Tenerife

Tenerife

• About Tenerife

  Tenerife features miles of sun kissed sandy beaches. There are also lots of bars and restaurants, sunbeds and other beach facilities to keep you happy. Tenerife also offers lots in terms of sports, with everything from golf and paragliding to scuba diving and watersports, plus a wide choice of hotels and accommodation. Popular developments and attractions are found at the Southern end, which tends to be hotter and drier. The beaches in Playa De Las Americas and Los Cristianos alone attract thousands of holiday makers each year. Other popular resorts include Los Cristianos, La Caletta and Puerto de la Cruz in the North.

• Attractions

  Bananera - Jardines de Atlantico

  Near Los Cristianos includes commentary and tour of the banana plantations, which is great fun and very interesting.

  Octopus Park

  Octopus water-park and dolphin zoo near Playa de la Americas includes Kamikaze and other high spirited water rides.

  Quad Safari

  High in the mountains near Playa de las Americas four wheeled quad bike tours race your pulse as well as the machines themselves.

  Karting

  Legendary Karting Club de Tenerife near Los Cristianos. The Karting Club Tenerife track is international standard and has five types of kart for hire. There is also a bar, café and viewing terraces.

• Transport

  Tenerife has two airports, Los Rodeos, also known as Tenerife Norte, and Reina Sofia Airport, also known as Tenerife Sur. A major motorway covers most of the perimeter of the island linking major towns. Inland you can expect severe, narrow and winding roads. There is a good bus network.

• Landscape and Geography

  Spanish island Tenerife is the biggest of the seven Canary Islands which lie in the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of Africa. The largest island in the Canaries archipelago, it is part of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife province.

  This dramatic island is just over 300km from Africas coast and 1,300km from Spains mainland. Tenerife is famous for its unique triangle shape with the huge Teide moutain jutting up in the centre. The Teide, all 3 718m of it, is a volcanic mountain. Its the highest point in all of Spain. Similar to the rest of the Canaries, Tenerife is largely volcanic in character, which determines its rugged landscape and varied eco systems. There are a variety of climates, from desert areas and tropical zones to large swathes of pine forest, which contribute to its rich variety of fauna and flora.

• Climate

  Tenerife is known for its perennial spring climate. Statistics reveal Tenerife has the lowest temperature differences between summer and winter in the world. Temperatures fall to only 18C in winter and hit around 30C in the summer. Tenerife is an island of two contrasts because it is divided by its huge mountain range, with the South much hotter and dry, and the North much cooler and greener. Tenerife has occasional rain showers but on the whole the weather is moderate.

• Key Facts

  • Times Zone - GMT +1 hour
  • Area - 2 034 km²
  • Capital - Santa Cruz
  • Country - Spain
  • Money - Euro
  • Language - Spanish