Regardless of your reasons for visiting Tenerife, you will want to explore the island. As nice as basking in the sunshine is on any visit to this remarkable island, a trip here is not complete without taking a break from the beaches and making the most of the attractions and diverse landscape. By far the best way to ensure you experience all that you can on the island is to take daytrips.
It is true that the landscape on Tenerife is like nowhere else on earth. Numerous attractions await every visitor and the real beauty of it is that given its size, nothing is very far away. The highlights include Puerto de la Cruz, the second city of the island; the famous statue of the Black Virgin Madona and the majestic Mount Teide volcano, towering over Tenerife at 12,200 feet.
Being the most popular of the Canary Islands, some think that overcrowding would be a problem. On the contrary, you will have the whole coastline to choose from to find a suitable resort or hotel. Each area has something different to offer: Los Cristianos has a picturesque harbour and quiet atmosphere; Puerto de la Cruz offers real Tenerife culture, while Playa de la Américas is home to some of the best beaches on the island along with the liveliest nightlife. Where ever you choose to locate yourself, the choice is vast ranging from upmarket luxury to comfortable mid-range options. Check out the latest weather forecast in Tenerife.
As you would imagine, Tenerife is easy to navigate given its small size. You can either rent a car or use the well integrated bus system to visit the sights on daytrips or alternatively, you can make use of the many travel agents dotted around the tourist areas who will take care of planning daytrips for you.
A great way to ensure you make the most of your stay on Tenerife is to work around the island seeing the attractions. Get a bird’s eye view of the island by climbing to the top of Europe’s highest mountain or take the easy route via the cable car at Pico del Teide to the top and enjoy the view. Alternatively, visit Loro Park, home to 340 different species of parrots, or explore the busy port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Given Tenerife is surrounded by crystal clear waters, snorkelling, scuba diving and swimming are extremely popular activities for those who want to explore the underwater world of tropical fish and coral. Other off-island activities which are perfect for daytrips include glass bottomed boat trips, adrenaline pumping game fishing or exciting whale and dolphin watching.
From the airport in the south of the island, an aerial daytrip is a must. An experienced helicopter pilot can take you on a tour of the island, flying over highlights such as Los Cristianos, Playa del Américas’ golf courses, and then heading out over the highest cliffs in Europe at Los Gigantes. If you are really lucky, you may see whales coming up for air when the flight takes you between Tenerife and La Gomera.
The island of La Gomera makes another great daytrip, reachable via a short ferry journey. Once on the smaller island, the main highlight is the Garajonay National Park which is made up of over 10,000 acres hiding a laurel forest in the middle. This daytrip can prove to be absolutely magical as the mist descends over the park when the Atlantic winds mix with the warmer island air.
For animal lovers, Tenerife provides suitable daytrip activities such as Loro Park, just outside Puerto de la Cruz and home to an aquarium, dolphin shows, jaguars, gorillas and parrots. If you are not satisfied with this daytrip then combine it with a trip to Tenerife Zoo to see the monkey park and the informative camel breeding centre.
Another interesting daytrip means leaving the island of Tenerife and heading to another of the Canary Islands: Lanzarote. It is possible to do this in a day and it will give you a chance to explore some of the highlights of the neighbouring island. Lanzarote is however another destination in its own right.