How to spend 5 incredible days in Tenerife

Marta, Be Tenerife travellers.
Nov 2019

I have visited over 10 countries this past 5 months, yet one of the biggest surprises this year was a Spanish island, called Tenerife, in the archipelago of the Canary Islands.

Who would have thought that without leaving Europe, I would be able to find lash tropical scenery, banana plantations, volcanoes, and gold sand beaches? I have spent 5 days in Tenerife and if I were to describe it in one sentence, I would say that it is a mixture of my favourite destinations: Bali, Hawaii, Caribbean and Spain of course.

Hacienda El Socorro was our first villa in Tenerife and we completely loved it. My favourite part was the location – on the edge of a cliff! Its privileged location offers views comparable of a sail boat in open sea! Falling a sleep to the sound of an ocean is a huge plus of this villa!

Once you step outside, the tropical garden, mainly the banana plantation, and the pool are the main protagonists. I enjoyed picking ripe bananas from my own garden and starting my day with healthy breakfast by the pool!

I continued my stance for two more short days in Hacienda Cuatro Ventanas & I was immediately craving for more.

The properties offers a complete seclusion in its charming villas. Here I swam with views of the Atlantic Ocean, banana plantations and fell asleep with the gentle sound of waves crashing on the shore.

Staying in a big resort is a mistake. Point. Or maybe exclamation mark!

Yes, staying in a big resort when traveling to Tenerife is a mistake!

1st Day, visit Puerto de la Cruz

To be honest, I really enjoyed the northern part of the island much more than southern. It felt much more authentic, especially strolling among historical buildings of Puerto de la Cruz, tasting patatas arrugadas (more on that below) in a true colonial style restaurant adds much more to holidays.

My favorite activity was spotting street art around the city – I felt like in a giant open-air urban museum.

2nd Day, Anaga Rural Park

Anaga is a Biosphere Reserve protected by UNESCO located just a few minutes drive from Santa Cruz. It is home to over 800 endangered species of flora and fauna (for comparison whole Germany has only about 5). There are multiple hiking trails to follow for all levels. Some of them will lead you to its charming black sand beaches.

Truly interesting places to visit in Anaga national park are Chinamada (little village with cave houses) and Taganana, also called the village at the end of the world. That’s where you will be able to fill the real rural life of Canary Islands.

3rdDay, Teide National Park

Teide National Park was definitely the most exciting part of our trip. Not every day, you get to the top of a dormant volcano which by the way is also the highest peak of Spain (12198 ft above sea level). There are more than 300 volcanoes on Tenerife alone, so you can imagine my excitement to see the biggest and most powerful one from up close.

We stayed until late at night at Teide National Park to watch the sunset and the night sky.

4th Day, Masca

One of the highlights of my trip was visiting a small mountain village called La Masca.

The village of MASCA, in an impressively isolated and picturesque gorge. I see how it is generally considered Tenerife’s prettiest village. It reminiscence to Machu Picchu plus surrounding landscape is simply magical.

5th Day, Charco de Isla Cangrejo

If there is one thing I love about volcanic islands, it’s the natural pools. The natural pools are enclosed spaces into which, due to their natural formation, the sea water seeps without any human intervention apart from adding steps, walkways and diving points.

Tenerife as an island has a very special vibe, it just feels exotic while still being in Europe. But to really experience this exotic vibe you can’t stay in a touristy place where they serve American or German or English breakfast...

...No, no, no, you need to immerse yourself in banana plantations, chase palm trees, black sand beaches, climb volcanos & catch ocean waves.