Tenerife Beaches

Tenerife is one of the seven Canary Islands off the north African coast. With a little more than 900,000 inhabitants, it’s also the most heavily populated, and the biggest city is the capital, Santa Cruz, on the northern part of the island.

Most tourists arrive at Reina Sofia airport on the south coast. The southern part of Tenerife is warmer and gets more sun, so this is where the popular holiday destinations like Playa de las Americas, Los Cristianos, and Costa Adeje are located. The only major holiday destination on the north coast is Puerto de la Cruz, which was the first holiday destination on Tenerife. It has undergone a revival, and so it still attracts a lot of tourists.

The natural beaches, with the characteristic, dark lava sand, are spread across the island. Some of the darkest sand can be found on Playa el Bollullo (photo above) on the north coast. Two of the other popular, natural beaches are Playa de la Tejita on the east coast and Playa de Leocadio Machado on the south coast.

A lot of the beaches on Tenerife have been improved with new sand, whilst some have been planned by the local authorities. Without a doubt, the prettiest planned beach is Las Teresitas, built a short distance north of the capital of Santa Cruz. Popular beaches such as Playa de Troya, Playa de Los Cristianos, and Playa Fañabé have all undergone multiple improvements, complete with fine, light sand from the Sahara.

Tenerife is also home to a selection of beautiful, cosy urban beaches. Two of the best beaches are Playa de el Médano and Playa la Arena. Both are small, covered with gorgeous lava sand, and centrally located.

Aside from the beaches, Tenerife offers a range of exciting attractions. The biggest attraction is the Teide mountain, which is the tallest mountain in all of Spain and the third-biggest active volcano in the world (latest eruption in 1909). A lot of visitors choose to take the cable car that stops 200 metres from the summit. For families with children, the Loro Parque zoo and the Siam Park waterpark are some of the most popular attractions. Tenerife is also becoming increasingly popular amongst golfers, and the island now has more than 10 golf courses to offer.

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