Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, is located off the western coast of Africa in the great Atlantic Ocean. While this is a location that my husband lobbied for, for quite some time, I was not on board initially and would continually suggest other places that I wanted to visit first. It wasn’t until we purchased the tickets for Fall Break and I began to craft our itinerary that I wished we would have allocated more time to explore the island.
Because the travel from Amsterdam to Tenerife consumes the majority of a day, I planned a three-day itinerary. It was difficult to pick and choose what to do and see, and it would have been nice to have 4-5 full days on the island, but in the end we were content with our time there and ready to return home.
The Tenerife itinerary below was planned for a party of five including two adults and three teenagers. Here was our original plan:
Day 1:
Visit the Finca las margaritas banana plantation
Explore Teide National Park
Day 2:
Kayaking & Snorkeling excursion
Masca Village gorge hike & boat ride to Los Gigantes
Day 3:
Hike in Angara Rural Park
Beach time
…and here is what we actually did:
Day 1: Banana plantation & Teide National Park
Finca las margaritas banana plantation is a plantation that has been harvesting bananas since 1977. Enclosed with light mesh netting, the 80+ hectares had 8 various information boards dispersed throughout giving information on the planation itself as well as the harvesting process. In between the information stations, guests can walk through the plant rows and take pictures of the green banana clusters. There are also photo stops throughout the tour as well with cute wicker chairs aesthetically placed between plants or makeshift displays of harvesters. At the end of the tour is a tasting of typical island foods, namely bananas and gofio, a ground meal often used for hot cereal.
After a lengthy photo shoot at the plantation, we headed to Teide National Park. Mount Teide is an active volcano, Spain’s highest peak, and the third tallest volcano in the world. Hiking to the summit was not something we planned to do, but it can be done with a permit. Our Teide dreams included riding the cable car and hiking one of the three routes near the top. Unfortunately, however, we were sad to learn that the cable car rides were sold out for the day when we got there. So, if that’s something you’re set on doing, be sure to make reservations in advance.
Instead, we made lemonade out of our lemons and hiked around “Los Roques de Garcia.” In doing this, we didn’t get to be ON the volcano which was sad for some of us, but in exchange we had the most incredible views of Mt. Teide and we ended up saving a lot of money. The Los Roques de Garcia hike (Sendero 3) took us a little over an hour to complete at a slow pace with views not only of Teide but also “God’s thumb” and the “Cathedral”. The unique terrain was created by lava flow formations, and since we did the loop counter clockwise, the hike was mostly downhill. The last few hundred meters, however, were steep and rocky, but we saw people of all ages on the trail.
Day 2: Kayaking excursion & Masca Village
We started the day with an early morning excursion that included both kayaking and snorkeling. Our guides, Ibeta and Benni, from Canary Kayak Tenerife were great. We kayaked to large ringed fish farms not far from the shore, and while it wasn’t the most attractive of views, we did enjoy the marine life that came nearby (due to the fish farms). We saw numerous dolphins, two of which swam directly under our kayak. From there, we paddled around the fish farm rings to a small rocky inlet in order to snorkel. The water was warm enough to enjoy without wetsuits, but our hopes and dreams of swimming with sea turtles were unfortunately not met. So, even though it was a beautiful day to be out on the water, the fish farm views and the withdrawn sea turtles would probably make this particular excursion rank lower on my list of kayaking adventures.
Afterwards we went to check out Masca Village, an old traditional village hidden away from the city, yet bustling with tourists. Before going, I read that it was best to arrive early in order to assure parking in this small village, but we went much later in the day (around 4’ish) and lucked out finding a great parking spot. My goal while in Masca was to enjoy the gorge hike down to the beach and then take a boat over to Los Gigantes. Unfortunately, it was Thursday, and I didn’t realize that the trail is only open Friday – Sunday…so, we had a watered-down glass of cactus lemonade at a nearby café instead.
If you attempt to do the gorge hike, you should be mindful that there is a ranger at the trailhead checking for proper footwear. (Should you find yourself without proper footwear, there is a local gift shop/restaurant that conveniently sells overpriced Quechua brand hiking boots.) Missing out on this hike was perhaps my greatest regret while in Tenerife; the area was stunning, and I can only imagine that seeing the gorge and ending up on the shore after hiking would have been so rewarding and would have made an unforgettable memory, but alas, I’m left with the memory of a squinched-nose aftertaste of cactus lemonade instead…
Day 3: Parasailing & Beach time
After two days of long drives to both the national park and Masca, we decided to abandon our plans of hiking in the highly coveted Angara Rural Park. I’m not 100% convinced that we made the right decision, but we were tired, so staying closer to our Airbnb was of greater importance. Our teenagers were happy to sleep in and partake in a parasailing adventure (which required much less effort than hiking) with great views and contagious energy. From high above the ocean, the mountains were our backdrop, and while there was nervous excitement, there was also a sense of calm and an appreciation for the quiet beauty experienced from this unique point of view.
We left the speedboat feeling refreshed and strolled through a few stores before ending up on Playa de la Pinta in order to relax and dry off in the warm sunshine.
From there we drove south to the Hard Rock Café where we ate an early dinner and then enjoyed a long stroll along the beach. We posed for pictures and took in the tranquil views as we walked along the boardwalk. In the end, this was a favorite day for our teens. It may not have been what was planned originally, but we took their cues and were able to really relax and enjoy our last day on the island.
