Tenerife is one of the 4 western isles of the Canaries. The Canaries are owned by Spain and are divided into two provinces. The islands of Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote form the eastern isles province, while Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro comprise the western isles. Tenerife is the most popular of the western isles, being a major tourist destination.
The canary islands lie off the west coast of Africa and have year round warm temperatures. They have been connected to the myth of the Lost City of Atlantis since the islands are volcanic and it is believed there was once a larger island to the west which was blown apart in a volcanic eruption. Consequently the islands have some dramatic landscapes. Tenerife has the highest mountain peak of all Spain the Teide which is about 3700m high. This lies on the edge of a crater, which was once an even larger mountain which erupted leaving just a large crater. The mountain and Crater now form a national park.
The island is generally split into two halves, the more popular resorts, with lively nightlife and built up modern areas lie to the south. These include the well-known resort of Playa de las Americas which runs into the resort of Los Cristianos down the coast. Also in the south are El Medano, which has a good beach, La Caleta. Los Caleta just along the coast from Los Cristianos is a little more low key. Further up the coast is Los Gigantes which is situated next to some stunning black cliffs out of the sea.
The northern resorts are generally quieter and less built up. These iclude Bajamar, Puerto de la Cruz and the capital Santa Cruz. Just north of Santa Cruz is the best beach on the island at Playa de las Tersitas.
There are plenty of sporting activities to be had around Tenerife. Watersports include waterskiing, jetskiing, motorboating, and yachting. There is also good windsurfing to be had a El Medano where the World Cup is held in July. Golf is also becoming popular with a few courses around the island.
If shopping is high on your agenda then Santa Cruz is the place to go and it also has a number of other interesting places to visit. The island has a wealth of attractions worth seeing, such as the thousand year old dragon tree, the National park of Teide and there are a number of very pretty villages to see.
Airports - Tenerife Reina Sofia International Airport (TFS)
Currency - Euro
Language - Spanish
Time Zone - GMT (Nov-Mar) or GMT +1 hour (Apr-Oct)
Flight Time - Approx. 2 hours
Average temperature and days of rain
