Cruising Tenerife Islands

Ever since I read the attention grabbing article “a massive tidal wave scheduled from Canary Island volcano” on the BBC (or the Beeb), I was fascinated with this interesting part of the world. After all, there was a little bit of self preservation interest at heart, as America’s East Coast will potentially be one of the areas impacted and would not escape the disaster unscathed.

Found just off the coast of Africa, the Canary Islands is a group Spanish archipelago west of Morocco and West Sahara. My friend and I chose Tenerife, because she managed to secured some amazing travel discounts for us to stay in five star paradise.

The flight from London to Tenerife was just under 4 hours, surprisingly smooth from check-in to take off, due to our luck with the particular airline! One thing I did learn in retrospect, was not to travel to popular holiday destination such as Tenerife during school holidays. The flight was packed to the max and one particular adorable little boy did not want to be seated and was screaming with every last bit of energy left, surprising for his size!

Mount Teide Tenerife

The majority of volcanos in the Canary Islands are dormant. Tenerife is home to Mount Teide, the third tallest volcano in the world! In the Teide National Park, there is a crater with a circumference of 48km that Mount Teide rose out of.

The easiest way to get to the top of the volcano is through a cable car, and for those who are feeling more adventurous, a tour to hike to the top is also available (but not for those who are scared of lizards). Lizards were everywhere on the island, due to its subtropical climate. A particular variety that I haven’t seen before were some lizards with blue bellies.

Tenerife Island

I stayed at the Costa Adeje region and enjoyed the slow pace of the remote location. Surrounded on three sides by fields of banana plants and peculiar shaped massive cactus fields, with the windows facing the beautiful blue ocean, I had no choice but to throw my WiFi challenged smartphone aside and relaxed by the poolside with a good book.

Tenerife Island

Tenerife Island

To get around without a car, the cab fare can definitely add up. Lucky for us, the hotel provided a shuttle that took us to the centre of town near Playa Fanabe, where we found many more restaurants, bars, and most importantly, ice cream/gelato shops! 🙂

Tenerife Island

On Saturday morning, there was a weekly market in the town centre where local tradesmen sold things from practical vegetable choppers to artsy wooden crafts.

The food provided locally and at the hotel were all very fresh and ridiculously good value! I particularly enjoyed the variety provided during breakfast (strawberry smoothie shots!) and the entertainment provided in the evening. One Spanish group demonstrated a throwing weapon (boleadoras) performance on stage with the involvement of a Germany tourist holding a cigarette in his mouth at a ridiculous close distance with the boleadoras!

Tenerife Island

Lastly, as an island trip for everyone, for those who love scuba diving and snorkelling, Tenerife offered an excellent variety of locations. Next time when I return, I will be armed with a diving qualification certificate and hopefully some more amazing pictures of tropical fish! One more tick to take off on the bucket list! 🙂

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