The best of Tenerife – in pictures

Playa de Las Teresitas With 1.5km of golden sand and palm trees, the beach at Las Teresitas is one the most beautiful in Tenerife. It’s great for swimming as the breakwater protects against large waves and strong currents. Combine with a meal in Saint Andrés – a beautiful fishing village with a wide range of restaurants offering delicious seafood dishes.
Photograph: Tenerife Tourism Corporation:

El Médano, “the sand dune” in Spanish, has golden sands as far as the eye can see. Strong winds make it perfect for windsurfing, kitesurfing and bracing walks along the beach. Veer off on to the nearby boardwalk when in need of refreshment. Photograph: Tenerife Tourism Corporation

Cueva del Viento Tenerife has more than a hundred volcanic lava tubes. The best place to explore them is the Cueva del Viento in the district of Icod in the north of the island. Formed 27,000 years ago and with about 17km of tunnels, it is one of the most extensive volcanic complexes in the world. Do not miss the fossils of extinct animals, including giant rats and giant lizards. Photograph: Tenerife Tourism Corporation

Garachico Just over 300 years ago, Trevejo volcano erupted, devastating this small town on the island’s north coast. Although the port was destroyed and the people displaced, there are still examples of fine 16th-century architecture. At Plaza de le Libertad, check out the Convent of San Francisco and the statue of South American revolutionary Simon Bolivar, whose ancestors originated here. Photograph: Tenerife Tourism Corporation

Buenavista golf Golf legend Seve Ballesteros designed this course with the Teno mountain range on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. His influence can be felt in every detail – from the sweeping bunkers to the beautifully designed water hazards –and at times it can feel like you are hitting your ball right into the sea. The course is kept in magnificent condition and you can play just nine holes instead of 18. Photograph: Tenerife Tourism Corporation

Playa de La Arena Tucked away between rocks, the black-sand beach of Playa de La Arena in Puerto de Santiago is popular with water-sports enthusiasts – jetskiing, waterskiing, windsurfing and scuba diving are all on offer during the peak season. For those who want to simply catch a few rays, the beach is spotlessly clean. Photograph: Tenerife Tourism Corporation

Mount Teide volcano Spain’s highest mountain is on Tenerife – the dormant volcano Mount Teide. A climb to its summit is the ultimate one-day hike, taking approximately five hours. You’ll see spectacular volcanic rock of all shapes and sizes including, at about one hour into your walk, a field of gigantic black lava balls. The plantlife is unique, including the adapted Teide violet which can be found right up to the summit (3,718 metres above sea level). (If you can’t manage the walk, there is also a cable car, taking just eight minutes.)
Photograph: Tenerife Tourism Corporation:

Playa del Duque With its golden sands and clear waters, this appealing beach attracts a laidback, upmarket crowd and has a Blue Flag award for its cleanliness. Thanks to breakwaters, it is the perfect place for a relaxing swim, and there are numerous sunbeds for hire. Plenty of stylish cafes and restaurants line the pedestrianised promenade behind the sands. Photograph: Tenerife Tourism Corporation

Parque del Drago This beautiful park next to the parish church of San Marco is home to the island’s oldest tree, the Drago Milenario, an endemic variety that is said to be 800 years old and is the natural symbol of Tenerife. A garden of other native plant species has been created around the tree, including smaller dragon trees, cactus spurge and sweet spurge. Photograph: Tenerife Tourism Corporation

Whale watching Thanks to the subtropical waters, the Canary Islands are the best place in Europe to go whale and dolphin watching. There are bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales resident here year-round. Head out from Adeje, Arona and Santiago del Teide on a catamaran, with its below-sea-level windows and underwater cameras, to see the colony of short-finned pilot whales (shown here) that lives in the straights between Tenerife and La Gomera. See if you can spot migrating species on their journey through here. As many as 19 of the world’s cetaceans have been recorded in Tenerifian waters and, one of the island’s whale and dolphin watching companies give you the best chance of spotting them. Photograph: Tenerife Tourism Corporation