Tourism in Tenerife

Lushly green on the northern slopes and almost desert in the south, the Canary Island of Tenerife is divided at its center by the cone and crater of the volcano El Teide, Spain’s tallest mountain. Bordering the ocean below, and often within sight from the lofty mountains that form a spine the length of the island, are beaches separated by a rocky coastline. At either end of the island, these mountains end abruptly, often in sheer cliffs that drop straight into the sea. Especially in the south, the beaches are backed by row on row of holiday flats and hotels in all price ranges. Long stretches of the northern coast are rimmed with rough black rock, and the beaches between are of black sand. Beautiful golden beaches on the south coast have been built from sand brought by barge from the nearby Sahara. Gracious old towns founded by the Spanish, who colonized the island in the 1500s, are marked by carved wooden balconies and the graceful spires of churches, among the island’s oldest buildings. Gardens are everywhere in the north, from groups of overflowing window pots to a world-class botanic garden and stunning hanging water gardens in Puerto de la Cruz.