Tenerife Travel Guide

If there's any spot on the globe that enjoys a perfect climate, Tenerife in the Canary Islands might just be it. The destination experiences markedly little variation in the average temperatures between summer and winter, and there's only very occasional rain. Add to this landscapes of verdant forests, mountains, deserts, volcanoes, exotic plant and animal life and spectacular beaches (with black volcanic sand), and travellers have a true holiday paradise.

Tenerife offers the unique experience of swimming and sunbathing on a beautiful beach while snow sparkles on the crest of Mount Teide just a few miles away. The island's central mountain stands at 12,200 feet (3,719m) and is the highest in Spain. A cable-car ride to the summit offers unrivalled views of the lunar-like landscape of the volcanic slopes in the UNESCO-listed Teide National Park.

The island's capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, is an upbeat town geared towards tourism. Its port, where once the first shots of the Spanish Civil War were fired, is today a morass of ferries, jetfoils and freighters ready to take visitors on various cruises and ocean adventures. Other picturesque towns worth visiting on this gorgeous island include Garachico, La Orotava and Masca, all of which have much to offer travellers.