5 top attractions in Tenerife? The Anaga forest is one of the most magic places in Tenerife, with its laurel trees and wild beaches like the popular Benijo beach. If you have rented a car for your holiday, don’t miss a day trip to this part of the island as it’s one of Tenerife’s most amazing places to see and visit. Look up at the weather forecast before you make the trip though, as sometimes it can be cloudy and foggy (especially during the winter months). If you’re having a cloudy day in the south and you don’t know what to do in Tenerife besides laying by the pool, you could go and visit the island’s capital – Santa Cruz de Tenerife. You have many things to do, including great shopping opportunities (the only Primark on the island is located inside Meridiano Shopping Center). Discover even more info on Tenerife Forum Community.
Stargazing in Teide National Park is one of the best free things to do in Tenerife. 83 of the 88 officially recognised constellations can be seen from the park. You can go it alone or hire an astronomer to explain the constellations – our guide, José from Star Excursions, was so entertaining and he even arranged for the space station to pass by during our talk (ha). I learned that due to its lack of light pollution around the island’s volcanic peaks, Tenerife is one of the best places in the world for stargazing. In order to protect its status, it’s actually illegal to fly through Tenerife’s airspace between sunset and sunrise. If you’re looking for romantic things to do for couples in Tenerife, just look up!
These natural salt water pools are plenty of fun to cool off in – particularly if you’re coming down from one of the mountain hikes or golf courses nearby. There are also showers and bathrooms to get changed in too. Whilst the golden sands of Médano are ideal for posing and sunbathing with the best of them, you should really try your hand at kitesurfing here. This is a great, safe spot to surf for experienced riders, with Médano and Tejita offering two different spots to ride the waves. Whilst Rio may have the biggest carnevale in South America, the Canary Islands are the place to be for it in Europe. Over the course of a week, festivals, processions and parties flood the streets of Santa Cruz with colour, feathers and glitter. The Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival is a fun event to attend with a group, or with the family – you’ll never see anything quite like it.
Taganana is another tiny hamlet in Anaga Rural Park that feels a world away from the pristine all-inclusive resorts in Tenerife’s south. This hidden gem of a hamlet was completely cut off from the rest of the island – and subsequently, the world – until the 1950s when a road was established. Even today, getting to Taganana isn’t easy: it involves a stomach-twisting drive on winding roads. Taganana means ‘surrounded by mountains’ in the ancient dialect of the Guanches, Tenerife’s original inhabitants. If you decide to pay Taganana a visit, some points of interest are Nuestra Senora de las Nieves, the fourth oldest church in Tenerife which was built in 1515, and El Bailadero viewpoint. Some of Tenerife’s best beaches are hidden in Taganana’s lower crevices.
The Museum of Nature and Man in Santa Cruz de Tenerife contains many important artefacts related to the history of the Canary Islands. It has a large collection of native tools and carvings, as well as well-preserved mummies from around the world. The conservation work done by the museum has now paid off, since visitors have a unique chance to discover the largest existing collection of the Guanche aboriginal culture of ancient Tenerife, before the arrival of the first European conquerors.