins which can be see from one of the many Boat Trips.

Climate and Weather in Tenerife

The warm and mild year round weather on Tenerife makes it one of the best climates in the world. It has an average temperature of 18° during the winter season and 25° peaking to 30°+ during the summer , making it the perfect holiday destination for tourists. The sea temperature rarely drops below 18° in the winter and reaches 24°during the hot summer months.

Where to stay in Tenerife

Tenerife offers accommodation ranging from self catering apartments (Apart hotels) to 5 star luxury hotels. Many people choose the freedom of self catering apartments while others like the convenience of fully inclusive.

Theme Parks in Tenerife

There is a large selection of theme parks in Tenerife including:- Loro Park with its orca show, dolphin show and sea lions show. Siam Park the Water Kingdom with its adrenalin pumping Tower of Power ride and The Wave Palace with the worlds biggest man made waves at 4 metres. Aqualand with its Dolphinarium and Lava River. Jungle Park, the only jungle in Europe with its daily Bird of Prey Show. Camel Park is perfect for a family day out. Take a ride like Lawrence of Arabia. Most parks offer day passes which include transport from a convenient pick-up point, entrance fees and return trip.

Beaches in Tenerife

Tenerife beaches are clean, and well cared for. There are 8 blue flag beaches in Tenerife including Playa del Duque, Las Teresitas, Troya and Playa de la Arena. Golden sandy beaches and natural black volcanic sand beaches are best in the south and west of the island. These are mainly found around the major tourist resorts. Most have good access and meet stringent European standards of cleanliness, and have shower facilities, sun beds, and sunshades. The majority offer water sports, including scuba diving, jet-skiing and wind-surfing as well as exciting boat trips to see dolphins and Pilot whales.

Places to see in Tenerife

Car hire is cheap and available in all the main resorts; the island bus service is even cheaper. For the more energetic, try hiking and visit the rough terrain of a volcanic island, but be warned there is a lot of ascents and descents. Places to visit :-Teide National Park which has recently been named a National Heritage Site. You can use the cable car (Teleférico del Teide) to reach the summit of mount Teide where you get a fantastic view of the other islands. Santa Cruz the capital of Tenerife has large department stores like El Corte Inglés and trendy shopping complexes. Or you may like to stroll through the numerous parks. The village of Los Gigantes with its impressive cliffs with lava flows running through them. On the northern coast, Icod de los Vinos and its 1000 year old Drago Tree.

Water Sports in Tenerife

As you would expect, Tenerife being an island has lots to offer in the way of water sports. The crystal clear waters make it ideal for diving and snorkeling, whilst beaches with large waves are a favorite with surfers, windsurfers and kite boarders from around the world. Water-skiers, Jet skiers, and wake boarders also flock to the islands shores to enjoy the fantastic weather and excellent climate. Sailing around the Islands offers an exhilarating way to see the islands from the sea. The marinas and ports have many yachts and motor cruisers for rent.

Tenerife Nightlife

Tenerife has an active nightlife in resorts like Costa Adeje, Playa de Las Americas, Puerto de la Cruz and Los Cristianos. There are literally hundreds of bars, restaurants, night clubs, pavement cafes and fast food establishments to choose from. By far the liveliest holiday resorts in Tenerife are Costa Adeje, Playa de Las Americas and Los Cristianos with its mainly British influence. For nightlife in these resorts you will find plenty of bars, sports bars and night clubs to choose from. If you want a quieter evening you don't need to travel very far to find some small villages with excellent restaurants. The larger hotels usually have in house entertainment.

Carnival in Tenerife

The capital, Santa Cruz hosts the second largest carnival in the world, second only to Rio de Janeiro Brazil. Every February it attracts around a million people from the island and all around the world. In fact the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is twinned with the city of Rio de Janeiro for this very reason. The party starts in the streets on the Friday before Carnival with a spectacular opening parade, where thousands of people in fancy dress dance until the early hours of the morning. The party continues night after night until Ash Wednesday.