Tenerife South Tourist Attractions

Tenerife South Airport serves as an important air gateway to the island of Tenerife, the largest of Spain's famous Canary Islands. The airport handles over eleven million passengers per annum, many of which are tourists, and is located in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona, approximately 60 km from Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the island's capital city. It is also very nearby some of the major holiday resorts of Tenerife, such as Playa de las Américas and Los Christianos. Tenerife is one of seven Canary Island's in the Atlantic Ocean, and is extremely popular for its wide variety of tourist attractions and stunning beaches. Nightlife on the island is vibrant, but for those in search of a quieter holiday, there are plenty of national parks and natural geological attractions to explore.

The island of Tenerife is blessed with a subtropical climate, with warm and sunny summers and mild winters. Throughout the year, the island is visited by thousands of tourists coming to enjoy the spectacular coastline of the region, and the lovely beaches, which are of golden sand or even of a natural darker shade, due to the volcano for which the island is also famous. Mount Teide is the third largest volcano in the world, and is deemed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Teide National Park, or the Parque Nacional de las Canadas del Teide, attracts over four million tourists a year, and is located in the heart of Tenerife. The park is filled with flora and fauna of all types, features some twenty walking trails and covers an area of around 19,000 hectares. Within the park, is Mount Teide, standing tall at almost 12,200 meters, and can be 'climbed' by cable car. Tenerife is also home to several other parks and gardens, such as the Botanical Gardens in Puerto de la Cruz, the La Granja Park, the Parque del Drago, well know for its enormous umbrella-shaped dragon tree, and the Garcia Sanabria Park.

Landmarks and monuments on the island of Tenerife include the Güimar Black Pyramids, Los Roques de Garcia, Barranco del Infierno and the Cliffs of the Giants, or the Acantilados de los Gigantes. The Black Pyramids are one of the mysteries of Tenerife, which are similar to those found in Mexico and Peru. The pyramids are found in the town of Güimar, and have a nearby café, museum and gift shop. The Los Roques de Garcia are found within the Teide National Park, and are an unusual red rock formation, while the Barranco del Infierno is a magnificent gorge in the Adeje region, featuring a number of historic burial caves. The cliffs of Tenerife are perhaps one of the most striking phenomenons on the island, and are best viewed by boat. The dramatic rock faces are found on the western side of Tenerife, and were once believed as sacred.

In Tenerife, the most popular activities are in the water, and range from scuba diving and snorkeling to windsurfing and boating. The waters surrounding the island are warm and mostly quiet, safe for swimming and diving, while there are also good waves at some of the beaches for surfing enthusiasts. The sea of Tenerife features marine creatures of all kinds, a couple of ship wrecks and spectacular underwater volcanic landscape, which makes the perfect location for scuba divers and snorkelers. Some of the most popular places for such activities are the Playa San Juan area on the western side of Tenerife and the rocky Puerto de Santiago cove. Many scuba diving schools are found on the island, and the professionals offer lessons, as well as guided tours and equipment for hire.

The most popular beaches and holiday resorts on Tenerife include the Los Christianos Beach, approximately 400 meters in length and a nice place for families with young children, the Las Américas Beach, comprising of a few small, sandy beaches protected by breakwaters and the Jardin Beach, which is separated into three main areas by large rocks. Surfing spots include the El Bullullo Beach, while the best windsurfing conditions are found at El Médano. The impressive beaches with natural, fine, black sand are the Martiánez Beach in the Puerto de la Cruz area and the Roque Beach, with a number of waterfront restaurants and coffee shops.

Main attractions on the island of Tenerife are Aqualand Costa Adeje, which is a major water park famous for its dolphinarium. This dolphinarium is one of the largest in Europe, and is home to a number of friendly bottle-nose dolphins that put on regular shows to entertain the crowds. The water park at Adeje also features fun water slides, swimming pools, restaurants, bars and gift shops. Animals of all varieties are a popular attraction on the island, and therefore the Loro Parque is one of the most visited places in Tenerife. The Loro Parque used to be just a parrot park, but is now a zoo filled with all sorts of wildlife, ranging from gorillas and tigers to alligators and sea lions. Shows and feeding displays are held regularly. Visitors of the Loro Parque also love the Orca Ocean area, with a few captive-bred killer whales, and the Porcelain Museum in the Thai Village area. Other places of animals on the island include the Aquilas del Teide Ecological Park, known for its intriguing birds of prey displays, crocodiles and hippos, and the El Drago Butterfly House, with about 100 species of butterflies.

Further attractions in Tenerife are the Miniature City of Pueblo Chico, in Carmin Cruz de los Martillos and the submarine trips taken from the harbour in the village of Los Galletas. The underwater trip lasts for about 45 minutes, and is a superb way to get closer to the marine life. Nightlife is also a huge part of the island's activities, and the large nightclubs, discos, casinos and bars are popular among the younger locals and visitors.

From Tenerife, tourists can take one of the many boats and cruise ships available to the other six Canary Islands, to enjoy their wide range of attractions as well. These islands are Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and El Hierro. Information regarding tourism in Tenerife is available at the Tenerife South Airport.