This autumn, I finally made it to Tenerife for a four day day vacation (after having once cancelled a holiday there). Tenerife turned out to be quite a surprise for me. I was expecting an island with lots of beaches and a humid relaxed kind of island life, while it turned out to be a bare desert kind of place. However, it did offer quite an interesting mix of activities and our vacation turned out to be a busy one. We experienced the entire range of touristy activities, from diving, hiking, spending a day in the water park to driving to gorgeous coastal Spanish villages. And it was interspersed with relaxation at our Balinese themed resort.
Getting there and first impressions
Somehow it always feels that you can get to anywhere in Europe very quickly, but it turned out to be a long flight to get from London to Tenerife. It was more than 4 hours! Most of the flight was over the sea with not much to see. We flew over Portugal and North Spain for a bit. And I saw a striking view of the Portuguese coast, with the white waves lining the cliffs on the coast. Then it was the ocean again for a long time.
And then all of a sudden in front of the plane, appeared the first glimpse of Tenerife island. In the middle of the ocean, I spotted a huge mountain peak rising above the clouds. It was a magical view, especially as I hadn't expected it. When I saw the peak, I realised that Tenerife is a volcanic island surrounding this volcanic peak. Later, the smaller peaks around the main one came into view. And the waves of the lava flow that created the contours all around the island.
Teide peak and western coast |
The landscape in the south was a yellow brown barren desert, which was the opposite of what the north side of the island looked like. There were miles of barren lava fields everywhere, with only some shrubs vegetation. Closer to the airport some artificially planted greens palms of the city came into view, and then the area was full of high storeyed holiday homes. The greenery in the city felt a bit fake though, given all around was just barren land.
The airport was small and you could see that the island is quite popular with sun starved Britishers. There were direct flights from interior UK, like Newcastle and Midlands too! And just coming out of the airport you realise why! The place felt like bliss, the sun was out and the air was warm. I already felt that my vacation had started, given the warmth in the air.
I took a cab to my hotel which was slightly away from the city. It was in the mountains and the way there was on the motorway. I could also see how touristy the whole island was - Chinese mall, Thai themed water park and a Bali type hotel billboards lined the highway. And down the mountains, I could see all the newly built multi-floored holiday homes.
Over the next few days, we did a few activities. The first day, we went diving; the second was spent trekking on the Teide, the third in the Siam water park, and the last day driving along the western coast. And of course, everyday we would come back and chill in our amazing resort. Let me just talk a bit about all these activities.
Diving
Tenerife is a popular diving destination and we decided to go diving on our first day on the island itself. We booked 2 dives in advance the day before with Aqua Marina (https://www.aqua-marina.com) after reading the reviews for a few of the dive schools there. And I must give a special call out to them for their service.
Anyways divers are a friendly bunch, but the staff and instructors at Aqua Marina took helpfulness to the next level. They understood each diver's capabilities and limitations, and let everyone on the group dive and explore the dive sites based on their own skill levels. Not pushing them to do more, but being understanding to how each one preferred to dive. I would totally recommend them any day.
We took a boat till the 2 dive sites, the first being a bit far in the sea while the second one was closer. That day, there was a lot of wind and the water was very very choppy. We were all feeling sea sick because of that. There was so much wind that even getting into the water was a bit of a toughie as you kept getting drawn away from the diving line. Though once you got down deep, the water was calm and clear. And swimming got a lot easier.
Turtle during the dive |
Camouflaged fish |
Overall, the water was coldish but very clear, and the dives were lovely. We totally enjoyed it. Sometimes if you are lucky, you can also spot dolphins in this area but we didn't get to see any.
Teide
Mount Teide is kind of the soul of the island. It is located in the centre of the island and everything on the island centres around it. No visit to the island is complete without a visit to Teide and there are many ways you can explore it. My friends cycled till there one day which is quite tough. You can hike all the way to the peak, which again some of my friends did. It is quite a strenuous climb and takes more than usual effort, given its high altitude. Or you can take a cable car up the peak, which is what I and a few of my friends did.
It takes an hour or so to drive up to the Teide, and on the way you pass through some bright coloured Spanish villages and a few vineyards. The vegetation on the way is mostly scrubs, with only a few trees as you get closer to the crater.
Teide is a peak within a volcanic crater, as when the eruption happened, the crater collapsed inwards and then erupted again. This created an interesting landscape where there is a huge very high circular crater all around and a gap in between through which the peak emerges. And once you get inside the crater, it has its own micro climate, different from the rest of the island. Inside the crater, all structures are from the volcanic eruption, and it feels like a place from outside of earth, the kind they show in Star Wars and other such movies.
Teide peak |
We got some magnificent views of the Teide and its neighbouring Piejo peak, but also of the different rock formations and the soil layers which were all created during the eruption. This place would be heaven for anyone studying lava flows and different kind of rock formations from lava flows. We could see different coloured rocks, layers of different rocks and many other different formations all along the trek. In fact, there were so many intricately and differently structured rock formations along the way that you would not be blamed for thinking all of this was man made rather than naturally created!
After this trek in the heat, we headed to the cable car to the peak. There was a cafe at the base where we had something to eat, with a stunning view to the crater outside. And then we took the cable car up, to be greeted with even more spectacular views of the crater around. You can even go higher till the peak but you have to register beforehand if you want to. So we only went up till where the cable car takes you and spent some time there.
View of crater from the peak |
Lava Lake |
From the top, you can also see bits of the north side of the island which is green, full of dense forests, where it rains most of the year. It was just the opposite of what we had seen in the south, bare, yellow rocky desert and only dotted with some shrubs. We stayed there for a bit, as it was very interesting to be there. And we were actually one of the last ones to take the cable car down to leave. But good we made it as as none of us wanted to walk down.
The most popular walking trail up is about 9 kms, though there are multiple other routes. And all along, you get some stunning views of the crater all around. It was very very warm, sunny and bright that day which made it easier to climb. There were also too many people as compared to usual, given the weather. I didn't do the trek that day, but may go back sometime, to get a chance to walk all the way up. Lets see...
It is said that Teide crater is one of the places on earth to stargaze, given the limited light pollution. And you can see the milky way on a clear night with no moon. One of my friends drove to the crater one night as it was clear and the moon wasn't as full. Apparently the views was breathtaking and he could almost see the Milky Way. Its definitely something I missed this time, maybe this will also be for some other time?
Siam Water park
Siam Water park is a popular water park located in the south of the island and we got complimentary passes to the park along with our hotel stay. So we spent one day, morning till park closing, in the park, enjoying all its rides. The park is made on a Thai theme, the names of the rides all have a Thai touch to it, the buildings and ride structures are built in the Thai architecture style and there is a lot of greenery in the park which is also very tropical in its feel.
There are multiple rides in the park for adults, plus some smaller ones for kids and a few relaxing areas with wave pools when you are tired. We spent most of our day on the rides and they were exhilarating. The slides were not extraordinarily scary, but still fun. It was a warm day and all the water showering on us during the rides was totally welcome! The best rides of the day were the Kinnaree and the Tower, both a definite recommend. Other than the rides, they also had a pool with small sharks and fishes, and one with sea lions, for anyone who wanted to just enjoy the sea life.
We went on a Monday expecting crowds to be less given it was a weekday but it was not to be so. So we had to buy fast track to be able to get onto the rides without having to stand in queues for long. And by the evening we were tired with all the running up the rides, and going down. But it was definitely a fun day and when the passes are complimentary, it feels even better 😜.
Villages of the north
The last day on the island was particularly enjoyable for me as I got out and explored the island beyond the resort areas of Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos. I saw what else was Tenerife about, the relaxed pace of Spanish life, the brightly coloured yellow and orange Spanish villages nestled in the mountains, living their life just as they did years ago.
There were two options to drive, either to go along the west coast of the island, or the east all the way to the north. Since we didn't have a lot of time before the flight, I drove towards Masca which is along the west coast of Tenerife. The drive was first all along the coast, through small towns, beaches and resort areas. And there were impressive views all along, of the sea, and the mountains right next to the sea.
Los Gigantes cliffs |
Santiago de Teide |
Drive to Masca |
Masca on cliffs |
Lunch view from El Guanche |
There were a few other pretty villages along the way if I had continued on, but I had a time limit and couldn't. So I headed back to the resort and the airport. But when I read about them later, I realised that these are definitely worth going to: Garachico (the prettiest and unluckiest town in Tenerife) and San Cristobal De Las Lagunas (with its pretty coloured streets).
Resort area of Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos
This is the resort town of the south near where we stayed. To be honest, there wasn't a lot to do there. It was full of holiday homes, and some beaches which did not look inviting. It was all built up, with multi-floored buildings, huge roads lined with palm trees, lot of malls and anything else a tourist would need. The town felt greener, but all around it was bare and yellow.
We went into the city centre twice to eat, eating lunch at a Pizzeria which had an outside seating area and made one the tastiest pizzas I have eaten. We also once ordered food from Mr Singh, which offered very tasty Indian food. Apparently there are a few Indians on the island too, one of whom was from Punjab and had opened the restaurant. Other than that, we didn't really explore the town much as the place didn't look very inviting.
Hotel Regency Club
We stayed at the Hotel Regency Club which is located in the mountains, overlooking Los Cristianos and the sea below. All around the hotel were bare mountains, with nothing growing on the them. Its location made it ideal to watch sunsets, and you could see it from most of the rooms. Down below, the twinkling town, behind it, the sea and the orange sun dipping into the water slowly and slowly, every evening...
Twilight at the hotel |
We were staying in a grand villa, all decorated in Balinese style, with painted roofs, huge wooden doors and sculptured cupboards. The villa had its own jacuzzi and sauna which felt perfect after all the active days we had. And we enjoyed a few nice evenings, sitting outside on the terrace, enjoying the views of the sea and sunsets below.
The weather was overall warm during the day. And it got coldish at night which I hadn't planned for. Given it was such an active vacation, I didn't even realise how time passed. We were either doing an activity, or eating or enjoying the sauna/pool/jacuzzi or sleeping. And the vacation soon got over. I don't really think we relaxed as much as I thought we would😊. But I totally enjoyed the vacation. I just wish I had got more time to do some of the things I couldn't, like star gaze, trek up Teide and explore the other parts of the islands. As I usually say, maybe for the next time...
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