For those that are regulars here on my blog *hello!*, you’ll know that I try to go away at least once a month or more. I absolutely love travelling; so when I received an email last month asking if I wanted to go to on a holiday to Tenerife with some bloggers, I jumped at the chance.
When I was reading the email, I was on my way back from the Sahara desert in Morocco (read more here) – due to travelling and responding to a copious amount of emails, I didn’t get to do a huge amount of research on Tenerife before heading out there. I hadn’t been to the Canary Island in years, and didn’t really know what to expect.
Turns out there is so much to do, and we’re already planning our trip to go back. Here’s some of the reasons you should consider Tenerife for your next holiday, and an insight into my holiday to Tenerife last month:
Tenerife is the place for water sports
There’s nothing I love more than spending all day in the sea. Living in Cornwall right next to the beach, I’m so lucky that I can just stroll down the hill for a couple of minutes to the closest beach. That said, there’s only a couple of days of the year when it isn’t freezing and you need to pull on your neoprene. That’s why I couldn’t wait to get to Tenerife and enjoy being in the 24°C water without wearing booties and a full-length wet suit.
On the first day a group of us grabbed some boards and drove around most of the south coast, chasing waves. Firstly, huge disclaimer here – despite living in Cornwall, I am not a surfer! I know, shock horror! It’s always something I’ve been drawn to, and I did have surf lessons in Australia back in 2012. Shortly after, during spring break I went to Bali and did a bit of practising, I felt like I was slowly getting the hang of it. This was a long time ago though, and it turns out that surfing isn’t like riding a bike! So whilst I certainly can’t give any ‘pro’ advice, unlike some of my fellow bloggers can (they looked super cool standing on their boards whilst I tackled the waves from the shoreline); I can say that there is a lot waves in Tenerife for those who have a bit more experience than me.
You can read more about the surf and what it’s like from these guys who knew exactly what they were doing!:
http://www.driftsurfing.eu/72-hours-tenerife/
After a day of surfing (I’d say I reflected a drowning seal rather than a surfer) I decided to mix it up and go paddle boarding on day 2. The water was flat as a pancake and the weather was beautiful, so it was a no-brainer to spend the day on a SUP.
Donna and I paddled a whopping 9km around the coast of Tenerife. Needless to say, we felt it in our arms later on that evening – totally worth it though! I’d love to head back and take advantage of the windsurfing and kite surfing but alas, the wind wasn’t strong enough during our visit.
Scuba diving in Tenerife is unreal
Whilst I was mostly ON the water, some of the bloggers went open water scuba diving during our stay. When we reconvened in the evening and they showed us their pictures, and I almost didn’t believe them. I’ve pinched a snaps from one of the lovely ladies to show you how incredible it looks:
Octopus Festival on my first dive this morning! #scubadiving #uwphotography #ocean #ExploreTenerife @visit_tenerife @TCAirlinesUK pic.twitter.com/3238vbUDuF
— WorldAdventureDivers (@WorldAdvDivers) October 3, 2016
Unfortunately I’m not certified to go diving, however, their stories and photographs have inspired me to do my open water diving course! If you want more information about scuba diving in Tenerife then head over to Ari’s blog here: http://beyondblighty.com/scuba-diving-in-tenerife/
Teide National Park is extraordinary
As a mountain lover and avid hiker, I was absolutely stoked to be heading to Volcan El Teide, the highest mountain in Spain (12,198ft). If you’re heading to Tenerife make sure you dedicate at least one day to exploring this area, you won’t regret it! It was without a doubt my favourite part of the trip.
On the way to the National Park, we stopped at sightseeing spots to get some snaps. Notably, we hopped out on a long highway dividing fields of rock formations from lava. Not to mention, it was pretty much silent – so beautiful! It was still warm but the air was crisp once we’d reach a higher altitude.
Jumping back in the van, we eventually we gained 9,000ft elevation before beginning our hike. It made a nice change from my usual trips, where I usually start from sea level! The views were absolutely incredible; I can only describe the scenery as a mix of Patagonia, The Grand Canyon and the Alps, merged into one diverse landscape – you’ll see why in my next post.
Our guide was so helpful and gave us a great insight into the history of Tenerife and Mount Teide. As you probably know, I’m obsessed with snow and the first thing I thought of when I saw the towering peaks, was how beautiful it would be in white – this is why we’re planning to go back during the winter.
Stay tuned for another post about Teide National Park in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, Lucy wrote a great post that sums up our trip to the volcano in this post: http://paddlepedalpace.co.uk/2016/10/hiking-tenerife-thomas-cook-airlines/
It’s warm 365 days of the year (almost)!
If you’re heading somewhere like Tenerife, it’s pretty important that you have good weather, right? It would be pretty frustrating to arrive somewhere that has so much to offer, but then he stuck inside because of bad weather. I had no idea that Tenerife gets just two days of rain a year – half of me still doesn’t really believe it.
Regardless, Tenerife does have year-round sunshine, so unless you’re really unlucky the weather is pretty much guaranteed to be warm no matter what time of year you choose to visit. Definitely something worth thinking about when you’ve got the January blues and there is cheap flights.
Will you be booking a trip to Tenerife anytime soon?
*I was lucky enough to receive a three night all-inclusive adventure holiday to Tenerife c/o Thomas Cook Airlines in return for #ExploreTenerife social posts and content creation. All views are 100% my own!