Tenerife

Tenerife covers an area of 2,034 km², making it the largest of the Canary Islands. Approximately 900,000 people live on the island.

The Canary Islands are part of Spain, and therefore Europe, but geographically belong to Africa. The archipelago consists of two provinces. Tenerife, along with the islands of La Palma, El Hierro, and La Gomera, is part of the western province. Santa Cruz de Tenerife serves as both the capital of the province and of Tenerife itself, with a population of around 200,000.

Tenerife is about a 4-hour flight from Belgium or the Netherlands, and it’s one hour earlier there.

In general, Tenerife is a great destination year-round, with temperatures ranging from 20°C to 30°C. Between April and October, both the north and south of the island receive very little rainfall.

Tenerife is also a popular winter getaway. The island is about 400 km from Morocco and the Western Sahara, which means you can enjoy pleasant temperatures even in the winter months. To give you an idea, when we visited Tenerife in early November, temperatures ranged from 26°C to 30°C, and the sea was still warm enough for swimming. It did get a bit cooler in the evenings, so a light jacket was recommended.

However, keep in mind that the north of the island tends to be a few degrees cooler and experiences more rain. It’s also much greener than the south.

The summer months are perfect for a sun, sea, and beach holiday, while the winter months are ideal for long walks in nature – although, in November, it was still a bit warm for us at times.

The most ideal option is to rent a car, and the roads are in excellent condition!

We rented our car through Sunnycarswith full insurance. Both picking up and returning the car at the airport went very smoothly. The great advantage of Sunnycars is that you’re fully insured, meaning you won’t have to pay extra for any potential damage.

During the summer holidays (July and August), the south can get particularly busy. Popular resorts such as Los Cristianos, Playa de las Americas, and Costa Adeje are often packed. The beaches are crowded, prices are high, but it’s still lively and there’s plenty of entertainment.

Want to avoid the crowds? Then it’s better to book accommodation in the north. We found San Cristóbal de La Laguna to be a lovely city to stay in next time.

Outside of European school holidays, Tenerife is much quieter. In the south, you’ll mainly see (British) retirees who spend their winters here.

Want to stay in the south? Areas like Costa Adeje or Playa de las Americas are touristy but make for an ideal base. Within an hour, you can reach both sides of the island.

Los Gigantes is also a nice and quiet place to stay. But keep in mind, it takes more time to reach all the island’s hotspots from there.

Yes, you can bring your drone to Tenerife, but there are a lot of rules to follow.

In Spain, it is prohibited to fly without permission from the AESA in national parks. El Teide National Park is off-limits. Just to give you an idea, this ‘park’ spans a massive 190 km². There are no signs indicating the restriction, but after some research, we found that several people have received hefty fines, some up to €6,000. We also saw security guards regularly, so it’s best not to take the risk.

The national park is restricted, but there are others as well. In Spain, there’s a drone flight ban within 15 km of airports. Tenerife has two airports: Tenerife Sur and Tenerife Norte.

There is also a drone ban in Masca, and the prohibition signs are everywhere.

As you can see, there are many places where flying your drone is not allowed.

For more information on where you can and can’t fly, you can check the AESA website.

You may have already seen them in photos of Tenerife: the tajinaste flower. Also known as Tajinaste Rojo, Echium wildpretii, or the ‘blood of Teide’, these beautiful, red, cone-shaped flower clusters grow between one and three metres tall. Over time, they change colour from red to blue. It is an endemic flower, meaning it is found only on Tenerife, or more specifically, on El Teide.

The tajinaste flowers only bloom in spring, making the volcanic landscape suddenly look very colourful. We always look forward to coming back to see them!

Don’t pick the flowers, as there are hefty fines for doing so. Plus, it’s pretty pointless as the flower can only survive on El Teide. So, don’t buy any flower bulbs from tourist shops—it’s just a waste of your money.

Tenerife is one of the best locations in the world to see the Milky Way.

The most beautiful and ideal spot on the island is in El Teide National Park. There is no light pollution here, and you’re standing at an altitude of at least 2,000 metres.

Want to see the Milky Way? Go during a week around the new moon and in summer. In summer, the Milky Way is clearly visible, while the best part of it lies below the horizon during winter.

You can explore the national park on your own, but you can also book one of the many tours where you can get more information and use telescopes.

Even if you don’t see the Milky Way, Tenerife is the place to be for stargazing. Just make sure to avoid a full moon period, as it’s too bright to see many stars—sadly, we speak from experience 😉