On the way from Buenavista to Garachico, we decided, on the spur of the moment, to take a short detour and explore the tiny, little town of Los Silos. This was an inspired decision - it is so beautiful, so peaceful and one of…Read More

On the way from Buenavista to Garachico, we decided, on the spur of the moment, to take a short detour and explore the tiny, little town of Los Silos. This was an inspired decision - it is so beautiful, so peaceful and one of the most charming places on the island of Tenerife. Most people head for the well known Garachico - they just don't know what they are missing.

Los Silos is right on the north-west coast of the island. We hadn't seen it mentioned in any of the tourist guides or books and there were no other tourists here! It felt like we had it to ourselves.

We parked our car on the main street, got out and just wandered. The church - Nuestra Senora de la Luz is probably the most striking building in the town. It is umissable - white, with the sun reflecting off its pristine walls. Just opposite the church is the Cultural Centre. Unfortunately it was closed when we visited, but apparently inside there is information on Los Silos and the surrounding area. The walls are painted in a very vivid colour, you won't miss it. It was built in 1649 and was originally a convent.

Neaby is the Town Hall, this is also a lovely building with a very impressive Canarian balcony.

We headed back to the Plaza - it is picture postcard perfect. There is an Art Nouveau style bandstand in the middle of the plaza. It was designed by a Canarian architect called Mariano Estanga. He lived in Los Silos in the 1920's and apparently played a big role in the restoration and design of the town.

We found a little bar just off the square and decided to go in and have lunch. It was lovely - thick, whitewashed walls, heavy wooden shutters and open windows (no glass), looking out over the plaza. It was very traditional with some local men gathered around the bar, chatting and passing the time of day. No-one spoke any English, but with pigeon Spanish and much nodding and pointing, we managed to order lunch. We ate delicious sandwiches, washed down with local beer and ice cream for our son. The cost - 6 Euros in total for everything. What a bargain! It also had the most wonderful relaxed and calm atmosphere.

We wandered a bit more after lunch looking for the Aderno patisserie and chocolate shop. Although Los Silos is a very small place, we couldn't find this shop. Apparently its produce is so good, people travel here all the way from Santa Cruz to buy things. We didn't find it, but did find some lovely old buildings and beautiful streets to explore and had a very enjoyable hour in this quaint and special place.   Close

The drive out of Masca towards the town of Buenavista is a lot less stressful than the drive into the village. The road is still steep and winding, but much less so than the road which takes you down into Masca. Also it…Read More

The drive out of Masca towards the town of Buenavista is a lot less stressful than the drive into the village. The road is still steep and winding, but much less so than the road which takes you down into Masca. Also it seemed like most people were going back the way they came, so there was very little traffic.

Be sure to stop at the Mirador Cruz de Hilda, it overlooks the Masca Valley and gives you a different perspective of Masca itself. It is a stunning view. On the information board beside the mirador there is a little story about the life of a crow. It is interesting and explains that the existence of crows here proves the ecosystem is good. Amazingly there was a crow perched on top when we arrived. Take time to read this - it is fun and educational.

As you drive further, you see the El Palmar valley below you. There are terraces growing fruit, cereals and almonds. Something that you also can't fail to see is the huge green and red volcanic mound. It is a bit surreal - there are "slices" cut out of it. It looks just like a giant cake or pie that someone has cut pieces out of. It dominates the entire valley. It was a quarry and the soil was used to build local houses. Apparently though, it tended to collapse on those mining there and thus they ceased doing this.

Eventually you come to the cliffs of the Teno Massif. This is the oldest part of Tenerife, formed 7 million years ago. You see the road carved into the rock, then a gap, a bit like an eye in the rock face that you drive through. The drive looked really interesting and takes you eventually to the Teno lighthouse - the most westerly point of Tenerife. Also you can stop at the "eye" where there is a viewpoint right down onto the cliffs below and the Atlantic Ocean. It is supposed to be scarey and amazing. We unfortunately did not experience any of this though. We saw the eye from the road, but as you approach, they had ominous signs warning against driving on this road if there has been wind or rain. We experienced torrential rain half an hour before, and the previous 2 days had seen a ferocious storm hit the island, so decided this would be too risky a drive.

Instead, we retraced our steps back to Buenavista del Norte. We parked right by the beach there - a black, volcanic sandy beach with huge rocks and boulders and enormous waves. We walked along the beach, enjoying the views of the Teno Massif from here. Maybe not so dramatic as the eye viewpoint, but stunning nevertheless.   Close

Two seaside towns that we as a family enjoyed visiting were Los Gigantes and Puerto de la Cruz. Los Gigantes is in the south of the island, Puerto de la Cruz is right up in the north, but both offer lots of family friendly…Read More

Two seaside towns that we as a family enjoyed visiting were Los Gigantes and Puerto de la Cruz. Los Gigantes is in the south of the island, Puerto de la Cruz is right up in the north, but both offer lots of family friendly things to do.

Los Gigantes was only about 15 minutes drive from our hotel, so we decided to go there and explore. It is a nice resort - quite touristy, but still fairly small. The good thing is that there are no high rise hotels, so the views are still very lovely.

The resort, on the day we visited, had beautiful views over the sparkling sea, blue skies and glittering sands. It gets its name from the huge, dramatic cliffs which tower over it - the giants. They are the backdrop to the whole place and the little town nestles below them. They are over 800 metres tall and are almost vertical. You actually get a better view of the cliffs if you drive out of the town. Just follow the winding road out of the resort and up the hillside, eventually you come to a viewpoint. There is plenty of parking here, a little cafe with a terrace, but best of all amazing views of the cliffs. We also enjoyed looking through the telescope out to sea.

In the resort there is a nice marina with lots of restaurants and interesting boats to look at. The beach is also worth a visit. The sand is black, volcanic sand and there are lots of beachside bars and places to have a drink or a snack. Best of all though, the beach is perfect for snorkelling or for children to splash around in the shallow water. It was not at all crowded. There were lots of sailing trips out to spot whales and dolphins. They also offered fishing and diving trips, or waterskiing and banana boats - something for everyone.

Away from the beach, the streets are winding and the whole place has a charming air to it.

Puerto de la Cruz is right in the north of the island and is very lively and cosmopolitan. Our son really enjoyed it here, I did think it was a little tacky and extremely touristy, but that said, we did spend a nice afternoon here.

There are lots of cobbled streets, pavement cafes and bars and some pretty squares. This was a former fishing village and life still revolves around the harbour. We spent most of our time in the old town area. There is a nice walkway by the sea, but it was quite busy. It is lined with touristy shops and restaurants, but if you venture into the old town area, it is still touristy, but the restaurants are a bit nicer.

We had lunch at a pizzeria with a terrace over the sea. It is easy to find, I would recommend it - the pizzas were delicious and the view was truly wonderful.

Apparently everything here grows at an alarming rate - it is a tropical paradise. They have Botanical Gardens - we did not visit due to time constraints, but apparently they are like a South American jungle. There are also orchid gardens - Agatha Christie spent a lot of time here. Even just walking around though, you can see banana plants, palm trees and exotic plants - a constant reminder that you are only 300 km off the coast of Africa.   Close

La Orotava is a beautiful little town in the north of the island - very close to the resort of Puerto de la Cruz. It kept both the adults and children in our party happy. It is an old, elegant and very sophisticated…Read More

La Orotava is a beautiful little town in the north of the island - very close to the resort of Puerto de la Cruz. It kept both the adults and children in our party happy. It is an old, elegant and very sophisticated hill town with amazing architecture - great for the grown-ups, but with steep, cobbled streets, wooden balconies and great places to explore so it is also fun for children.

Traditionally La Orotava was home to Tenerife's aristocracy. The most wealthy and noble families settled here after the Spanish Conquest. There is still something of an aristocratic air about the whole place today.

We parked and crossed over the bridge towards the old town. If you stop on the bridge and take in the view, it is very special. You see the town, the valley and beyond. Our son was especially taken with the dragon trees - there were a lot of them here, all various ages.

Close to the bridge, there are some little shops and when we were there, they had photos in the window of the Corpus Christi events in the town. They cover the streets with flowers, and in the town hall square, they use coloured sand from the volcanoes to make the most amazing and intricate "sand carpets" - usually showing religious scenes. Apparently the town has entered the Guinness Book of Records for the largest event of this type in the world. We enjoyed looking at the pictures, then walked up to the town hall to see where it all takes place.

The Town Hall itself is also a very nice building, with a wonderful dragon tree right next to it. The streets all around are full of beautiful old mansions and the architecture everywhere you look is simply stunning.

If you walk up the (extremely) steep hill near the town hall, then you come to the Casa de los Balcones. Just a word of warning - the streets here are really steep, lots are cobbled as well, so you definitely need to make sure you are wearing comfortable shoes.

The Casa de los Balcones have the finest examples of traditional balconies that there are in Tenerife. The balconies are ornate and very beautiful - even our 9 year old was very taken in by them. You can actually go inside the buildings too - I would definitely recommend this. The building on the left side of the road had lots of displays of Canarian costumes, a big gift shop, local wine tasting and displays of the sand carpets inside. They had 2 examples of the sand carpets you could get very close to. This was fascinating. Outside there was a wonderful terrace, with views over the valley and a potter at work making things to sell in the shops. We had to almost tear our son away, so interested was he in watching this craftsman.

The balconied house on the other side of the street is also well worth a visit. Inside there is the most beautiful inner courtyard - it is amazing. Upstairs they have a quirky museum. Entrance is very cheap and it is worth having a quick look.

Walking back down the hill, there is a lovely skyline view - the Iglesia de la Concepcion is stunning with its round tower. We went inside this beautiful church too for a few minutes.

We spent about 1.5 hours in La Orotava - a beautiful town and interesting for children with the sand carpets and Canarian balconies.   Close

It is well worth visiting the cable car station, even if you do not want to take the cable car to the top of Mount Teide. There is a great viewing platform over the surrounding area, they also have quite a nice cafe and…Read More

It is well worth visiting the cable car station, even if you do not want to take the cable car to the top of Mount Teide. There is a great viewing platform over the surrounding area, they also have quite a nice cafe and a little gift shop. There is lots of free parking on the hill on the way up to the station.

If you decide to take the cable car to the top of Mount Teide, this is a great experience too. The journey takes just under 10 minutes and you climb up to 1,200 metres. Apparently there can be extremely long queues here, sometimes people queue for as long as 3 hours to get on the cable car. We did not experience this at all though. We got there just before the last cable car ride of the day, and found no queue at all.

You can't actually go right to the summit of Mount Teide in the cable car. To do that, requires a special permit. You get out just 500 metres below the summit though, so that still is quite something!

The cost of the cable car is quite expensive. It is really cold at the top as well - apparently it is always freezing up there. You do need to be prepared for this and bring very warm clothing - a light jacket would not be enough. It can be deceptive down below on a hot sunny day, you can hardly imagine this would be possible. They do say though that in winter on Tenerife, you can sunbathe at the bottom of the cable car run and have a snowball fight on the top of Mount Teide 10 minutes later.

The cable car holds 35 passengers. The ride up is quite good fun. Unfortunately it is absolutely impossible to tell in advance whether or not you will get a good view from the top. The clouds seem to gather extremely quickly and the weather literally changes all the time. We experienced this even at the lower level, sometimes you got a great view of Mount Teide, 2 minutes later, completely unexpectedly, it was totally covered by cloud. This is the same at the top.

Another thing to remember is that at the top of Mount Teide, the air is very thin, people with certain health conditions should not go up. Everyone needs to be aware of this - you do find yourself panting a bit even with very little exertion.

It is a great experience taking the cable car to the top of Mount Teide. The Guanche people thought Mount Teide was where the devil lived - it is exhilarating to go to the top of it! If however, you do not want to queue, or pay the expensive ticket prices, I thought you still got a wonderful view from the cable car station without going to the top. You can still see all the way over the caldera and the wonderful lunar landscape from here.   Close

The Las Canadas crater is 17 kilometres wide and was created around 3.5 million years ago. It is a truly stunning place, very beautiful in a weird, out-of-this world kind of way and the absolute must-see place on Tenerife. We were so fascinated…Read More

The Las Canadas crater is 17 kilometres wide and was created around 3.5 million years ago. It is a truly stunning place, very beautiful in a weird, out-of-this world kind of way and the absolute must-see place on Tenerife. We were so fascinated by this area and amazed by its beauty so much, we actually came back twice during our visit to explore further.

Mount Teide itself was only formed, they believe, during medieval times, so the crater is much older. It is a national park and so is preserved, apparently in the past they used to mine the volcanic rock and people used it to build houses and roads, but this no longer happens.

There are stopping places everywhere in the crater where you can explore, read the information boards and just take in this amazing and unusual landscape.

Look out for the Izana Observatory. All you can see are little white domes on the horizon which seem to appear very suddenly as you drive along the road. It actually feels like a science fiction movie - these white domes surrounded by the lunar landscape which appear out of nowhere.

The Observatory has a visitors centre, but it is only open for organised school trips. Astronomers from Spain, France, Germany and Italy work here and study the skies. Apparently the clarity of the skies here is exceptional - matched only by Chile and Hawaii. There have been astonomers studying here since the mid 19th century. They tracked Halley's Comet from the Izana Observatory in 1910.

Further on into the crater, the scenery seems to change and redefine itself all the time. It really wows you everywhere you look - I had never experienced a place like this before in my travels. Arenas Blancas is a good place to stop. You can get out of the car, climb the dunes and look out over the fields of black obsidian. We, like other tourists, lifted huge pumice rocks high into the air effortlessly - just as if we were in Star Wars! This is a great fun thing to do - our son let his imagination run wild!

The crater is an amazing place, full of weird rock formations, glittering obsidian, strange and unusual plants and so much more. You can get out and explore, walk around and just take in this very special and fabulous place - do not miss it if you visit Tenerife.   Close

If you continue driving along the TF24 past all the forests, suddenly the scenery really starts to change again and very dramatically this time. It becomes almost lunar as you begin to see remnants of millions of years of volcanic activity. It is…Read More

If you continue driving along the TF24 past all the forests, suddenly the scenery really starts to change again and very dramatically this time. It becomes almost lunar as you begin to see remnants of millions of years of volcanic activity. It is truly amazing and unlike anything I have ever seen before.

Watch out for the viewpoint at La Crucita and stop here as the view is very special. You will see volcanic cones everywhere. These were actually formed when Teide erupted in the early 1700's.

A little way further along the road is an amazing rock formation called La Tarta. You can't miss it. Tarta apparently means "cake" and this is just like a huge cake, all full of different layers. The layers were actually formed all through the centuries by the different eruptions of the volcano.

We stopped for half an hour at the Visitor Centre at Portillo. It is definitely worthwhile taking some time out here. It is open every day between 9 and 4.30 and entrance is free. They have lots of interesting information and displays on the geology, climate, flora and fauna of the area. Many of the displays are interactive and hands-on. The information is in different languages. They also show a film about Teide, its formation and its eruptions. We found this fascinating and very educational. It is shown in different languages at different times. If you speak to the very helpful lady at the entrance, she will tell you when the film will be shown in your language.

Another interesting thing about this centre is the entrance - you actually walk through a reconstruction of a volcanic tube and there is a glass section you walk on over "molten" lava. It is not very high tech - but strangely you do feel quite unnerved as you walk across.   Close

When we left La Laguna, we followed the TF24 road up to Mount Teide. This is a wonderful road to drive along. It does wind up the mountain, but is nowhere near as bendy or twisty as a lot of the mountain roads…Read More

When we left La Laguna, we followed the TF24 road up to Mount Teide. This is a wonderful road to drive along. It does wind up the mountain, but is nowhere near as bendy or twisty as a lot of the mountain roads we used. It was actually built by the military in the 1940's and is mainly used by local people when they want to drive up the mountain. Apparently it is rarely used by tourists - amazing, since the road is wide, well maintained and a pleasure to drive along. This was good for us though, as we seemed to be about the only car using it and had it all to ourselves.

We left La Laguna and headed for La Esperanza and El Teide. We drove past the airport - it is much smaller than the southern airport - you get a great view of the runway. As you drive along, the scenery starts to change from city suburbs to fields.

La Esperanza is a small town, not really worth stopping in, except if you are low on fuel. Apparently this is the last petrol station for about 60 kilometres, so worth knowing if you are venturing on to Mount Teide.

The road winds up the mountain, and there are some amazing views to be had all the way as it climbs ever upwards. We loved the drive through all the pine and eucalyptus forests. Be sure to open your car windows as you drive through the forest. The scent of eucalyptus is heady and strong and really clears your head.

Keep looking to the left and right as you climb - there are wonderful views both sides of the road and numerous viewpoints or miradors to stop. You keep glimpsing the sea - we stopped 5 or 6 times, the views are so tempting.

As you climb higher, to the right you can see the Anaga Mountains and Santa Cruz. On the left hand side is Guimar and the coast, and on the right the view over La Orotava Valley and Puerta de la Cruz is stunning.

Chimogue and Chipeque are 2 really great viewpoints and I would definitely recommend stopping at these. From here you get views over the north and the south of the island. It is a bit of a bumpy track up to the first viewpoint, these are a bit off the beaten track and most tourists go past them. From Chimogue you can see Gran Canaria on the horizon. Chipeque is higher up and as well as stunning views of the valley and Mount Teide, you can sometimes see La Palma on a clear day.

A word of caution though about these 2 viewpoints. We felt totally safe, the drive up is very bumpy and along a track, but watch out at all times for your valuables. Thieves lurk around here, despite the serenity, the fact you are half way up a mountain and it seems deserted, we left a bag on the backseat of our hire car for a couple of minutes, walked to the front of the car to take a picture and when we got back the bag was gone. This literally happened in a couple of minutes and we saw and heard nothing. Fortunately there was nothing of value in the bag - cue disappointed thief, but you do need to be careful, keep a tight hold of all valuables and lock the car, even if you are just stepping outside for a second. All the other viewpoints have signs warning of the thieves in the area - this one didn't, but just beware.   Close

La Laguna is a beautiful city, well off the normal tourist track, but definitely worth a visit.It took us about 1.25 hours to drive here from our base in the south-west of Tenerife. It is motorway all the way and was an easy and…Read More

La Laguna is a beautiful city, well off the normal tourist track, but definitely worth a visit.

It took us about 1.25 hours to drive here from our base in the south-west of Tenerife. It is motorway all the way and was an easy and pleasant drive. We found an underground car-park which was very central and perfect for exploring.

La Laguna was actually the old capital city of Tenerife. It was founded way back in 1496, when it was a real boom town and there was a lot of wealth and prosperity in the city. They constructed many wonderful buildings and there are still some fantastic examples of Renaissance architecture to be found here today. La Laguna remained Tenerife's capital until 1833, when Santa Cruz took over and became the new capital city.

The location of La Laguna is lovely - set on an inland lake, and it is a lively place, full of young people and students due to the university that is located here. I loved the feel and atmosphere of this place, the old architecture and historical buildings are amazing, but it also has a young, fresh vibe about it.

Despite being so beautiful, La Laguna is a bit off the beaten track for most tourists, there are few (if any) coach tours etc. which come here, so it is unspoilt and perfect.

La Laguna was the first city in the world built on a geometric grid system. This was the departure point for colonists setting off for the New World in the 1500's, and hence they took the grid system idea with them and it became the model for the street pattern of virtually every city in Central and South America. It is lovely to just stroll around the streets and wander at your leisure - the grid system means it is virtually impossible to get lost.

The outside world, amazingly did not pay much attention to La Laguna until 1999. It was at this point that it was given World Heritage Status by UNESCO.

We found the cathedral, but unfortunately it was completely covered with scaffolding and there was extensive work going on. We did also discover a beautiful old church and bell tower. The town is full of lovely, coloured buildings and some amazing examples everywhere of the wooden, traditional Canarian balconies. There are also lots of great shops in the town, tucked along the little old-fashioned streets.

We spent a couple of hours here, it is the perfect spot to spend a sunny morning. The only problem we encountered was actually trying to leave. The one-way street system is a bit complicated and our sat-nav seemed to find it all a bit challenging, but we managed in the end! La Laguna though, although off the tourist track, was definitely one of my highlights during our trip to Tenerife.   Close

Villa de Arico and Arico Nuevo are two little villages on the TF28, both are completely unspoilt and untouched by tourism, have a quiet, sleepy air about them, but are beautiful and well-worth stopping and spending half an hour in each strolling around.We came to…Read More

Villa de Arico and Arico Nuevo are two little villages on the TF28, both are completely unspoilt and untouched by tourism, have a quiet, sleepy air about them, but are beautiful and well-worth stopping and spending half an hour in each strolling around.

We came to Villa de Arico first of all. We parked just outside, then wandered down a little side street until we came to the church. This 18th century church - San Juan Bautista is so beautiful. They say it is the most beautiful in Tenerife. I thought it was a little like the church in Granadilla, but the location here is much more impressive. The church has gleaming white walls, a lovely domed tower and a huge dragon tree right next to it. It stands on a little hill, looking over the valley and is so picturesque.

Around the church are lots of typical Canarian style houses with wooden balconies. There are also lots of lovely 17th and 18th century houses in the village, some have been beautifully restored, others need a little work but even they are extremely beautiful and well worth a photo.

As you drive away from Villa de Arico and on to Arico Nuevo, there are lots of vines growing. Apparently this area is where much of Tenerife's white and rose wines are produced.

Just a short way away is Arico Nuevo. This is a really quaint village, very picturesque and lovely to stroll around. We parked at waste ground at the top of the only street into the village.

This was a walled town, built in the 18th century by the wealthy landowners, the houses are very grand and reflect this wealth. We found the church - Nuestra Senora de la Luz, again gleaming white walls and stunning. The houses in this village are the main attraction though. There are crooked roofs and balconies eveywhere. You can't see them so well - most have walls around, but if you stroll around, it is fun to peek through any of the half open gates. Inside are patios, ferns and shady areas. Everywhere there is colourful and lush bougainvillea escaping over the walls and making the most colourful and spectacular scene.   Close